Analysis of Sesame Dehulling Wastewater

Utilization for Biogas Manufacturing

Gunawan Rahmadi, Muhammad Ichdahana, Arita Dewi Nugrahini(B) ,

and Henry Yuliando

Department of Agroindustrial Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas

Gadjah Mada, Jl. Flora 1 Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
[email protected]

Abstract. At present, some sesame dehulling businesses cannot handle over-

loaded liquid waste and choose to dispose sesame dehulling liquid waste directly
into sewers or rivers. The organic matter in sesame dehulling wastewater disposed
directly into the environment causes many environmental problems. One alterna-
tive for handling liquid waste with organic content is to use it as biogas through
an anaerobic process. In this study, data collection was carried out through direct
experiments with laboratory-scale reactors. The experimental design used con-
sisted of four combinations of wastewater treatment from sesame dehulling and
cow dung starter (1:0; 9:1; 7:3; 1:1) with a total volume of 3 L and two types
of digesters (focusing on gas production and focus on the substrate) with two
repetitions for a total of 16 trials. The study was conducted for 40 days. The fac-
tors that were observed and tested were the ratio of carbon/nitrogen, the value of
Chemical Oxygen Demand and pH every 10 days, the temperature of the substrate
every day, the amount of biogas produced every day, the total biogas produced,
and the content of the biogas produced. The data obtained were then analyzed
using descriptive statistical analysis. The results showed that for 40 days retention
time, the higher the content of cow dung starter, the higher the volume of bio-
gas and methane content produced. Experiments with a 1:1 substrate produced a
maximum biogas of 498 mL per day, a total biogas of 8.461 mL, and a methane
content of 49.61%. Meanwhile, the highest decrease in Chemical Oxygen Demand
for 40 days occurred at 1:0 substrate, which was 13.342,20 mg/L. The decrease
occurred from the original 16,.711,20 mg/L to 3.369,0 mg/L. 40 days is not enough
to lower the COD to environment safe limit.

Keywords: Biogas · Chemical Oxygen Demand · Sesame Dehulling ·

Wastewater

1 Introduction
The sesame dehulling business consists of various processes, namely milling, weighing,
washing, bleaching, squeezing, drying, blowing, and packaging. The sesame dehulling
business produces white dehulled sesame as the main product, sesame seed hulls as
a by-product, and wastewater. The sesame dehulling wastewater is in the form of a

© The Author(s) 2023

J. Sumantyo et al. (Eds.): ICoSIA 2022, ABSR 29, pp. 175–186, 2023.
https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-122-7_16
176 G. Rahmadi et al.

cloudy brown suspension solution. The sesame dehulling wastewater consists of water,
crushed sesame seeds and hull that passes the filter, and a small amount of chlorine. One
sesame dehulling business with a sesame dehulling machine can produce about 3.861 L
of wastewater per day.
Most of the sesame dehulling businesses already have a waste handling installation
in the form of a sedimentation tank that functions as a temporary reservoir for sesame
dehulling wastewater. However, the sedimentation tank cannot treat the wastewater that
is generated in large quantities. The excess load of wastewater makes some sesame
dehulling business choose to dispose of sesame dehulling wastewater directly into sewers
or rivers. The content of organic matter in sesame dehulling wastewater that is discharged
directly into waterways or rivers causes unpleasant odors, water turns black, and disrupts
freshwater ecosystems.
The presence of organic matter in water containing toxic or antimicrobial chemicals
can be determined by measuring its chemical oxygen demand (COD) value. The sesame
stripping wastewater has a high COD value. In a study conducted by Isik, et al., 2021 [1],
sesame stripping wastewater has a COD value of 10.010 mg/L which means that sesame
stripping wastewater has a high organic matter content. One alternative for handling
wastewater with organic content is to use it as biogas through an anaerobic process. The
anaerobic wastewater process is a multi-step biochemical process in which the complex
organic components of wastewater are hydrolyzed, broken down, and fermented into
diabetes [mostly volatile fatty acids (VFA)] which are then reduced to methane and
carbon dioxide [2]. Anaerobic reprocessing is a cost-effective solution for managing
wastewater and producing methane that can be utilized as an energy source.

