The study investigated the effect of cow dung on the production of biogas from food wastes. Biogas was generated from the mixture of cow dung (CD) with cooked and uncooked food wastes of yam, cassava and plantain. Specific amount of each substrate was weighed and combine with equal mass of water before being poured into different digesters. The slurries were left to undergo anaerobic digestion for nineteen days with the ambient temperature, digesters (slurry) temperature and pressure daily monitored and recorded. Biogas production started before 24 hours after loading and the biogas yield from uncooked food wastes (UCFW) co-digested with CD was more compared to the yield from cooked food wastes (CFW). The addition of CD to the substrates influence biogas yield and the pressure and temperature of the substrates in the digesters. Statistical analysis using ANOVA revealed that the differences in biogas yield across the digesters were significant (p < 0.05) for both cooked and uncooked food co-digested with cow dung. The study therefore converts wastes from cooked and uncooked yam, cassava and plantain to useful energy in form of biogas which can be employed for domestic purposes.
Keywords: Biogas, Cow dung, Cooked and uncooked food wastes, Anaerobic digestion
