Biogas potential of wastes and by-products of the alcoholic beverage production industries in the Spanish region of cantabria

The industry of alcoholic beverage production has been, historically, both an important economic engine and a source of wastes and pollution (due to the production processes by themselves and to the energy requirements) in a number of countries. In the small region of Cantabria, in northern Spain, the production of alcoholic beverages as an economic sector has been growing in importance in recent years. Thus, there is a new flow of waste for which specific management plans have yet to be developed. The result is an increase in the total amount of urban waste to be disposed. Anaerobic digestion can be a suitable in-situ solution for the treatment of the generated wastes providing a source of renewable energy which can be a supply for the processes in these industries, reducing the emission of greenhouse gases associated to the use of fossil fuels, all of this benefitting both environment and economy. In this work the authors present the information gathered about waste generation and the biomethanogenic potential of the most important wastes generated in the industries. As a result, specific strategies could be designed for the industrial sector in the region, of which other small agro-industries can benefi

Energetic Valorization of Solid Wastes from the Alcoholic Beverage Production Industry: Distilled Gin Spent Botanicals and Brewers? Spent Grains

ABSTRACT: In this paper, the authors assess the possibilities of energetic valorization for two solid wastes from alcoholic beverage production. Distilled gin spent botanicals (DGSB) and brewers' spent grains (BSG) are tested, both by themselves and as co-substrates, for their possibilities as substrates for anaerobic digestion in a system of box-type digesters, suited for the process. While BSGs show a good performance for anaerobic digestion, DGSBs, despite showing an acceptable biomethanogenic potential result as not suitable for the process. Experiments using DGSBs as substrate in the reactors result in failure. And, as a co-substrate, the biomethanogenic digestion process appears to be hampered and lagged. Possible explanations for this behavior are explored, as well as other possibilities for the use of the material as a power source given its high heating valu

Physical–anaerobic–chemical process for treatment of dairy cattle manure

An overall treatment process for the removal of nitrogen, methane production and obtention of valuable fertilizers from dairy manure has been investigated in laboratory scale. Solid and liquid fractions were separated by flocculation and screening. The solid fraction contained 81.6%, 84.4%, 58.6% and 85.2% of TS, VS, TKN–N and PT originally present in manure. Batch anaerobic digestion of this solid fraction at 50 °C resulted in methane production of 29.0 L CH4/kg. The liquid fraction, free of suspended solids, was satisfactorily treated at 35 °C in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor operating stably at an organic loading rate of 40.8 g COD/(L·d) reaching a methane production of 10.3 L CH4/(L·d). Accumulation of volatile fatty acids did not occur. Ammonia nitrogen concentration in the anaerobic effluent fluctuated between 850–1170 mg View the MathML sourceNH4+–N/L and was reduced to values less than 100 mg View the MathML sourceNH4+–N/L by struvite precipitation

Evaluation of different types of anaerobic seed sludge for the high rate anaerobic digestion of pig slurry in UASB reactors

Three different types of anaerobic sludge (granular, thickened digestate and anaerobic sewage) were evaluated as seed inoculum sources for the high rate anaerobic digestion of pig slurry in UASB reactors. Granular sludge performance was optimal, allowing a high efficiency process yielding a volumetric methane production rate of 4.1 L CH4 L-1 d-1 at 1.5 days HRT (0.248 L CH4 g-1 COD) at an organic loading rate of 16.4 g COD L-1 d-1. The thickened digestate sludge experimented flotation problems, thus resulting inappropriate for the UASB process. The anaerobic sewage sludge reactor experimented biomass wash-out, but allowed high process efficiency operation at 3 days HRT, yielding a volumetric methane production rate of 1.7 L CH4 L-1 d-1(0.236 L CH4 g-1 COD) at an organic loading rate of 7.2 g COD L-1 d-1. To guarantee the success of the UASB process, the settleable solids of the slurry must be previously removed

Biogas production from various typical organic wastes generated in the region of Cantabria (Spain): methane yields and co-digestion tests

Batch trials were carried out to determine the methane potential yields of some typical organic wastes generated in the region of Cantabria (Spain): cocoa shell, cheese whey and sludges from dairy industry. Anaerobic co-digestion trials of these wastes with dairy manure were also investigated in batch at 35˚C. Cheese whey obtained similar methane yields than dairy manure, between 17.5 and 19.3 L CH4 kg−1 cheese whey compared with 18.0 L CH4 kg−1 manure. Methane yields of various sludge samples collected from wastewater treatment facilities of dairy industries were influenced by its origin. Sludge samples from fat separation devices were the most productive in terms of specific methane yields compared with biological sludge from an aerobic reactor. Sludge samples from fat separator reached specific methane productivities of 350 and 388 L CH4 kg−1 VS (10.5 and 24.1 L CH4 kg−1 sludge), whereas biological sludge yielded 125 L CH4 kg−1 VS (12.6 L CH4 kg−1 sludge). The methane potential of sludge samples was influenced by solids content. Cocoa shell resulted to be an interesting waste for anaerobic digestion due to its high VS content, yielding 195 L CH4 kg−1 cocoa shell. It is a waste that can considerably improve methane yields in anaerobic co-digestion with dairy manure. However, at proportions of 10% cocoa shell, the process was hindered by hydrolysis of particulate matter. Anaerobic digestion at higher temperatures (thermophilic range) could be a better option for this kind of waste. Co-digestion of 5% cocoa shell with 35% dairy sludge and 60% dairy manure resulted in 80.5% higher methane production compared to anaerobic digestion of dairy manure alone

Solid – Liquid separation of dairy manure: distribution of components and methane production

Chemical treatment and screening can be an effective technique for separation of dairy cattle manure into a liquid fraction (LF) and a nutrient-rich solid fraction (SF). The optimum loading of a strong cationic polyacrylamide was found to be 43.9 g kg−1 of dry excreta. The separated SF contained 29.1% of the initial mass present in the manure and the chemicals added. The Volatile Solids (VS)/Total Solids (TS) ratio, which was 0.78 for the manure, rose to 0.82 for the SF and decreased to 0.63 in the LF. Furthermore, the SF retained 76.1, 79.9, 59.4 and 87.4% of TS, VS, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus, respectively. In the LF, the ratio of filtrate chemical oxygen demand (CODfiltrate) and COD due to volatile fatty acids (CODVFA) in relation to total COD (CODT) were 0.86 and 0.76, respectively. The percentage of anaerobically biodegradable chemical oxygen demand (CODBD) for the LF was 83.0%. Treatment of the LF in high loading anaerobic reactors would be possible due to these COD characteristics. Specific methane production in terms of VS for the separated LF was 0.580 m3 kg−1. For dairy manure and SF, it was 0.320 and 0.258 m3 kg−1, respectivel

Dry batch anaerobic digestion of food waste in a box-type reactor system: Inoculum preparation and reactor performance

A box-type reactor system with liquid inoculum has been studied for the dry anaerobic digestion of foodwaste. The food waste was processed without any pre-treatment to remove physical impurities, neitherwater addition to dilute and slurry the feedstock. The experiment was carried out with inoculum tosubstrate ratios of 1:1 (w/w) and 0.08:1 (VS basis). Previous acclimation of liquid inoculum enhanced theprocess, assuring a fast start up of the box digester and preventing from process failure by volatile fattyacids accumulation. The percolate recirculation strategy was shown to have a relevant effect on theprogress of the process. The results suggest that the process can be optimized by providing low percolaterecirculation rate during the start-up of the box digester followed by an increase in the percolaterecirculation rate when volatile fatty acids decrease and methane content in the biogas increases. Themethane yield obtained in the box digester from the food waste was in the range 460e477 L CH4kg 1VS,being the VS removal efficiency between 91.1 and 91.4%. Globally, the process operated at an organicloading rate of 2.5 kg VS m 3d 1and yielded a volumetric methane production rate of 1.0 m3CH4m3d 1. These results show the high potential of food waste for its conversion in renewable energy by usingthe dry batch anaerobic technology

Rapid Two Stage Anaerobic Digestion of Nejayote through Microaeration and Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer

ABSTRACT: Corn is one of the main food products in Mexico. The elaboration of corn-derived products generates wastewater with a high organic load (nejayote). Anaerobic digestion is an indicated treatment for wastewater with high organic loads. The results of this study show that the application of microaeration in the hydrolysis-fermentative reactor increased the percentage of volatile fatty acids (VFA) available in the medium by 62%. The addition of a conductive material, such as granulated activated carbon (GAC), promotes DIET (Direct interspecies electrons transfer) in the methanogenic UASB reactor increasing the methane yield by 55%. Likewise, a great diversity of exoelectrogenic bacteria, with the ability to donate electrons DIET mechanisms, were developed in the GAC biofilm, though interestingly, Peptoclostridium and Clostridium (17.3% and 12.75%, respectively) were detected with a great abundance in the GAC biofilm. Peptoclostridium has not been previously reported as a participant in DIET process

Procedimiento para la gestión integral del estiércol de ganado vacuno lechero.

Procedimiento para la gestión integral del estiércol de ganado vacuno lechero que consta de una primera etapa de hidrólisis y acidogénesis, posterior separación físico química del residuo en dos fases, sólida y líquida. Para la fase sólida estabilización y recuperación energética de biogás mediante digestión anaerobia. Para la fase líquida estabilización y obtención de biogás en un reactor anaerobio de alta carga. Recuperación del nitrógeno amoniacal del efluente líquido como fosfato amónico magnésico sólido. El líquido resultante con bajo contenido amoniacal puede aplicarse al terreno, necesitando ahora mucha menor superficie para cumplir la normativa vigente. Este líquido también podría tratarse conjuntamente con agua residual urbana en las plantas biológicas aerobias de tratamiento, o bien mediante tecnología de membranas para obtener un efluente final que podría ser vertido a cauce público cumpliendo la normativa.Solicitud: 200402302 (22.09.2004)Nº Pub. de Solicitud: ES2292277A1 (01.03.2008)Nº de Patente: ES2292277B1 (01.11.2008

Biogas production from the liquid waste of distilled gin production: Optimization of UASB reactor performance with increasing organic loading rate for co-digestion with swine wastewater

This study is the first test that proves high rate anaerobic digestion as an efficient technological process for the treatment of gin spent wash. The gin spent wash was co-digested in UASB reactors with swine wastewater, which provided nutrients and alkalinity. The process was optimized by increasing the proportion of gin spent wash in the feed, and thus the organic loading rate (OLR) up to reactor failure. Stable high- efficiency operation was reached at an OLR as high as 28.5 kg COD m−3 d−1, yielding 8.4m3 CH4 m−3 d−1 and attaining a COD removal of 97.0%. At an organic loading rate of 32.0 kg COD m−3 d−1, the process became unstable and the reactor underwent over-acidification that drastically lowered the pH and suppressed methanogenesis. The failure of the reactor was caused by a combination of an organic overloading and alkalinity deficit that uncoupled acidogenesis and methanogenesis