Jan-Mar 2012 Journal of Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection Vol.2 No.

COW DUNG WATER HYACINTH SLUDGE: A VERITABLE SOURCE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

Olawale O.E. Ajibola and Eniola O. Suley

Department of Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.

Abstract Traditionally, cows excreta have been used as manure in the fields for ages. With increasing demands for energy coupled with depletion of existing fossil fuel, the quest for renewable energy has taken the centre stage the world over. Cow excreta have been identified as viable source of energy with additional quality that greenhouse emissions are reduced significantly. Being used in developing countries for over three decades now, cow dung and by extension, biomass has a lot of potential to reduce carbon footprint by capturing and storing CO 2 from biogas into the ground thus turning the biogas carbon negative and scrubbing the past CO 2 emissions out of the atmosphere. In this work, we have done a comparative analysis of energy content of excreta of various kinds of animals, man inclusive, and have chosen cow dung. We have excogitated the chemical content of cow dung with a view to extracting its energy content with the ultimate goal of producing electricity thus providing sustainable energy especially for the rural populace where energy requirement is low due to absence of industries. Keywords: renewable energy, excreta, fossil fuel, greenhouse emissions, carbon footprint, biomass, sustainable energy, conference and fair.

1. INTRODUCTION Energy is the ability of a system to do work, Gibbs K. (2004). It is the property of a system that enables the system to function and to change form; shape, position and chemical composition, Halliday et al (2004). Energy is required for every human activity; from talking to running, jumping or even reading. Some important forms and sources of energy include: the solar energy, derived from the sun; chemical energy; electrical energy; mechanical energy which basically manifest as kinetic energy (i.e. energy due to motion) and potential energy (i.e. stored energy) to mention but a few. One of the most important of these forms of energy is the electrical energy due to its higher transmissible power, its ability to readily transform to other forms of energy and the human capability to facilitate its storage. Electricity features everywhere in our lives. It lights up our homes, cooks our meals, powers our computers and other electronic devices and Electricity from battery keeps our cars running. For these reasons Energy

Consumptions worldwide depends on the quantum of electrical energy generated. The issues connected with the growth in Energy Consumption, Energy Conservation, and Finding Environmentally benign ways of energy production the world over. This may arguably be the most significant challenge facing mankind in the 21st century, IbidapoObe and Ajibola (2011). Nigerias Unreliability of Supply and Decline in Traditional Fossil Fuel Production, combined with very grave Environmental matters and Continued uncharted economic and population growth makes it imperative to search for Alternative Forms of Energy. Whilst we proceed with increasing the generation capacity, transmission and distribution of existing traditional energy sources through the development of energy systems and policies that enhance social, economic and environmental performance; it is appropriate to focus on alternative to the traditional energy sources which among other things is capital intensive, and the

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technology required becomes obsolete within a short space of time thereby requiring intensive overhauling of the machineries or better still a complete replacement of the existing technology with a newer innovation leading to colossal waste of fund. However, the answer to the present imbroglio may be found in renewable and sustainable energy forms both for rural and urban areas of the

country, Ibidapo-Obe and Ajibola (2011). Currently exploration in the renewable energy field is the lowest of the existing sources of energy. Figures 1 and 2 give a summary of the contributions of various sources of energy. Figure 2 presented the visual summary only in percentages since no two sources of energy have the same percentage contribution in Figure 1.

Figure 1: the summary of sources of worlds energy supply Sources of World's Energy Supply Oil Coal Natural Gas Traditional biomass Large Hydro Nuclear New renewable Percentage Contribution 34.10% 22.50% 21.60% 10.00% 5.70% 3.80% 2.30%

Figure 2: diagrammatic presentation of the worlds energy supply sources

The significance of the research is to promote a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to the world-wide acclaimed hazardous fossil-fuel based energy generation processes using biogas technology with animal dung and water hyacinth that are readily available in our local communities as the base ingredients. The purpose of this research work is to exploit the potentials in animal dungwater hyacinth sludge which makes it

a viable source of renewable energy by extracting biogas from the slurry of the sludge for the sole purpose of producing electricity. 2. THE RENEWABLE ENERGY The word renewable emanated from renew which implies to give new strength to something. Renewable Energy thus mean: Energy that can be given new strength to.

