Biochemical Methane Potential of Slaughterhouse Organic Waste Co-Digestion: A case study in Arequipa-Peru using Augmented Simplex-Centroid Method

Contreras Huaripaucar A.; Mendoza Guerra S.; Lama J.-C. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2026) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2026.1.1.1445

Resumen

The meat industry has been growing steadily and significantly on a global scale over the past few decades. This boom has intensified the challenges associated with waste management, particularly due to the generation of organic waste from slaughterhouses, which poses an environmental risk when not properly managed. In this context, the objective of this study was to analyze biogas production through the anaerobic co-digestion of blood (SA), manure (ES), and ruminal content (CR) at a slaughterhouse in the Arequipa region of Peru. To this end, biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were conducted using an augmented simplex-centroid mixture experimental design. The various substrates were physically and chemically characterized and subjected to triplicate tests under controlled conditions (35 °C), applying the GD BMP method to quantify the biogas produced every three days. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) revealed significant differences among the formulations (p < 0.05). The mixture composed of 66.67% SA - 16.67% ES - 16.67% CR achieved the highest yield among the formulations (704.34 ml biogas/g DM), while the monodigestion of blood presented the highest average value (725.60 ml biogas/g DM). The intermediate values showed moderate yields (339-472 ml biogas/g DM), while treatments dominated by ES and CR recorded lower values, with pure manure standing out at 153.8 ml biogas/g DM. The results demonstrated the positive effect of blood as a highly biodegradable substrate and the limitations of fibrous materials, confirming the relevance of co-digestion as a recovery solution for optimizing biogas production from organic waste generated in slaughterhouses.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas