One versus two-stage codigestion of sugarcane vinasse and glycerol: Assessing combinations at mesophilic and (hyper) thermophilic conditions.

Sugarcane vinasse exits the distillation process at high temperatures, which may differ from the optimal temperatures for dark fermentation and anaerobic digestion. A 15 °C temperature increase, for example, stops sugarcane vinasse methane generation, making distillery vinasse digestion complicated. Conversely, in other aspects, co-digesting vinasse and glycerol has been proven to stabilize methane production from vinasse because of sulfate dilution. However, glycerol has not been tested to stabilize vinasse digestion under temperature changes. Thus, this study compared the effects of different temperature settings on the co-digestion of 10 g COD L-1 of vinasse and glycerol (50 %:50 % on a COD basis) in anaerobic fluidized bed reactors (AFBR), i.e., an acidogenic and a methanogenic one-stage AFBRs operated at 55, 60, and 65 °C, and two methanogenic AFBRs fed both with acidogenic effluent (one operated at room temperature (25 °C) and the other at 55, 60, and 65 °C). The co-digestion provided steady methane generation at all AFBRs, with methane production rates ranging from 2.27 to 2.93 L CH4 d-1 L-1, whether in one or two stages. A feature of this research was to unravel the black box of the role of sulfate in the digestion of sugarcane vinasse, which was rarely studied. Desulfovibrio was the primary genus degrading 1,3-propanediol into 3-hydroxypropanoate after genome sequencing. Phosphate acetyltransferase (EC: 2.3.1.8, K00625) and acetate kinase (EC: 2.7.2.1, K00925) genes were also found, suggesting propionate was metabolized. In practical aspects, regarding the two-stage systems, the thermophilic-mesophilic (acidogenic-methanogenic) configuration is best for extracting additional value-added products because 1,3-propanediol may be recovered at high yields with steady methane production at reduced energy expenditure in a reactor operated at room temperature. However, the one-stage design is best for methane generation per system volume since it remained stable with rising temperatures, and all systems presented similar methane production rates.

One waste and two products: choosing the best operational temperature and hydraulic retention time to recover hydrogen or 1,3-propanediol from glycerol fermentation.

This study aimed to compare the production of hydrogen and 1,3-propanediol from crude glycerol (10 g/L) in mesophilic (30 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) anaerobic fluidized bed reactors, namely AFBR30 °C and AFBR55 °C, respectively, at hydraulic retention times (HRT) reduced from 8 to 1 h. In AFBR30 °C, the absence or low hydrogen yields can be attributed to the production of 1,3-propanediol (maximum of 651 mmol/mol glycerol), and the formation of caproic acid (maximum of 1097 mg/L) at HRTs between 8 and 2 h. In AFBR55 °C, the hydrogen yield of 1.20 mol H2/mol glycerol consumed was observed at the HRT of 1 h. The maximum yield of 1,3-propanediol in AFBR55 °C was equal to 804 mmol/mol glycerol at the HRT of 6 h and was concomitant with the production of hydrogen (0.87 mol H2/mol glycerol consumed) and butyric acid (1447 mg/L).

Anaerobic Biodegradation of Biodiesel Industry Wastewater in Mesophilic and Thermophilic Fluidized Bed Reactors: Enhancing Treatment and Methane Recovery.

In the past few years, the extraction of value-added compounds from the anaerobic digestion of glycerol has been an option to add value to this waste because biodiesel production is increasing worldwide. The evolution of research on glycerol valorization by anaerobic digestion has reached the use of high-rate reactors. However, no study has evaluated glycerol digestion in an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (AFBR), a configuration with potential advantages in methane production. Still, the best operating temperature for high-rate glycerol digestion remains unclear. To clarify these gaps, the present study aimed to compare glycerol digestion in mesophilic AFBR (30 °C) and thermophilic AFBR (55 °C). In both reactors, glycerol concentration was increased from 1.0 to 7.0 g L-1 at a fixed hydraulic retention time of 24 h, resulting in an increase at the organic loading rate from 1.2 to 7.6 kg COD m-3 day-1. Thermophilic digestion of glycerol achieved superior removals of organic matter (67.7-94.2%) and methane yield (330.8 mL CH4 g-1 COD) than the mesophilic digestion (48.6-93.0% and 266.6 mL CH4 g-1 COD). Additionally, the application of the kinetic model of substrate utilization (modified Stover-Kincannon model) indicated a higher substrate utilization coefficient in the thermophilic AFBR (23.09 g L-1 day-1) than the mesophilic AFBR (7.14 g L-1 day-1). Therefore, the application of glycerol concentrations higher than 7.0 g L-1 in thermophilic AFBR should be further investigated. Also, given only operational results, the application of the AFBR in the two-stage anaerobic digestion of glycerol is recommended.

