Biomethanation is the anaerobic digestion of biodegradable organic matter in an enclosed space under controlled conditions of temperature, moisture, pH, etc. The different types of microorganisms mainly bacteria, yeast, molds and actinomycetes are involved in biogas production process. Hydrolytic microorganisms play an important role in the hydrolysis step of biomethanation. The present paper deals with the study of molds from vegetable waste slurry, cattle dung slurry and biogas digester effluent. The biomethanation experiment was carried out in 5 litre capacity digester under ambient temperature conditions. Standard plate count of molds from vegetable waste slurry, cattle dung slurry and digester effluents were found to be 4.1 X 10², 2.78 X 10³ and 7.73 X 10³ colonies/mL respectively. In present study six molds were isolated and identified from each vegetable waste slurry and digester effluent whereas four molds were isolated and identified from cattle dung slurry using standard methods. Further all the mold isolates were tested for their potential to produce hydrolytic enzymes. This study has provided useful information about the molds associated with substrates and digester effluent that have important role in biogas generation.

Download this article as