Magda Dudek

Respirometric studies on the effectiveness of biogas production from wastewaters originating from dairy, sugar and tanning industry

The objective of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of biogas production during methane fermentation of wastewaters originating from the dairy, tanning and sugar industries, by means of respirometric measurements conducted at a temperature of 35°C. Experiments were carried out with the use of model tanks of volume 0.5 dm3. A high production yield of biogas, with methane content exceeding 60%, was achieved in the case of the anaerobic treatment of wastewaters from the dairy and sugar industries. A significantly lower effect was observed in the case of tanning wastewaters. The effectiveness of the fermentation process decreased with increasing loading of the tanks with a feedstock of organic compounds. By loading a model tank with this feedstock, the effectiveness of treatment ranged from 62.8% to 71.4% residual chemical oxygen demand for dairy wastewaters and from 57.9% to 64.1% for sugar industry wastewaters. The efficiency of organic compound removal from tanning wastewaters was below 50%, regardless of the method applied.

Efficiency of the Methane Fermentation Process of Macroalgae Biomass Originating from Puck Bay / Wydajność Procesu Fermentacji Metanowej Biomasy Makroglonów Pochodzących Z Zatoki Puckiej

Abstract The aim of the conducted research was to determine the possibilities of using the biomass of macroalgae obtained from Puck Bay during May-September season in biogas production process. Model respirometry chambers were used to determine the amount of produced biogas and examine its quality composition. Depending on the month in which the algal biomass was obtained, the experiments were divided into five stages. In each stage, the effectiveness of the biogas production process was tested for the applied loads in model fermentation chambers in the range from 1.0 kg DOM/m3 · d to 3.0 kg DOM/m3 · d. During the experiments it was found that the efficiency of biogas production varied from 205 dm3/kg DOM to 407 dm3/kg DOM depending on the month of the vegetation season and the applied organic matter load in the chamber. Methane content was very high and ranged from 63% to 74%. Celem prowadzonych badań było określenie możliwości wykorzystania biomasy makroglonów pozyskiwanych z Zatoki Puckiej w okresie od maja do września w procesie wytwarzania biogazu. Do określenia ilości wytwarzanego biogazu oraz zbadania jego składu jakościowego wykorzystano modelowe komory respirometryczne. W zależności od miesiąca, w którym pozyskiwano biomasę glonową eksperymenty podzielono na pięć etapów. W każdym z etapów testowano efektywność procesu biogazowania w zakresie stosowanych obciążeń modelowych komór fermentacyjnych w zakresie od 1,0 kg s.m.o/m3 · d do 3,0 kg s.m.o./m3 · d. W trakcie eksperymentów stwierdzono, iż wydajność wytwarzania biogazu kształtowała się w zakresie od 205 dm3/kg s.m.o. do 407 dm3/kg s.m.o. w zależności od miesiąca okresu wegetacyjnego oraz stosowanego obciążenia komory ładunkiem substancji organicznej. Zawartość metanu była bardzo wysoka i mieściła się w granicach od 63% do 74%.

The effect of pressure and temperature pretreatment on the biogas output from algal biomass

This paper presents data on methane fermentation of algal biomass containing Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. The biomass was obtained from closed-culture photobioreactors. Before the process, the algae were subjected to low temperature and pressure pretreatment for 0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 h. The prepared biomass was subjected to mesophilic methane fermentation. The amount and composition of the biogas formed in the process were determined. The amount of biogas produced was larger when the biomass was subjected to thermal preprocessing. The proportion of methane in the gas also increased. Extending the heating time beyond 1.0 h did not significantly improve the biogassing effects.

Acquisition feasibility and methane fermentation effectiveness of biomass of microalgae occurring in eutrophicated aquifers on the example of the Vistula Lagoon

ABSTRACT This study was aimed at establishing the feasibility of microalgae biomass acquisition from waters of the Vistula Lagoon with the use of an installation operating in the fractional–technical scale, and at determining the effectiveness of biogas production from the acquired substrate. Depending on the technological solution of the concentration process, the degree of aquatic biomass hydration ranged from 99.6 to 97.90%. The quantity of biogas produced during methane fermentation fitted within the range of 243.9 to 395.2 dm3/kg d.m.. The values achieved were found to depend directly on the concentration of organic matter in the acquired water biomass and on system’s loading with a feedstock of organic compounds. The content of methane in a gaseous mixture ranged from 41.4 to 61.9%. The biomass produced was predominated by taxa belonging to Cyanoprokaryota, Bacillarophyceae, and Chlorophyta.

