Ranjeet Singh and S.K. Mandal
Abstract
Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion of livestock waste contains 60-65% methane, 35-40% carbon dioxide and traces of other gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and water vapor (Xiaohua and Jingfei 2005, Safley et al., 1988, Hessami,I994). Hydrogen sulfide alone or in combination with water, is detrimental to gas handling equipment and causes serious corrosion and pitting of metal surfaces. It is found from this investigation that sodium molybdate (at minimum concentration 5mM/L e.g. 1.21g/L) is an effective inhibitor of hydrogen sulfide production in biogas and could play an important part in developing a strategy for the anaerobic digestion of sulfate- rich dairy manure without producing hydrogen sulfide.