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Renewable Energies derivable from the natural movements and environment such as: sunshine, wind, the heat of the earth, the movement of seas and rivers and the growth/movement of plants and animals. A renewable energy system transforms incoming solar energy and its primary alternate forms (wind and river flow), usually without pollution-causing combustion into readily usable form of energy such as electricity, Ibidapo-Obe and Ajibola (2011). Some renewable energy forms are: Solar, Wind, Micro-Hydro, Fuel Cells, Biomass and Geothermal Energy, Uppal and Rao (2009). However, some energy forms are nonrenewable. Major nonrenewable energy forms are the Fossil Fuels. These are the traditional sources of energy such as coal, oil and natural gas. Fossil Fuels are nonrenewable since they cannot be recycled. Once they are spent they cannot be recovered again. A comparative analysis of renewable and nonrenewable energy is summarized as follows: Renewable energy from wind, solar, and hydroelectric power emits no pollution or carbon dioxide (although the building of the components does) Even though Biomass is a form of renewable energy, Biomass combustion emits CO2 and other pollutants Renewable energy is sustainable indefinitely, unlike long-stored energy from fossil fuels Fossil-fuel energy that took millions of years to create that much fuel will deplete in the future; since the rate of depletion is far greater than the rate of creation US oil production peaked about 1974; world energy reached its peaked between 2004 and 2009 Nuclear energy is not renewable, but sometimes it is treated as though it were because of the long period of depletion In view of the comparisons above, Renewable energy will eventually become

mandatory, and our lifestyles may change. It is inevitable that transition to renewable energy must occur well before a crisis occurs. A viable renewable source of energy is biomass and its derivatives. According to the International Energy Agency, bio-energy (biogas and biomass) have the potential to meet more than a quarter of world demand for transportation fuels by 2050. Biogas technology is a very good solution to rural energy needs, and it provides significant benefits to human and ecosystem health. A good example in time is the Denmark experience. According to EcoFriend, (2007), biomass became an increasingly important energy source in Denmark over the last 25 years. Being a carbon neutral energy source, it has already helped make a significant contribution to the reduction of Danish carbon emissions. The conversion of more biomass at power stations will help Denmark reach its target of 30% renewable energy by 2020. Today, biomass accounts for approximately 12% of world energy consumption. It is imperative to note that the potential of using biogas has so far been unexploited, especially in the form of livestock manure in the agriculture system. Denmark, known for its farming industry; approximately 65% of the land is used for agriculture, emitting 18% of all greenhouse gases here, through methane and nitrogen. So farming has an important part to play in the transition to a fossil fuel free society. The Danish government now wants up to 50% of livestock manure to be made into this green energy supply. Currently, one of the worlds largest biogas plants is currently being built in North West Jutland, in one of Denmarks most important agricultural areas. The Maabjerg Bioenergy, due for completion in 2012, will convert 500,000 tons of biomass into pure energy. The big plant is a co-operation between agriculture, local government and district heat stations and will purify livestock manure, while at the same time produce heat and electricity to the nearby cities of Holstebro and Struer. When operational, Maabjerg Bioenergy will provide both environmental and employment benefits. Helping reduce carbon emissions, provide clean green energy and enable local farmers to maintain

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current herds, with potential for future cattle increases. With biogas currently exempted from Danish taxation, it is hoped that over the next ten years there will be up to fifty new large scale biogas plants in Denmark. In April 2011, the Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen received for a second centre period, a grant of 55 million kroner from the Danish National Research Foundation to

facilitate the research for electrifying the country using biomass. The energy content of animal excreta is amazingly enormous. It is therefore imperative that a scientific analysis of solid excreta from selected readily available animals, man inclusive, is considered. Figure 3 reveals the derivable gas content in each of the chosen animal dung.