Effect of the Application of Advanced Oxidation Technology on the Effectiveness of Anaerobic Treatment of Wastewaters with a High Concentration of Formaldehyde

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the effect of advanced oxidation process with the use of Fenton’s reaction on the effectiveness of anaerobic treatment of wastewaters originating from the wood industry that were characterized by a high concentration of formaldehyde. Experiments were established to analyze changes in COD content and in the concentration of formaldehyde in treated wastewaters, additional analyses were carried out to assay quantitative and qualitative changes in the biogas produced. The first stage of the experiment involved analyses of the effectiveness of the tested wastewaters treatment only in the process of methane fermentation. At the second stage of the experiment, the biological process was preceded by chemical pre-treatment of wastewaters with Fenton’s reagent. The conducted study proved that the investigated variants of chemical pre-treatment of wastewaters had a significant effect on increasing the total biogas production. In contrast, no significant effect of the applied technology was demonstrated on changes in the concentration of the analyzed contaminants in the treated wastewaters. Streszczenie Celem prowadzonych badań było określenie wpływu procesu pogłębionego utleniania z zastosowaniem reakcji Fentona na efektywność beztlenowego oczyszczania ścieków pochodzących z przemysłu drzewnego, które charakteryzowały się wysoką koncentracją formaldehydu. W eksperymentach analizowano zmiany wartości ChZT oraz koncentracji formaldehydu w ściekach oczyszczonych, badano również zmiany ilości i składu jakościowego powstającego biogazu. W pierwszym etapie doświadczenia analizowano efektywność oczyszczania testowanych ścieków jedynie w procesie fermentacji metanowej. W drugiej części eksperymentu proces biologiczny poprzedzono wstępnym oczyszczaniem chemicznym z zastosowaniem odczynnika Fentona. Przeprowadzone badania udowodniły, iż testowane warianty wstępnej chemicznej obróbki ścieków wpłynęły istotnie na zwiększenie całkowitej ilości produkowanego biogazu. Nie stwierdzono natomiast znaczącego wpływu zastosowanej technologii na zmiany koncentracji analizowanych wskaźników zanieczyszczeń w ściekach oczyszczonych.

Effect of Inorganic Coagulants on the Characteristics in Anaerobic Digested Distillery Stillage Valorization

The aim of the study was to determine the possibility of using coagulation for treatment of anaerobically digested distillery stillage. Post-fermentation sludge from waste product of bioethanol production is usually drained. Then, condensed sediments are directed as a fertilizer for arable fields. The remaining liquid phase due to the high content of organic compounds cannot be discharged to environment. The study used inorganic salts of iron and aluminum as coagulants to treatment liquid fraction obtained after methane fermentation of distillery stillage. In valorization process, the reduction of organic compounds and suspended solids was not sufficient. The highest doses of coagulants reduced COD concentration of about 80% and lower the pH of the solution. However, the dose 10 mL/L is not economically profitable and due to concentration of aluminum or iron it is too harmful for environment.

Influence of Ultrasonic Disintegration on Efficiency of Methane Fermentation of Sida hermaphrodita Silage

