Ensilage of pineapple processing waste for methane generation.

Pineapple peel wastes, which are seasonal, comprise of peels and rags. Their disposal poses a serious environmental pollution problem. Since pineapple peel is rich in cellulose, hemicellulose and other carbohydrates it was found to be a potential substrate for methane generation by anaerobic digestion. Ensilaging of pineapple peel resulted in the conversion of 55% carbohydrates into volatile fatty acids. The ensilage of pineapple processing wastes reduced the biological oxygen demand by 91%. Biogas digester fed with ensilaged pineapple peel resulted in the biogas yield of 0.67 m3/kg volatile solids (VS) added with methane content of 65% whereas fresh and dried pineapple peels gave biogas yields of 0.55% and 0.41 m3/kg VS added and methane content of 51% and 41% respectively.