Figure 3: gas production derivable from available animal dung S/No 1 2 3 4 Type of Dung Cattle Pig Poultry (Chicken) Human Gas Production per Kilogram Dung 0.023-0.040 0.040-0.059 0.065-0.116 0.020-0.028

Figure 4: samples of cow dung and water hyacinth respectively in their natural form

And Figure 4 contains the samples of Cow dung and Water hyacinth in their natural forms before the anaerobic biodgradation of the sludge formed from the two took place. 3. OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH 3.1 Objectives of the Research The targeted objectives of the research effort are stated below: To enumerate the cost and benefits of using Renewable energy sources as opposed to fossil fuels based on existing literature To design a prototype model for generating biogas from natural resources To obtain electricity from the prototype model described in aforementioned objective, and To identify the limitations of our research effort.

3.2 Research Methodology The method adopted in the work is purely empirical. The schematic model of the biogas electrical energy producing system is shown in the Figure 5 below. The model comprises of a biogas digester, a boiler, an electricity generating system (a dynamo and its compatibles) and an electric bulb. Biogas

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is generated in the digester; the gas is then used to boil water in the boiler in order to produce steam. The steam is provides the

mechanical force that drives a turbine which in turn drives the dynamo that produces direct current.

Figure 5: schematic prototype of the electricity generating system

Figure 6: the inner components of the digester, the turbine and the dynamo in that order

Figure 7: simple demonstration of methane production after three days of biodegradation

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3.3 Materials The material deployed for the purpose of this research include: Plastic Bucket, Reducer, M6 bolt (or screw plug), Funnel, PVC thread sealer, M6 wing/butterfly nut, 025mm PVC T-joint, inch flat bar, Wooden base, 025mm PVC cap, Bearing, ABRO kwik-set epoxy, Cow dung, Bearing block,

Auto-base enamel varnish, Water hyacinth, 240 x 08mm shaft, Thinner, Topgit PVC gun, 30 x 08mm bushing, Wood lacquer polish, Gas Nozle, 070 fishing reel flywheel, Owlet 6V-3Whub dynamo, Fire Extinguisher cylinder, 0100 x 27mm drive wheel, Plastic wing blade, Nipple and Coupler.

Figure 8: schematic model of the biogas production system

Figure 9: prototype of the biogas electric energy plant (BEEP)

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Figure 10: the flowchart for the operations of the prototype BEEP

The materials are arranged and coupled as shown in Figure 9 above. The biogas produced with impurities leave the Digester traversing the Activated Charcoal chamber for drying, and the Calcium Hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] for scrubbing, to the gas holder for direct usage for burning of water into steam for the purpose of turning the turbine that in turn supplies the mechanical energy that activates the dynamo. The output of the dynamo is evident by the powering of the 3.5 Mathematical Models The mathematical considerations made in respect of the research effort were done at the following levels of execution of the design:

small electric fan that completes the design. Scrubbing is necessary to get rid of H2S and CO2 which are inimical to both the process and a healthy environment. Figure 8 terminates the process of electricity production at the two-way tap; the point at which the biogas produced from the digester is either channeled to a gas holder or the pump in order that the produced biogas (i.e. methane (CH4)) may be stored and used for domestic purposes such as cooking or sundry purposes. The governing equation for heat energy Q mW cw mc cc T required: (1) The heat required to produce steam: Q2 mL Vs L (2)

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The pressure required to produce torque: (3) P 4 wVw g d 2 The torque that causes rotation is: m f rf 2 (4) The governing equation generation: E BAN (5) for electricity

And by MATLAB-based simulation, the graph of Electrical Energy against Angular Velocity is given in Figure 11, while Figure 12 shows the relationship between Electric Energy generated when the concentration of the slurry from the sludge is altered with increasing volume of water.

Figure 11: graph of Electrical Energy produced against Angular Velocity

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Figure 12: graph of Electrical Energy produced against Volume of Water

