1 research outputs found
Assessment of Biofertilizer Quality and Health Implications of Anaerobic Digestion Effluent of Cow Dung and Chicken Droppings
Anaerobic digestate have been identified as a rich source of essential plant nutrients. Nevertheless, its
safety measured by the concentration of pathogen present is of great concern to end users. This research
explored the efficiency of the mesophilic biodigestion process in the stabilization and sanitization of cow
dung and chicken droppings. Six (6) kg each of cow dung and chicken droppings were collected fresh and
free from impurities, pre-fermented, mixed with water in the ratio 1:1 w/v to form slurry, fed into the
respective reactors and digested for 30 days at an average ambient temperature of 30 � 2 �C. The pH of
the medium fluctuated between 6.5 and 8.0. The analysis of the feedstock and effluent of the digesters
showed that a total solids reduction of 75.3% and 60.1% were recorded for cow dung and chicken
droppings while the reduction in total coliforms was 95% and 70% respectively for the dung and droppings.
Microbial analysis of the biofertilizer produced reveals both aerobic and anaerobic organisms
which include species of Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Clostridium, Bacillus, Bacteroides, Salmonella, Penicillum
and Aspergillus. Escherichia coli and Shigella spp. were removed while species of Salmonella and Klebsiella
were still present in the digestate. Notwithstanding these results, the digestate still requires further
treatment for it to be suitable for application on unrestricted crops either as fertilizer; otherwise a health
problem would be created as attempt is made to improve soil fertilit