Development of mixed inoculum for methane enriched biogas production.

Inocula were collected from four different sources such as Jajmau tannery waste treatment plant (ITW), Jajmau municipal waste treatment (IMW), Unnao distillery (IDW) and a batch reactor, in which the sludge of a field scale biogas reactor was added to cow dung slurry to develop inoculum (IBS). A combination of these mixed inocula were used for biogas production at 35°C in laboratory scale reactor (10 L capacity) and the average yield of biogas (0.547 Lg(-1) volatile solid (VS)) and methane (0.323 Lg(-1)VS) in 41 d was higher in case of mixed inoculum IMW (1) (IMW+IBS), with maximum methane content in biogas (68% during 27-30 d), as compared to other mixed inocula as well as control i.e. ITW (1) (ITW+IBS), IDW(1) (IDW+IBS) and IBS. The corresponding yields of gas were biogas (0.505, 0.536 and 0.456 Lg(-1)VS), methane (0.288, 0.305, and 0.245 Lg(-1)VS) where as, the corresponding maximum methane content in biogas was 62% during 29-33d, 64% during 29-33 d and 62% during 27-29 d in ITW(1), IDW(1) and IBS.