2 Material and Method

2.1 Sesame Dehulling Wastewater and Cow Dung Starter

Sesame dehulling wastewater and cow dung were collected in the morning from the
industry in Bogor, Cawas, Klaten, Jawa Tengah. The sesame dehulling wastewater used
is the result of mixture with a ratio of 1:1 between the wastewater coming out of the
milling machine and the wastewater from weighing and washing process. The starter is
made from fresh cow dung which is diluted by adding sesame dehulling wastewater in
a ratio of 1:1 (W/V).

2.2 Experimental Design and Measurement

The reactor model used in this study is a laboratory-scale batch feeding digester. Batch
feeding was chosen in order to know the changes in the characteristics of the substrate
from the beginning to the end so that the best retention period can be determined which
is marked by the end of the COD value of the substrate. The reactor is made according
to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.
 Analysis of Sesame Dehulling Wastewater Utilization for Biogas Manufacturing 177

Fig. 1. Reactor model a

Fig. 2. Reactor model b

A = Thermometer
B = Digester
C = Hose
D = Gallon gas reservoir
E = Outgoing water reservoir
F = Channel stopper
G = Marbles
1 = Substrate
2 = Water

Two reactor models are made because it takes one reactor that focuses on biogas pro-
duction from a certain volume of substrate, namely reactor code a and one reactor whose
substrate will be taken periodically to measure its characteristics, namely reactor code b.
The way the two reactors work is that the gas produced from the substrate fermentation
process in the digester will be flowed through a hose and will be accommodated into a
gallon of gas reservoir. The gas produced will enter the gallon and push the water con-
tained in the gallon out. The water that comes out of the gallon will be accommodated
in the bottle and the volume of water accommodated is measured. With this principle it
is assumed that the volume of gas produced is equal to the volume of water that comes
out. Reactor model b is given a substrate exit path for substrate extraction when the pH
and COD values will be measured.
178 G. Rahmadi et al.

In this study, experimental design was made in the form of making substrates with
various treatments based on variations in the composition factors of sesame dehulling
wastewater and cow dung starter with a total volume of 3 L of each substrate. Substrates
are added with a certain amount of Na2 CO3 (Sodium Carbonate) so that the initial
pH of all substrates is 7. Each digester is fermented under anaerobic conditions for
40 days. Each treatment was applied in two iterations due to space limitations and
cost considerations. Variations in substrate composition are carried out to determine
the minimum starter requirement to be able to produce biogas optimally. Sesame liquid
waste is the main object in this study so that the minimum limit for the utilization of
sesame liquid waste is 50% of the total substrate. The experimental design of this study
is presented in Table 1.
The factors that were observed and tested were the ratio of carbon/nitrogen, the value
of Chemical Oxygen Demand and pH every 10 days, the temperature of the substrate
every day, the amount of biogas produced every day, the total biogas produced, and the
content of the biogas produced. Observations and measurements were carried out every
day at 09.00–10.00 WIB. During the retention period, before the substrate is taken for
testing, stirring is carried out in each experiment. Stirring is carried out so that a small
amount of substrate taken for testing can be representative of all substrates in a reactor.
These observations and measurements are carried out at the same time to determine
changes that occur within 24 h or multiples thereof.

3 Results and Discussion

3.1 Initial Characteristics of Sesame Dehulling Wastewater and Cow Dung
Starter

Sesame dehulling wastewater is one of the products produced from various processes
carried out to grind sesame. The Sesame dehulling wastewater produced is in the form
of a cloudy brown suspension solution. The Sesame dehulling wastewater consists of
water, extracts of crushed sesame components, seeds and sesame hull that pass the filter,
and a small amount of chlorine. Cow dung is livestock manure which is solid waste
from cattle farming and in the process of disposal it is often mixed with urine and gases
such as methane and ammonia. The starter used was a mixture of fresh cow dung and
sesame milling wastewater with a ratio of 1:1 (W/V). The initial characteristics of sesame
dehulling wastewater and cow dung starter is presented in Table 2, while organic carbon,
N-total, and C/N ratio are shown in Table 3, also Figs. 3, 4, and 5.
Measurement of the C/N ratio was carried out on the substrate with the best biogas
production. From Table 2 it can be seen that organic C before the retention period was
smaller than after the retention period except a11. This is not in accordance with the
theory that carbon will continue to decrease during the biogas production process because
it is used as an energy source for bacteria [3]. There is a possibility that an error was
made by the researcher when taking the sample being tested. From Table 2 it can be seen
that the total N before the retention period was greater than after the retention period on
all substrates. This happens because nitrogen is used in the formation of microbial cells
involved in all anaerobic digestion processes [4].
 Analysis of Sesame Dehulling Wastewater Utilization for Biogas Manufacturing 179