The technologies related to the anaerobic decomposition of organic substrates are constantly evolving in terms of increasing the efficiency of biogas production. The use of disintegration methods of organic substrates, which would improve the efficiency of production of gaseous metabolites of anaerobic bacteria without the production of by-products that could interfere with the fermentation process, turns out to be an important strategy. The methane potential of commercially available biodegradable raw materials is huge and their effective use gives the prospect of obtaining an important renewable energy carrier in the form of biogas rich in methane. Ultrasonic disintegration may play a special role in the pre-treatment of substrates subjected to methane fermentation. The pre-treatment based on ultrasonic sonication has a positive effect on the availability of anaerobic compounds released from cellular structures for microorganisms. The research was aimed at determining the influence of ultrasonic sonification on the anaerobic distribution of the organic substrate used, which constituted the mallow silage along with cattle manure with hydration of 90%. The research was carried out using the UP400S Ultrasonic Processor. The disintegration process was applied in two technological variants. The efficiency of biogas and methane production was determined depending on the technological variant used and the time of disintegration. The influence of sonication time on the effectiveness of anaerobic transformation was demonstrated. The highest biogas yield and methane production potential was recorded at 120s. The prolongation of the action time of the ultrasonic field did not significantly increase the biogas production. The use of disintegration of liquid manure as the only medium for the propagation of ultrasonic waves was sufficient to increase the production of gaseous metabolites of anaerobic bacteria. Subjecting the substrate additionally containing mallow silage to the process to sonication did not significantly affect the efficiency of the fermentation process. The percentage of methane in the biogas produced was independent of the pre-treatment conditions of the substrate and was in the range of 66–69%.

Mechanical Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Methane Fermentation in Innovative Reactor with Cage Mixing System

Disintegration of lignocellulosic biomass for energy purposes has been extensively studied. The study aimed to investigate the influence of crushed and uncrushed lignocellulosic biomass on the biogas production in an innovative reactor. The substrate fed to the reactor was Sida hermaphrodita silage mixed with cow manure. The bioreactor had an innovative design of the mixing cage system. The mixing system of the bioreactor consisted of two cylindrical stirrers in the form of a cage. The cages simultaneously rotate around the axis of the bioreactor at against their own axes. The bioreactor is currently presented under the Record Biomap program (Horizon 2020). The bioreactor was operated at organic compounds loading of 2 kg/(m3∙d) and 3 kg/(m3∙d) and hydraulic retention time was 50 d and 33 d, respectively. The biogas production under the organic compounds loading of 2 kg VS/(m3∙d) was 680 L/kg VS from crushed lignocellulosic biomass and 570 L/kg VS from uncrushed lignocellulosic biomass. The biogas production under the organic compounds loading 3 kg VS/(m3∙d) was 730 L/kg VS from crushed lignocellulosic biomass and 630 L/kg VS from uncrushed lignocellulosic biomass. The crushing of substrate did not influence the methane content in the biogas. In all experiments, the biogas comprised about 54% of methane. The net energy efficiency was calculated as well.

WYKORZYSTANIE PROMIENIOWANIA MIKROFALOWEGO DO WSPOMAGANIA PROCESU FERMENTACJI ALKOHOLOWEJ BIOMASY

Perform pretreatment is crucial particularly in the case of the use of hard-degradable biomass, the biochemical susceptibility to degradation, for example, alcoholic fermentation is limited. Biomass disintegration processes lead to the destruction of compact structures and release of the organic substance to the phase dissolved in a resultant increase in the concentration of dissolved easily degradable organic substances. Effective pretreatment should meet several criteria, including ensuring the separation of lignin from cellulose, to increase the share of amorphous cellulose, provide a higher porosity substrates, eliminate waste sugars limit formation of inhibitors, minimize energy costs. The aim of this paper is to show the possibilities of using electromagnetic microwave radiation for pre-treatment plant biomass before the fermentation process of alcohol and comparison of the effectiveness of the described method with other commonly used techniques of pre-treatment. The substrate subjected to microwave treatment has a fast rate of hydrolysis and a high content of glucose in the hydrolyzate, which increases the efficiency of the production of bioethanol.

Ograniczenie uciążliwości zapachowej ciśnieniowej sieci kanalizacyjnej z wykorzystaniem odczynnika Fentona

The aim of this study was to propose a method to eliminate or reduce the occurrence of odor nuisance municipal sewage system located at one of the streets in Mława. In order to eliminate odor nuisance uses advanced oxidation processes. Studies aimed at determining the dose required reagents: PIX and hydrogen peroxide showed that the use of the lowest dose tested of 0,1 g of Fe2+/dm3 and 0,5 g H2O2/dm 3 resulted in inhibition susceptibility wastewater rotting.