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Use of a hydraulic flush reactor in a single and two-stage anaerobic digestion process for biodegradable municipal waste

Use of a hydraulic flush reactor in a single and two-stage anaerobic digestion process for biodegradable municipal waste
Use of a hydraulic flush reactor in a single and two-stage anaerobic digestion process for biodegradable municipal waste
Performance of a hydrolysis reactor in which the solids and liquid retention times were uncoupled to give enhanced solids retention and removal of hydrolysis products was evaluated for a feedstock of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW). The reactor was operated both alone and as part of a two-stage process in series with an anaerobic filter. Operating with a hydraulic flush to give hydraulic retention times (HRT) between 1.6 and 5.3 days, and a solids retention time (SRT) of 20 days increased hydrolysis in comparison with a control reactor where HRT and SRT were equal. Overall biodegradability was low; however, with an effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) equivalent to 30% of the substrate biochemical methane potential (BMP). When operated as part of a two-stage process using effluent from the anaerobic filter as the flush liquor the characteristics of the system changed substantially with an increase in performance to an overall methane production of 0.22–0.24L g?1 volatile solids (VS) added. This was achieved even when the maximum loading of 7.5gVS L?1day?1 was applied. During acclimatization the first-stage hydrolytic reactor became methanogenic despite the short HRT, and was responsible for as much as 70% of the overall methane production. The system could not revert to single-stage operation after acclimatization, showing the continuing importance of the anaerobic filter. The combined system was robust, and could recover from major disturbances and step increases in loading without reduction in continuous methane production, indicating some potential for larger scale application in BMW disposal
1092-8758
1599-1606
Walker, Mark
62448ed1-2c1a-4be6-acd8-4f8053efd392
Banks, Charles J.
5c6c8c4b-5b25-4e37-9058-50fa8d2e926f
Heaven, Sonia
f25f74b6-97bd-4a18-b33b-a63084718571
Walker, Mark
62448ed1-2c1a-4be6-acd8-4f8053efd392
Banks, Charles J.
5c6c8c4b-5b25-4e37-9058-50fa8d2e926f
Heaven, Sonia
f25f74b6-97bd-4a18-b33b-a63084718571

Walker, Mark, Banks, Charles J. and Heaven, Sonia (2009) Use of a hydraulic flush reactor in a single and two-stage anaerobic digestion process for biodegradable municipal waste. Environmental Engineering Science, 26 (11), 1599-1606. (doi:10.1089/ees.2009.0021).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Performance of a hydrolysis reactor in which the solids and liquid retention times were uncoupled to give enhanced solids retention and removal of hydrolysis products was evaluated for a feedstock of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW). The reactor was operated both alone and as part of a two-stage process in series with an anaerobic filter. Operating with a hydraulic flush to give hydraulic retention times (HRT) between 1.6 and 5.3 days, and a solids retention time (SRT) of 20 days increased hydrolysis in comparison with a control reactor where HRT and SRT were equal. Overall biodegradability was low; however, with an effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) equivalent to 30% of the substrate biochemical methane potential (BMP). When operated as part of a two-stage process using effluent from the anaerobic filter as the flush liquor the characteristics of the system changed substantially with an increase in performance to an overall methane production of 0.22–0.24L g?1 volatile solids (VS) added. This was achieved even when the maximum loading of 7.5gVS L?1day?1 was applied. During acclimatization the first-stage hydrolytic reactor became methanogenic despite the short HRT, and was responsible for as much as 70% of the overall methane production. The system could not revert to single-stage operation after acclimatization, showing the continuing importance of the anaerobic filter. The combined system was robust, and could recover from major disturbances and step increases in loading without reduction in continuous methane production, indicating some potential for larger scale application in BMW disposal

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Published date: November 2009

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 73742
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/73742
ISSN: 1092-8758
PURE UUID: 47555808-41e2-45cd-bba9-15dd0ab5ed98
ORCID for Charles J. Banks: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6795-814X
ORCID for Sonia Heaven: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7798-4683

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Date deposited: 11 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:39

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Author: Mark Walker
Author: Sonia Heaven ORCID iD

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