Table 1. Experimental design

Code Treatments Initial pH Retention Time (Days) Volume (L)

a11 (100% LCW + 0% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
a12 (100% LCW + 0% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
a21 (90% LCW + 10% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
a22 (90% LCW + 10% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
a31 (70% LCW + 30% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
a32 (70% LCW + 30% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
a41 (50% LCW + 50% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
a42 (50% LCW + 50% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
b11 (100% LCW + 0% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
b12 (100% LCW + 0% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
b21 (90% LCW + 10% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
b22 (90% LCW + 10% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
b31 (70% LCW + 30% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
b32 (70% LCW + 30% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
b41 (50% LCW + 50% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
b42 (50% LCW + 50% KS + 7 40 3
Na2 CO3 )
LCW = sesame dehulling wastewater
KS = cow dung starter

The ideal C/N ratio is around 20–35 [4]. From Table 3 it is known that before the
retention period, only a11 substrate has an ideal C/N ratio. Substrates a21, a32, and
a42 have C/N ratios below ideal. After the retention period, as the organic C content
increased and the total N decreased, the C/N ratio in all substrates increased. After
180 G. Rahmadi et al.

Table 2. Initial characteristics of sesame dehulling wastewater and cow dung starter

No Parameter Sesame Dehulling Wastewater Cow Dung Starter Unit

1 pH 5 6
2 COD 16.711,20 59.493,50 mg/L
3 Organic C 0,40 0,42 %
4 N Total 0,02 0,59 %
5 C/N 20 0,71

Table 3. Organic carbon, N-total, and C/N ratio before and after 40 days retention period

Substrate C Organic (%) N Total (%) C/N Ration

Before After Before After Before After
a11 0,400 0,260 0,020 0,012 20,00 21,67
a21 0,402 0,470 0,077 0,013 5,22 36,15
a32 0,406 0,730 0,191 0,041 2,13 17,80
a42 0,410 0,630 0,305 0,067 1,34 9,40

0.8
0.7
Organic Carbon (%)

0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
a11 a21 a32 a42
Substrate
Before After

Fig. 3. Organic carbon conversion

40 days of retention, the C/N ratio in a11 and a21 became ideal, while the C/N ratio in
a32 and a42 was still below ideal.
From the Fig. 6, it is known that the COD value of all substrates decreased until the
20th day. This indicates that methanogenic bacteria have consumed simple compounds
that were initially present in the substrate to produce biogas. The COD value then
increased on day 30. The COD value can increase during the anaerobic process due
 Analysis of Sesame Dehulling Wastewater Utilization for Biogas Manufacturing 181

0.35
0.3
0.25

N Total (%)
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
a11 a21 a32 a42
Substrate
Before After

Fig. 4. N-Total conversion

40
35
30
C/N Ratio

25
20
15
10
5
0
a11 a21 a32 a42
Substrate
Before After

Fig. 5. C/N conversion

to the hydrolysis of suspended organic particles [5]. Substrates b11, b12, b21, and b22
decreased on the 40th day, while the b31, b32, b41, and b42 substrates experienced an
increase on the 40th day. This indicates that the hydrolysis and acidification processes
have decreased at b11, b12, b21, and b22, while at b31, b32, b41, and b42 the hydrolysis
and acidification processes are still ongoing. After 40 days of retention, the best COD
reduction occurred in the treatment with a ratio of 1:0 (a11 and a12) with an average of
13.298,20 mg/mL.
From Fig. 6, it is known that with a retention time of 40 days, the best variation to
reduce the COD of the substrate is treatment without using a starter. The more starter
added, the higher the COD on the substrate. Besides cow dung starter has a COD value
that is greater than sesame milling liquid waste, the starter also has more bacteria so
182 G. Rahmadi et al.

