CATALYTIC BIO-SLURRY DEGRADATION TO BIO-HYDROGEN AND HYDROCARBON FUELS USING AN ELECTROLYTIC BIOMASS SOLAR CELL

Abstract

The disposal of bio-slurry in areas that do not have farmyards, where they can be applied for use as organic biofertilizer is a conundrum. Applying bio-solids to land can expose people to pollutants by inhalation in addition to contaminating drinking water, causing humans to consume contaminated meat or milk, and infected food crops to be consumed. There is a developing need to opt for more environmentally friendly processes to generate more efficient and cleaner bio-fuels. This study purposed to Catalyze bio-slurry degradation to bio-hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels using an electrolytic solar cell, powered by a 40Watt solar panel. Design and fabrication of an Electrolytic Biomass Solar Cell (E.B.S.C) of capacity12,000mL: A pre-experimental set-up with a 9,000mL capacity of bio-slurry and a solar energy system of 40W current of Pmax; vmp of 1:1 (Watt and Volts respectively) was used in order to electrolyze bio-slurry. Geo-catalyst (Ebarra) and synthesized iron oxide catalyst were used to lower activation energy barrier and enhance the rate of degradation and gas volume production. The geo-catalyst composition was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Bioassay method was used to analyze the slurry's bio-characteristics, and GC-MS was used to characterize the molecular composition of the bio-slurry. Physico-chemical properties of the bio-slurry revealed the following; the TSS, TDS and pH analyses recorded the following; 13mg/L, 1.8mg/L ±0.01) and 8.04 (±0.01) respectively. The highest volume of bio-hydrogen was produced by the setup with the ‘ebarra’ electrocatalyst and was equal to 1070mL; the maximal level of hydrocarbon gases was 600 mL of hydrocarbon fuels. These included; The type of biofuel produced in the different setups was different based on the GC-MS analysis done on the samples. The bioslurry was found to contain Cyclohexasiloxane, dodecamethyl- (major compound) and 2,7-Dimethyl-2,7-octanediol. The ‘ebarra’ catalyst introduced higher yields of bio-methane (CH4) at 20.42% and bio-ethane (C2H6) at 24.0%. This was so despite the fact that the iron catalyst setup had a higher propane (C3H8) content of 35.10%. This could be attributed to the difference in the catalysts (Ebarra is a heterogenous catalyst while iron catalyst is not). Moreover, the bioassay study revealed the existence of bacteria in the bio-slurry before the process of electrolysis, and none of them were detected after that process. The anticipated use of these findings can provide insights on new avenues of deriving biofuels as well as mitigating environmental pollution. Keywords: Bioslurry, electrolytic biomass degradation, electrolytic biomass solar cell, electrocatalysts.