Biohydrogen production in an AFBR using sugarcane molasses.

This study evaluated an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor to produce hydrogen from sugarcane molasses of 25 g-COD L-1. The reactor of 1.2 L working volume contained shredded tires as support material. The inoculum was sludge obtained in a UASB reactor of a sewage treatment plant. The AFBR was operated at hydraulic retention times of 12, 6, 4 and 3 h. The maximum hydrogen production rate (1.44 L-H2 h-1 L-1) and the highest hydrogen yield (3.07 mol-H2 mol-1-glucose) occurred at HRT of 4 and 6 h, respectively. The highest COD removal (23.3 ± 8.5%) was achieved at HRT of 12 h, while the HRT of 6 h presented the maximum carbohydrate conversion of 70.1 ± 2.2%. Ethanol (44-67%) and acetic acid (18-38%) were the main metabolites produced, emphasizing a predominance of ethanol-type fermentation pathway in the process. The PCR-DGGE analysis revealed that the bacterial community presented a maximum similarity of 88% between HRT of 4 and 3 h, indicating that the microbial dynamic altered as the organic load has increased. The highest Shannon-Winner index of 2.77 was obtained at HRT of 6 h, inferring that higher microbial diversity favored hydrogen production.

Two phases fermentative process for hydrogen and methane production from cassava wastewater / Processo fermentativo em duas fases para a produção de hidrogênio e metano a partir da manipueira

Introduction: Hydrogen and methane production was investigated in two phases of fermentative process. Objective: At the acidogenic phase, an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor was fed with cassava wastewater producing hydrogen. Methods: Expanded clay was used as a support material for biomass immobilization. The reactor was operated with HRT ranging from 8-1 h. Results: The best hydrogen yield production was 1.91 mol H2/mol glucose at HRT of 2 h. At the methanogenic phase, the acidogenic process effluent fed a fixed-bed reactor producing methane. Conclusion: Sururu (Mytella falcata) shells was used as support acted as pH neutralizer in the fixed-bed reactor, yielding best (0.430±0.150 Lmethane/gCOD) with 12h HRT phase. (AU)

Introdução: A produção de hidrogênio e metano foi avaliada em um processo fermentativo de duas fases. Objetivo: Na fase acidogênica, um reator anaeróbio de leito fluidificado foi alimentado com manipueira para a produção de hidrogênio. Métodos: Argila expandida foi utilizada com material suporte para a adesão microbiana. O reator foi operado com TDH, variando entre 8-1h. Resultados: O melhor rendimento de produção de hidrogênio foi 1.91 mol, H2/mol glicose em TDH de 2 h. Na fase metanogênica, o efluente do processo acidogênico alimentou um reator de leito fixo para a produção de metano. Conclusão: Conchas de Sururo (Mytella falcata) foram utilizadas como suporte, atuando como neutralizador do pH no reator de leito fixo, melhor rendimento (0.430±0.150 Lmethane/gDQO) na fase com TDH de 12h. (AU)

Tratamento anaeróbio de pentaclorofenol em reator de leito fluidificado alimentado com água residuária sintética contendo glicose como fonte única de carbono / Anaerobic treatment of pentachlorophenol in a fluidized bed reactor fed with synthetic wastewater containing glucose as a single carbon source

Neste trabalho foi utilizado um reator anaeróbio de leito fluidificado (RALF), tratando água residuária sintética contendo pentaclorofenol (PCP), submetido a condições operacionais menos idealizadas. Utilizou-se um reator com volume de 16 litros, com partículas de carvão ativado granular como meio suporte. O desempenho do reator foi verificado pelas análises usuais de monitoramento (pH, alcalinidade, DQO, ácidos voláteis) e também por análises de microscopia e concentração de PCP. A presença de PCP no sistema, nas concentrações utilizadas, não alterou de maneira significativa a qualidade da biomassa presente, e nem os parâmetros de monitoramento. Em concentrações afluentes de PCP variando de 1 a 6 mg/L, foram observadas eficiências médias de remoção de 92 por cento e 70 por cento, respectivamente.

In the present work, an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (AFBR) was used for the treatment of a synthetic wastewater containing pentachlorophenol (PCP) subjected to less idealized operating conditions. The reactor was a 16 litres tank with granular activated carbon particles as support media. Evaluation of AFBR performance was done by the analysis of usual monitoring parameters (pH, alkalinity, COD, volatile acids) together with microscopy and PCP concentration analysis. The presence of PCP under the concentrations used did not significantly alter the amount of biomass and the performance monitoring parameters. Removal average efficiencies of the order of 92 percent and 70 percent were obtained for PCP inflow concentrations in the range of 1 to 6mg/l.