TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Title Page        -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           i

Certification    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           ii

Dedication      -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           iii

Acknowledgements    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           iv

Table of Contents       -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           v

List of Tables  -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           x

List of Figures -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           xi

Abstract          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           xii

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       Introduction    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           1

1.1       Aim and Objectives    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           2

CHAPTER TWO

2.0Composition and Utilization of Biogas          -           -           -           -           4

2.1       Types of Feedstock/Substrates for Biogas Production           -           -           6

2.1.1    Process and Microorganism involved in Anaerobic digestion-           -           8

2.2       Factors affecting Biogas production  -           -           -           -           -           12

2.3       Methods of Improving Biogas yield   -           -           -           -           -           17

2.4       Zea mays and Citrollus colocynthis    -           -           -           -           -           24

2.4.1    Zea mays         -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           24

2.4.2    Citrollus colocynthis    -           -           -           -           -           -           -           26

2.5       Biogas Production      -           -           -           -           -           -           -           28

2.6       Costus afer      -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           29

CHAPTER THREE

Materials and Method

3.1       Materials         -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           31

3.1.1    Culture Media/Reagents used             -           -           -           -           -           31

3.1.2    Aseptic Procedure and Sterilization   -           -           -           -           -           31

3.1.3    Materials Used            -           -           -           -           -           -           -           31

3.2       Methods          -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           32

3.2.1    Experimental Design   -           -           -           -           -           -           -           32

3.2.2    Sample Collections/Processing           -           -           -           -           -           34

3.2.3    Pretreatment of Melon Husk  -           -           -           -           -           -           34

3.3       Determination of Total Solid (TS) and volatile Solid (VS)    -           -           35

3.3.1    Total and Volatile Solid Determination          -           -           -           -           35

3.3.2    Digestion of Substrates           -           -           -           -           -           -           35

3.4       Isolation of Heterotrophic Bacteria    -           -           -           -           -           36       

3.5       Isolation of Anaerobic Bacteria          -           -           -           -           -           37

3.6       Characterization of Bacterial Isolates             -           -           -           -           27

3.6.1    Gram Staining -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           38

3.6.2    Motility Test   -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           38

3.6.3    Catalase Test   -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           39

3.6.4    Oxidase Test   -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           39

3.6.5    Indole Test      -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           39

3.6.6    Citrate Test     -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           40

3.6.7    Carbohydrate Utilization Test            -           -           -           -           -           -           40

3.6.8    Spore Staining -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           41

3.7       Biogas Measurement   -           -           -           -           -           -           -           41

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0       Results                        -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           42

4.1       Microbial Count of Substrates and Digestates           -           -           -           42

4.2       Morphological and Biochemical Characteristics of Isolates   -           -           45

4.3       Volatile and total Solid Content of Substrates and Digestates          -           47

4.4       Biogas Yield from Zea mays and Citrollus colocynthis-        -           -           50       

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1       Discussion       -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           53

5.2       Conclusion and Recommendation      -           -           -           -           -           55

References      -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           56

Appendix        -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           61

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1:           Morphological and Biochemical Characteristics of Isolates   -           46

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1:  Experimental Design for Anaerobic Digestion of Waste for Biogas

Production                  -           -           -           -           -           -           -           32

Fig.  2: Total Heterotrophic and Anaerobic Bacterial Counts of Maize chaff and Untreated Melon Seed Husk Waste            -           -           -           -           -           43

Fig. 3:  Total Heterotrophic and Anaerobic Bacterial Counts of Maize chaff and Treated

 Melon Seed Husk Waste       -           -           -           -           -           -           44

Fig. 4:  Total and Volatile Composition of Untreated Waste            -           -           -           48

Fig. 5:  Total and Volatile Composition of Treated Waste     -           -           -           49

Fig. 6:  Biogas production from Untreated Waste      -           -           -           -           51

Fig. 7:  Biogas production from Treated Waste          -           -           -           -           52

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