2. Materials and methods
2.1. Digester feed
A batch sample of rice husk was used throughout the main series
of experiments to provide a standard material for digestion.
Rice husks were collected from four different rice mills, namely:
Ikwo, Onueke, Ezillo and Abakaliki Rice Mills in Ebonyi State,
Nigeria. These samples were sun-dried and stored in a stoppered
polyethylene container and used as a digester feed when required.
The inoculum used for the stabilization of wastes was collected
from the cow rumen of slaughtered cows in an abattoir in Abakaliki,
Ebonyi State. It was strained in cheesecloth and stored in an airtight
container, in order to keep the microorganisms in an anaerobic
environment. Anaerobic condition was maintained during the
anaerobic digestion by sealing the mouth of the digesters.