45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
COD (mg/L) 25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Day

b11 b12 b21 b22

b31 b32 b41 b42

Fig. 6. Chemical oxygen demand (COD)

7.5

7.0

6.5
pH

6.0

5.5

5.0
0 20 40 60
Day
b11 b12 b21
b22 b31 b32
b41 b42

Fig. 7. pH value fluctuation

that it can produce more weak acids which causes a high COD value. Giving a retention
period of 40 days on the substrate is not enough for bacteria to reduce COD on the
substrate mixture of sesame milling wastewater and cow dung starter. From the tables
and graphs it is also not possible to know a constant decrease in substrate COD, so it is
not possible to predict when the substrate COD will be depleted.
 Analysis of Sesame Dehulling Wastewater Utilization for Biogas Manufacturing 183

All substrates had an initial pH of 7 because they were given pretreatment in the
form of adding Na2 CO3 . As shown in Fig. 7, all substrates had a lower pH value than the
initial pH with a pH value ranging from 5.6 to 6.2 on the 10th day of measurement. The
decrease in pH occurs because the substrate undergoes an acidification process where
acid-forming bacteria produce large amounts of organic acids [6]. Substrates with more
starter content have a higher number of bacteria. This causes the amount of acid produced
to be more so that the pH of the substrate becomes lower. After that, all substrates
continued to increase in pH values on the 20th and 30th day measurements. This happens
because the nitrogen digestion process is in progress, the NH4 concentration increases so
that the pH value can increase [7]. On the 40th day, the pH of some substrates remained
constant and some of them decreased slightly. This indicates that the acidification process
is still running until the 40th day.
Several sources explain that biogas can be produced optimally at a pH of 6–7 [7],
6.0–8.0 [4]. Substrates b11, b12, b21 and b22 reached optimal pH values on the 10th day
of measurement, while b31, b32, b41, and b42 only reached optimal pH on the 30th day
of measurement. This shows that the more starter, the longer it takes for the substrate to
reach the optimal pH. Several other sources state that biogas production will be optimal
at a higher pH value on the 6, 5–7.2 [8]. The substrate has a fairly low pH which is around
6.0–6.5 on the 40th day. This is because there are still many organic acid compounds on
the substrate due to the large amount of organic matter that is processed and has not had
time to experience the methanogenesis process. So, it can be estimated that the pH can
still increase in the future when organic matter and organic acids in the substrate have
started to be consumed a lot.
From Fig. 8, it is known that the room temperature ranges from 25–29 °C, while the
substrate temperature ranges from 24.5–28 °C. Substrate temperature tends to follow
room temperature. There are five points where the substrate temperature drops quite
low compared to other days, namely 18, 24, 25, 28, and 38. Indonesia’s Meteorology
Climatology and Geophysics Council (BMKG) explained that July 2022 is included in
the dry season and there is a movement of air masses from Australia to Indonesia or
known as Australian Cold Monsoon. This causes temperatures in some parts of Indonesia,
especially the southern part of the equator, such as the islands of Java, Bali, and Nusa
Tenggara to feel cooler. Until the 40th day, the substrate temperature is still below the
optimal temperature for biogas production, which is 30–35 °C [9]. However, there are
other sources that explain that the living temperature of mesophilic bacteria is 15–55 °C
and optimal at 25–40 °C [10].
From Figs. 9 and 10, it is known that biogas begins to be produced the fastest by
a41 on the 6th day followed by a42 on the 9th day, a12 on the 10th day, a31 and a32 on
the 10th day, a12 on the 10th day. 10. -18, and a11 on the 21st day. The best biogas yield
was produced on a42 substrate on day 29 with a biogas yield of 498 mL. The best total
biogas production for each treatment was a11 for a ratio of 1:0 with a biogas yield of
1,569 mL, a21 for a ratio of 9:1 with a biogas yield of 2,092 mL, a32 for a ratio of 7:3
for a biogas yield of 4,390 mL, a42 for a ratio of 1:1 with a biogas yield of 8,461 mL.
Substrates with more cow dung starter tend to produce larger volumes of biogas as
well. This is due to the higher number of methanogenic bacteria and the larger COD
substrate. Fluctuations in biogas production are seen in almost all substrates. There were
184 G. Rahmadi et al.

