Effect of substrate-seed mixing and leachate recirculation on solid state digestion of biowaste

2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.H.M. Veeken ◽  
B.V.M. Hamelers

Lab-scale experiments were performed and a mechanistic model was developed to simulate the solid state digestion of biowaste in a batch reactor. Both experiments and model showed that the substrate-seed mixing degree and leachate recirculation rate have a strong effect on the reactor performance. This is due to mass transport limitations of volatile fatty acids (VFA) within the biowaste-seed bed. In that case two regions are developed in the digester, so-called acidogenic and methanogenic pockets. Limitations in mass transport will prevent irreversible acidification during start-up of the reactor because whereas high VFA concentration is met in the fresh waste pockets, the VFA concentration in the methanogenic pockets will remain low. However, accumulation of VFA in the acidogenic pockets will reduce the hydrolysis rate of biowaste due to inhibition by VFA. Moreover, experiments and simulations showed that the reactor performance can be improved by varying the leachate recirculation rate or applying sequential batch operation.

1992 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. T. Rubindamayugi ◽  
H. J. M. Op Den Camp ◽  
H. J. Lubberding ◽  
H. J. Gijzen ◽  
G. D. Vogels

Influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on start-up of Polyurethane Carrier Reactors treating Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) based wastewater, at constant organic loading rate (OLR) was investigated. OLR was increased stepwise after start-up to evaluate the influence of HRT on process stability. Four parallel experiements were conducted at HRTs of 48, 24, 18 and 12 hours. Results indicate an influence of HRT on duration of start-up period, and process stability after start-up. The reactor operating at HRT of 24 hours required only a relatively stort start-up period and showed higher process stability under steady-state condition. Analysis of individual VFA degradation indicated that butyrate and propionate consuming acetogenic bacteria increased in sigmoid fashion during start-up. Changes in acetate degradation do not show the true increase of acetoclastic population. Instead they reflect concomitant activity of VFA catabolizing acetogens and aceloclastic methanogens . Immobilized biomass increased exponentially during the first three weeks of start-up. The differences in start-up periods between reactors was probably due to differences in quality and activity of biomass immobilized at different HRTs. The HRT of 24 hours was most optimal to obtain stable reactor performance within a short startup period.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Lackner ◽  
Konrad Thoma ◽  
Eva M. Gilbert ◽  
Wolfgang Gander ◽  
Dieter Schreff ◽  
...  

This study shows the start-up and operation of a full-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with a volume of 550 m³ for deammonification of reject water from sludge dewatering over the first 650 days of operation. The SBR was operated with discontinuous aeration and achieved an optimum of around 85% of ammonium removal at a load of 0.17 kg m−3 d−1. The application of batch tests for the activity measurement of aerobic ammonium and nitrite oxidizing bacteria and anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria were proven to support the identification of setbacks in reactor operation. Furthermore, the calculation of the oxygen uptake rates from online oxygen measurements helped to explain the overall reactor performance. The aeration regime is a key parameter for stable operation of such an SBR for deammonification. At aeration/non-aeration time ranges from 6–9 min, the best results with respect to turnover rates and low nitrate production were achieved. Compared with the nitrification/denitrification SBR operated in parallel with methanol as the carbon source, a significant reduction in costs for energy and chemicals was achieved. The costs for maintenance slightly increased.


1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 325-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghida Lepistö ◽  
Jukka Rintala

The study focused on the effluent quality and sludge characteristics during the start-up and operation of extreme thermophilic (70 to 80°C) upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactors, inoculated with mesophilic and thermophilic granular sludge and fed with acetate, volatile fatty acids (VFA), and thermomechanical pulping (TMP) whitewater. Low effluent quality and long start-up periods were observed during the start-up of the 70 to 76°C, VFA-fed UASB reactors inoculated with mesophilic granulae, while better effluent quality and considerably shorter start-up periods were observed when thermophilic (55/70°C) inocula were used. With VFA feed, a significant amount of acetate was removed at 70°C and even at 80°C, while propionate removal was negligible. With TMP whitewater feed, low VFA effluent concentration was obtained at 70°C. The volatile solids (VS) and the VS/total solids (TS) content of the sludge decreased significantly during the first 2–3 months of operation when mesophilic inocula were used. The initial specific methanogenic activity (ISMA) of the extreme thermophilic sludge decreased with increasing temperature and was slightly higher on glucose than on acetate. At 70 to 80°C, various rod-like bacteria were dispersed through the granulae in either individual or in low density micro colonies surrounded with a varying degree of precipitates.


