Year: 2026 | Month: January | Volume: 13 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 126-133
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20260113
Recovery of Sludge through Biogas Production: The Case of the Urban Commune of Mamou (Republic of Guinea)
Thierno Amadou Barry1, Ansoumane Sakouvogui1, Elhadj Ousmane Camara1, Ibrahima Maciré Camara2, Adama Moussa Sackho2
1Institut Supérieur de Technologie, Département Energétique, Mamou, Guinée
2Department of Laboratory Chemistry Techniques, Higher Institute of Technology, Mamou, Guinea.
Corresponding Author: Thierno Amadou Barry
ABSTRACT
In the cities of Guinea in general, and the urban commune of Mamou in particular, all households use sanitation systems that are not connected to a sewer network. These installations need to be emptied once they are full. Emptying services are provided by the urban commune's environmental and sanitation department, which has a 6 m³ truck, and by manual emptiers. The emptying of latrines and septic tanks is neither planned nor controlled.
The objective of this study is to valorize the sewage sludge produced in the urban commune of Mamou through biogas production in order to develop a safe management and reuse strategy. The methanization of sewage sludge to be disposed of is essential for organizing the collection service, sizing the treatment facilities, and assessing valorization methods.
Three (3) 4.5-liter plastic bottles were used simultaneously as digesters; these bottles were filled to three-quarters of their volume with two types of substrates and their mixtures. These samples were each diluted in 2.5 liters of water. During 25 days of experimentation, the following parameters and their values were observed: Internal temperature of the digesters (24 to 28°C) conducive to mesophilic digestion, optimal for the activity of methanogenic bacteria; external temperature (21 to 30°C) ensuring good thermal maintenance of the environment; pH of the medium (6.00 to 6.75) favorable for the development of methanogenic bacteria; Daily biogas yield: Fresh sludge: 1.136 liters per day; Concentrated sludge: 0.456 liters per day; Codigestion: 0.695 liters per day.
The conversion of emptying sludge into biogas represents a sustainable solution to: reduce environmental nuisances related to its storage; produce renewable energy (methane usable for cooking, lighting, or as fuel); valorize liquids within a circular economy framework.
Keywords: Valorization, sludge from septic tanks, biogas production, Mamou. .
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