The potential of various livestock waste as sources of methanogenic bacteria

Livestock waste contains organic matter as nutrients for methanogenic bacteria. However, the limiting factor was the acidogens and acetogens continuously produce compounds that reduce the pH of the system below the preferred range for methanogens to survive if sufficient buffering capacity is not available.The objective of this research is to determine the potency of various livestock waste such as dairy cattle waste and beef cattle waste, as a source of methanogens. The technique for counting bacteria was through Total Plate Count in anaerobic Hungate tube. The incubation period was 30 days. Methane was observed using Gas Chromatography (GC) analysis and the concentration of VFAs was measured using titration method. The results showed that methane production was directly proportional to the growth of anaerobic bacteria. Based on the growth of anaerobic bacteria and the production of methane in the media indicated that the dairy cattle waste and beef cattle waste were potential as a source of methanogenic bacteria.