29.5
29.0
28.5
28.0
27.5
Temperature
27.0
26.5
26.0
25.5
25.0
24.5
24.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Day

Ruang a11 a12

a21 a22 a31
a32 a41 a42

Fig. 8. Temperature fluctuation

1,600
1,400
1,200
Volume (mL)

1,000
800
600
400
200
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Day

a11 a12 a21 a22

a31 a32 a41 a42

Fig. 9. Daily biogas production

 Analysis of Sesame Dehulling Wastewater Utilization for Biogas Manufacturing 185

8,000
7,000
6,000

Volume (mL)
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Day

a11 a12 a21 a22

a31 a32 a41 a42

Fig. 10. Cumulative biogas production

five points of decline in biogas production compared to the previous day which occurred
in almost all substrates. These days are the 18th, 24th, 25th, 28th, and 38th days. It has
been explained that on the 18th, 24th, 25th, 28th, and 38th days there is a decrease in
the temperature of the room and substrate. So that the cause of the decrease in daily
biogas production is due to room temperature and low substrate factors on those four
days. On the 20th day, it is suspected that a low room temperature occurred at night or
the use of air conditioning in the laboratory on the previous day, so that the temperature
of the room and substrate becomes low but returns to normal when the temperature is
measured.

4 Conclusion
The results of the research on the utilization of sesame skin reducing wastewater as a
biogas-producing material showed that with a retention time of 40 days, the higher the
content of starter cow dung, the higher the volume of biogas and the content of methane
produced. Experiments with a 1:1 substrate produced a maximum biogas of 498 mL
per day, a total biogas of 8,461 mL, and a methane content of 49.61%. Meanwhile, the
highest decrease in Chemical Oxygen Demand for 40 days occurred at 1:0 substrate,
which was 13,342.20 mg/L. The decrease occurred from the original 16,711.20 mg/L to
3,369.0 mg/L. 40 days is not enough to lower the COD to a safe level for the environment.

Acknowledgments. Thank you to Universitas Gadjah Mada for providing funding support
through the 2022 Final Project Recognition Program (RTA) for the implementation of this research.
Hopefully this activity can make a great contribution to society.
186 G. Rahmadi et al.

Authors Contribution. GR and MI developed the concept and designed the manuscript; AND
and HY provided key information and key intellectual support also helped revise the manuscript.

References
1. Isik, Z., Bouchareb, R., Saleh M., dan Dizge, N. 2021. Investigation of sesame processing
wastewater treatment with combined electrochemical and membrane processes. Journal Water
Science & Technologies.
2. Woong Kim, Seung Gu Shin, Kyungjin Cho, Changsoo Lee, dan Seokhwan Hwang. 2012.
Performance of methanogenic reactors in temperature phased two-stage anaerobic digestion
of swine wastewater. Dalam Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. Vol. 114: 635–639.
3. Silitonga, A. S., dan Ibrahim H. 2020. Buku Ajar Energi Baru Dan Terbarukan. Deepublish.
Sleman
4. Syaichurrozi, Iqbal. 2022. Teknologi Biogas. Indramayu: Penerbit Adab.
5. Zheng, Xiarong, dkk. 2020. The influence of variables on the bioavailability of heavy metals
during the anaerobic digestion of swine manure. Journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental
Safety, Vol, 195.
6. Wahyuni, Sri. 2013. Panduan Praktis Biogas. Penerbit Swadaya. Jakarta Timur.
7. Wahyuni, Sri. 2013. Energi Alternatif Pengganti BBM, Gas dan Listrik. Agromedia Pus-
taka.Jakarta Selatan.
8. Toshitomi Yoshida. 2017. Applied Bioengineering, Innovation and Future. DirectionWiley-
VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. Weinheim.
9. Wahyuni, Sri. 2017. Biogas: Hemat Energi Pengganti Listrik, BBM, dan Gas Rumah Tangga.
AgroMedia Pustaka. Jakarta.
10. Setiarto, R. Haryo Bimo. 2022. Teknologi Produksi Biogas Berbasis Mikrobiologi. Guepedia.

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/),
which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any
medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source,
provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the chapter’s Creative
Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not
included in the chapter’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by
statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from
the copyright holder.