Studies on Settlement Pattern, Gas Production and Rate of Degradation of Putrescible Via Primary Leachate Generation in Tropical Climate of Nigeria
- January 6, 2022
- Posted by: rsispostadmin
- Categories: Agriculture, IJRSI
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VIII, Issue XII, December 2021 | ISSN 2321–2705
Enokela O.S, M. G. Abubakar
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi Nigeria
Abstract—The study on settlement pattern, gas production and rate of degradation of putrescibles was investigated in this study from a prototype landfill in Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi-Nigeria using proposed water balance model. Fresh putrescible were collected from the university community to fill the single celled prototype landfill and allowed to degrade under natural condition for 50 days. Principal leachate and gas generation were recorded in-situ while other parameters were obtained from the waste settlement. Moisture content and pH variation were observed in a typical cell/bed (depth 60cm) during phase I and phases II of the experiment. A uniform settlement was recorded as a drop in height of the substrate column and maximum settlement was attained after 40 days. Field capacity decreases with waste volume and time. TOC and Gcell values of 2.5 and 2.7 respectively were established insitu for determination of the time rate of degradation. The time rate of degradation of putrescibles from the study is described as first order polynomial function (R² = 0.9866) with respect to FC but expressed as an exponential function in terms of height and wet weight of substrate ( R² = 0.9505 and R² = 0.9943 respectively).
Index Terms—Landfill, Putrescibles, water balance model, Degradation rate, settlement, gas and primary leachate
I. INTRODUCTION
Food and Agricultural organization reported that one-third or more of food never makes it from the farm to our table, they are lost to waste or spoilage [1]. Food waste occurs along the entire spectrum of production, from the farm to distribution, retailers consumer. As a result, nearly one billion people go to bed hungry every night. The decomposition of the food waste, either plant or animal, called putrescible in this context, is an important field of study within food science and environmental engineering.
According to [2] spoilage of food is attributed to contamination from microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, and yeasts, along with natural decay of the food [3],. The decomposition process is aided by shredding, adding water and aeration by regularly turning of the mixture. Worms and fungi further break up the material. Aerobic bacteria manage the chemical process by converting the inputs into heat, carbon dioxide and ammonium.
Setting societal and environmental issues aside, the direct economic cost of food waste is a $1 trillion mountain, and growing [1] [4] . Wasted food has far-reaching effects globally. In the U.S., up to 40% of all food produced goes uneaten [5], and about 95% of discarded food ends up in