2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 247-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Paing ◽  
B. Picot ◽  
J. P. Sambuco ◽  
A. Rambaud

Sludge accumulation and the characteristics of anaerobic digestion in sludge had been investigated in a primary anaerobic lagoon. Methanogenic potential of sludge was evaluated by an anaerobic digestion test which measured the methane production rate. Sludge was sampled at several points in the lagoon to determine spatial variations and with a monthly frequency from the start-up of the lagoon to observe the development of anaerobic degradation. Maximum amounts of sludge accumulated near the inlet. The mean methane production of sludge was 2.9 ml gVS–1 d–1. Sludge near the outlet presented a greater methanogenic activity and a lesser concentration of volatile fatty acids than near the inlet. The different stages of anaerobic degradation were spatially separated, acidogenesis near the inlet and methanogenesis near the outlet. This staged distribution seemed to increase efficiency of anaerobic fermentation compared with septic tanks. Methane release at the surface of the lagoon was estimated to be very heterogeneous with a mean of 25 l m–2 d–1. The development of performance and sludge characteristics showed the rapid beginning of methanogenesis, three months after the start-up of the anaerobic lagoon. Considering the volume of accumulated sludge, it could however be expected that methanogenic activity would further increase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaona Wang ◽  
Kang Du ◽  
Rongfang Yuan ◽  
Huilun Chen ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
...  

The effects of four types of sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs), including sulfaquinoxaline, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethoxydiazine and sulfathiazole, on the digestion performance during anaerobic digestion process were studied using a lab-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor, and the changes of the community structure in the presence of SAs were investigated with the help of high throughput sequencing. The results indicated that when SAs were added, the hydrolytic acidification process was inhibited, and the accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) was induced, resulting in the suppression of methane production. However, the inhibition mechanism of different SAs was quite different. The inhibitory effect of high concentration of SAs on the hydrolysis of solid particulate matter into dissolved organic matter followed the order of sulfaquinoxaline > sulfamethoxydiazine > sulfathiazole > sulfamethoxazole. SAs have obvious inhibitory effects on acidification and methanation of dissolved organic matter, especially sulfathiazole. The richness and the community composition of the microorganism including bacteria and archaea in the digestion system were affected by SAs. Under the effect of SAs, the relative abundance of many microorganisms is negatively correlated with methane production, among which Methanobrevibacter, a kind of Archaea, had the greatest influence on methane production.


2008 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1037-1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Mannina ◽  
G. Mancini ◽  
M. Torregrossa ◽  
G. Viviani

A semi-empirical mechanistic model able to simulate the dynamics of a stabilization reservoir was developed incorporating both settling of particulate components and chemical/biological processes. Several factors affecting the reservoir effluent quality were taken into account: hydraulics and hydrology, solar radiation, atmospheric reaeration, algae, zooplankton, organic matter, pathogen bacteria, and sediment-water interaction. The model quantifies the specific influence of each factor on effluent quality, evaluating the correlation between the different considered factors. State variables included in the model were: algae, dissolved oxygen, organic matter, zooplankton and indicator bacteria. The model was transferred into a computational code in order to provide a useful and versatile tool for water resource planning management issues. The model was verified by comparing simulated results with full-scale data collected from a small reservoir (Sicily, IT) filled with partially treated wastewater. The reservoir has a volume of 11,000 m3, a maximum depth of 6.3 m and a mean depth of about 5 m. The monitoring period lasted four months during which the reservoir operated in different hydraulics conditions: as a standard batch reactor and as a continuous flow reactor. The model was able to reproduce the behaviour of the principal simulated parameters thus representing a potential tool for the management and performance optimization of these peculiar storage/treatment systems.


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