Abstract

Biomass from agricultural residues consists largely of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are responsible for forming a rigid structure with difficult biodegradation. A viable alternative to increase the release of these components and improve codigestion process is the fortification of the inoculum adding microorganisms from bovine rumen. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of inocula fortified with microorganisms from bovine rumen, either using ruminal content or bovine manure, on the codigestion of swine manure and rice husk. From the results of methane yield and specific methanogenic activity it was observed that the fortified inocula, improved the codigestion, especially during process startup. On a pilot scale, the use of bovine manure presented a relevant performance on methane yield. Considering the availability of bovine manure, it can be an interesting option to be used in the startup of codigestion of swine manure and lignocellulosic residues.