The use of microalgae and their culture medium for biogas production in an integrated cycle.

Vinasse is a residue produced in large quantities as a sub-product of ethanol production. Anaerobic digestion of vinasse can yield large amounts of biogas, but often difficulties arise in maintaining stable operation, due to the acidity of the material (which has a pH between 3.5 and 5) and a strong tendency to further acidification. Anaerobically digested vinasse can be used as part of a culture medium for microalgae cultivation, for the production of biodiesel and other compounds, whilst the excess CO2 produced in the ethanol fermentation can be used to stimulate algal growth. During algae cultivation, the pH of the culture medium has a strong tendency to increase; therefore, recycling of the spent culture medium or the concentrated algae suspension to the anaerobic digester treating vinasse was considered an option for pH stabilization there. Batch tests, however, showed that alkalinity of the spent culture broth, in spite of its high pH, is too low (only 350 mgCaCO3L(-1)) to help stabilise the pH of vinasse digestion. Alkalinity of the algae suspension is higher and digestion of a mixture of vinasse and a suspension of algae results in efficient biogas production, but still the alkalinity is insufficient to stabilise the pH in a range suitable for methanogenic microorganisms; hence, the addition of additional alkalinity, for instance as sodium bicarbonate or urea, remains necessary.

Application of urea dosing for alkalinity supply during anaerobic digestion of vinasse.

Pushed by demand for renewable energy, the ethanol industry in Brazil is expanding. However, production of 1 m(3) of ethanol generates around 13 m(3) of liquid residues (vinasse), so this expansion results in an increasing need for a more adequate destination of these residues. Nowadays the vinasse is dispersed on the sugar cane fields in the practice of fertirrigation, but anaerobic digestion of this residue may be a better solution, additionally offering an alternative source of energy, able to complement hydroelectric power supply in the dry season. However, when trying to digest vinasse at reduced hydraulic retention times, complications arise from its strong tendency toward acidification, upsetting the fragile balance of transformations normally occurring under anaerobic conditions. For successful operation of an anaerobic treatment process with acceptable hydraulic residence times, increasing alkalinity levels inside the reactor is neces-sary. In the present work we show that pH regulation by means of urea dosing, in spite of the risk posed by ammonia toxicity towards methanogenic biomass, can be a viable alternative to avoid vinasse acidification. The ammonia formed in urea conversion remains in solution, rather than escaping to the biogas, and so its use as fertiliser can offset its cost of application in the process.

Design and configuration criteria for wetland systems treating greywater.

Design and configuration for wetlands treating greywater are usually based on literature data obtained from domestic wastewater operating wetlands. It is very important to determine proper criteria for design and configuration to provide efficiency and minimum maintenance, avoiding bad odour and clogging amongst others, ensuring the acceptance of householders. The aim of this work was to design a wetland system treating greywater for a household and determine whether the chosen criteria were appropriate. Some of the criteria taken into consideration for design and configuration were: quantitative and qualitative characteristics, desired removal of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids (TSS), substrate and ornamental aspect of the system. The system was composed of a grease trap (kitchen), sedimentation tank, a horizontal flow constructed wetland (HF-CW), intermittent feeding system, and a vertical flow constructed wetland (VF-CW). The results showed that the suggested design and configuration were in accordance with the expected efficiency. Being a compact system, it was susceptible to peak flows, temporarily deteriorating the performance of the HF-CW. The hybrid system, however, showed to cope well with influent fluctuations. The overall performance of the system shows that the removal of turbidity, TSS, COD and BOD were over 88%, reaching 95% removal for both BOD and turbidity.

Optimisation of biogas production from anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial waste streams in Brazil.

The important Brazilian agro-industry produces significant amounts of wastewater with high concentrations of biodegradable compounds. A lot can be gained if wastewater treatment would take place using anaerobic reactors instead of the anaerobic lagoons generally used now. Apart from preventing methane emissions to the atmosphere this would permit the use of the biogas as a source of energy. To facilitate implementation of this technology also in small and intermediate sized companies a system requiring only minimal maintenance is needed. The need for maintenance by skilled labour can be reduced using an automated process control system, which is being developed. Cassava (manioc, tapioca) processing wastewater has been treated in a lab scale UASB reactor equipped with an on-line monitoring system, to test a control strategy based mainly on pH control. Good results have been obtained treating not only pre-acidified but also treating raw (diluted) cassava processing wastewater.

Innovative reactor technology for selective oxidation of toxic organic pollutants in wastewater by ozone.

Ozonation can be a suitable technique for the pre-treatment of wastewater containing low concentrations of toxic or non-biodegradable compounds that cannot be treated with satisfactory results when only the traditional, less expensive biological techniques are applied. In this case, the oxidation process has to be made as efficient as possible, in order to reduce the coats of ozone addition and use. An efficient oxidation process with ozone can be obtained by focusing the oxidation with ozone selectively on the direct oxidation of toxic pollutants and to minimize ozone losses due to the decay of ozone in water. Supported by data of the rate constants of the reactions involved, a mathematical model was developed. It quantifies the ozone consumption by the process, and the share of ozone consumption by undesired side reactions, in several different reactor systems. Results obtained with this model indicate that a plug flow reactor (PFR) will be the most efficient design for the oxidation reactor. As an alternative, the cascaded tank reactor system (CTR), in which the ozone feed may be realized with less practical problems, might be considered. The traditional continuous flow stirred tank reactor (CFSTR) is shown to be the least efficient system.

Controlling calcium precipitation in an integrated anaerobic-aerobic treatment system of a "zero-discharge" paper mill.

The pulp and paper industry uses significant amounts of water and energy for the paper production process. Closing the water cycles in this industry, therefore, promises large benefits for the environment and has the potential of huge cost savings for the industry. Closing the water cycle on the other hand also introduces problems with process water quality, quality of the end-product and scaling, owing to increased water contamination. An inline treatment system is discussed in which anaerobic-aerobic bioreactors perform a central role for removing both organic and inorganic pollutants from the process water cycle. In the proposed set-up, the organic compounds are converted to methane gas and reused for energy supply, while sulphur compounds are stripped from the process cycle and calcium carbonate is removed by precipitation. Improved control of the treatment system will direct the inorganic precipitates to a location where it does not adversely affect paper production and process water treatment. A simulation program for triggering and controlling CaCO3 precipitation was developed that takes both biological conversions and all relevant chemical equilibria in the system into account. Simulation results are in good agreement with data gathered in a full-scale "zero-emission" paper plant and indicate that control of CaCO3 precipitation can be improved, e.g. in the aerobic post-treatment. Alternatively, a separate precipitation unit could be considered.