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This Project identifies and analyses the problem of energy supply. It discusses the need to move from the usage of nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels: coal, crude oil, to renewable energy sources; the economic and environmental benefits. The project proposes a way forward; the option of recycling waste to produce biogas and the use of biogas as fuel for energy production. The performance evaluation showed that cow dung-water hyacinth slurry gas is rich in methane and may be used in rural areas and elsewhere to provide a renewable and stable source of electricity. It was found to be cheap and environment friendly. The biogas produced is a clean energy source for household use and the raw materials are readily available. The renewable energy derived from the cow dung-water hyacinth slurry is green energy. It reduces the hazardous emissions from fossil fuels and minimizes unethical human practices embarked upon in order to satisfy mans day-to-day energy requirements and thus contributes positively to the fight

against global warming energy. It reduces deforestation thus reducing greenhouse effect, Ollor et al (2009). And it is a booster to productivity in the agriculture sector since the bi-product is cleaner and less toxic manure compared with the synthetic fertilisers and it is by implication an excellent fertilizer for use on the farm, Gustavsson, M. (2000). Analytical consideration of the process reveals a positive slope where necessary. For instance, the study agrees with existing on the point that the higher the angular velocity the higher the systems energy output as enumerated in Figure 11. The graphical analysis in Figure 12 shows that the less concentrated the slurry of the cow dungwater hyacinth sludge the less the gas production and therefore the lower the energy output, Sughra et al (2003). Other works, confirmed the viability and the imperativeness of the research work since any nation that must ascend the ladder of economic productivity, achieve and maintain the millennium development goals in the futurity must strive to imbibe renewable energy in the nonse. Some of the limitations of the study are the unavailability of standard equipments to use for the

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purpose of achieving optimally, the aims and objectives of a research and the process of accessing research grant in Nigeria. According to Okafor and Joe-Uzuegbu (2000), the National energy supply is at present almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels and firewood (conventional energy sources) which are depleting fast. In their account, recent estimates indicated that the reserve for crude oil stood at about 23 5. CONCLUSION With the conclusion of this study, a major socio-economic problem was identified: inadequate energy supply; and a way forward has been proposed in the form of the generation of biogas and its application in electricity generation. It is our sincere belief that if power generation is the only problem the current regime in Nigeria can solve, it will be a giant step towards actualizing vision 20:2020. REFERENCES EcoFriend (2007); Move over Wind and Solar Energy, Cow dung is here to stay! http://www.ecofriend.com/entry/moo ove-over-wind-and-solar-energycows-poop-is-here-to-stay/ Gibbs, K. (2004); Advanced level physics, 2nd edition. Cambridge Press. London. Gustavsson, M. (2000); Biogas technology: solution in search of its problem. A study of small-scale rural technology introduction and integration. Department for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Human Condition, Goteborg University, Goteborg. Halliday, D., Reswick, R. and Walker, J. (2004); Fundamental of physics, 6th edition. John Willey and Sons Press Inc., USA. Ibidapo-Obe, O and Ajibola, O.O.E. (2011); Towards a renewable energy development for rural power

billion barrels in 1998, natural Gas 4293 billion cubic metre at the beginning of 1999, made up of 53% associated gas and 47% non associated gas. Coal and lignite stood at 2.7billion tones, tar sands at 31 billion barrels of oil equivalent and large scale hydropower at 10,000MW. For Nigeria to grow energy for its citizenry, the leadership must be focused and renewable energy research must be accorded the attention it deserved. sufficiency. International Conference on Innovations in Engineering and Technology (IET 2011). pp. 894 905. Johansson, T.B. (2006); Renewable energy sources for fuels and electricity. Island Press. Washington D.C.

Khemani, H. (2009), ed. Stonecypher, L.: Working of bio-gas generator or biogas plant. Bio-gas Generator (Image source: www.gobartimes.org).
Okafor E.N.C.and Joe-Uzuegbu C.K.A. (2010); Challenges to development of renewable Energy for electric power sector in Nigeria. International Journal of Academic Research. Vol. 2. No. 2. pp. 211 216.

Ollor, W.G., Jack, P.O., Utsumi, T. and Herren, H.R. (2009); Nigeria energy policy analysis: modeling Nigerias energy policy response dynamics. Nigeria Energy Policy Analysis with Threshold 21_v3 copy. Sughra F., Ahmed I., Kanwal S. and Ateeq U. (2003); Effect of Different Levels of Cow Dung on Growth Performance of Major Carps. Int. J. Agriculture and Biology, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 194 195. Uppal, S.L. and Rao, S. (2009); Electric power systems: generation, transmission, distribution, protection and utilization of electricity energy. Khanna Publishers, New Delhi.

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