Study of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) on the quality of cow dung biogas

The objective of this research was to know the effect of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) on the quality of cow dung biogas. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a perennial aquatic herb, which belongs to the family Pontedericeae. It is usually found floating freely on the surface of fresh water or can be anchored in mud. Using water hyacinth as a biogas is one of the ways to limit the disadvantageous effects of the plant and to provide a low-cost gas. Seventy five percent cow dung was mixed thoroughly with 25 % blended water hyacinth (3:1) and cleaned water was added to form slurry, it was poured through the inlet orifice of a digester. Bacteria and mould counts of the materials were determined before and during digestion. Temperature, pH, of the digesting materials, biochemical and morphological characterization of the isolates were carried out to know the microorganisms responsible for the digestion of the materials. A total of eight (8) bacteria and four (4) fungi were isolated during digestion. The bacteria identified were Escherichia coli, Methanococcus mazei