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Owusu-Agyeman I, Plaza E, Elginöz N, Atasoy M, Khatami K, Perez-Zabaleta M, Cabrera-Rodríguez C, Yesil H, Tugtas AE, Calli B, Cetecioglu Z. Conceptual system for sustainable and next-generation wastewater resource recovery facilities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 885:163758. [PMID: 37120021 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Shifting the concept of municipal wastewater treatment to recover resources is one of the key factors contributing to a sustainable society. A novel concept based on research is proposed to recover four main bio-based products from municipal wastewater while reaching the necessary regulatory standards. The main resource recovery units of the proposed system include upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor for the recovery of biogas (as product 1) from mainstream municipal wastewater after primary sedimentation. Sewage sludge is co-fermented with external organic waste such as food waste for volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production as precursors for other bio-based production. A portion of the VFA mixture (product 2) is used as carbon sources in the denitrification step of the nitrification/denitrification process as an alternative for nitrogen removal. The other alternative for nitrogen removal is the partial nitrification/anammx process. The VFA mixture is separated with nanofiltration/reverse osmosis membrane technology into low-carbon VFAs and high-carbon VFAs. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (as product 3) is produced from the low-carbon VFAs. Using membrane contactor-based processes and ion-exchange techniques, high-carbon VFAs are recovered as one-type VFA (pure VFA) and in ester forms (product 4). The nutrient-rich fermented and dewatered biosolid is applied as a fertilizer. The proposed units are seen as individual resource recovery systems as well as a concept of an integrated system. A qualitative environmental assessment of the proposed resource recovery units confirms the positive environmental impacts of the proposed system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Owusu-Agyeman
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Elzbieta Plaza
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nilay Elginöz
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Box 210 60, 100 31 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Merve Atasoy
- UNLOCK, Wageningen University & Research and Technical University Delft, Wageningen and Delft, Stippeneng 2, 6708 WE Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Kasra Khatami
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mariel Perez-Zabaleta
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Hatice Yesil
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Marmara University, Maltepe, 34854, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - A Evren Tugtas
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Marmara University, Maltepe, 34854, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Baris Calli
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Marmara University, Maltepe, 34854, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Zeynep Cetecioglu
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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2
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Kumar Pandey A, Park J, Muhorakeye A, Morya R, Kim SH. Predicting the impact of hydraulic retention time and biodegradability on the performance of sludge acidogenesis using an artificial neural network. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 372:128629. [PMID: 36646359 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.128629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to predict volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production from SDBS-pretreated waste-activated sludge (WAS). A lab-scale continuous experiment was conducted at varying hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 7 d to 1 d. The highest VFA yield considering the WAS biodegradability was 86.8 % based on COD at an HRT of 2 d, where the hydrolysis and acidogenesis showed the highest microbial activities. According to 16S rRNA gene analysis, the most abundant bacterial class and genus at an HRT of 2 d were Synergistia and Aminobacterium, respectively. Training regression (R) for TVFA and VFA yield was 0.9321 and 0.9679, respectively, verifying the efficiency of the ANN model in learning the relationship between the input variables and reactor performance. The prediction outcome was verified with R2 values of 0.9416 and 0.8906 for TVFA and VFA yield, respectively. These results would be useful in designing, operating, and controlling WAS treatment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Kumar Pandey
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungsu Park
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Alice Muhorakeye
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Raj Morya
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hyoun Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
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3
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Perez-Esteban N, Vinardell S, Vidal-Antich C, Peña-Picola S, Chimenos JM, Peces M, Dosta J, Astals S. Potential of anaerobic co-fermentation in wastewater treatments plants: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 813:152498. [PMID: 34968594 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Fermentation (not anaerobic digestion) is an emerging biotechnology to transform waste into easily assimilable organic compounds such as volatile fatty acids, lactic acid and alcohols. Co-fermentation, the simultaneous fermentation of two or more waste, is an opportunity for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to increase the yields of sludge mono-fermentation. Most publications have studied waste activated sludge co-fermentation with food waste or agri-industrial waste. Mixing ratio, pH and temperature are the most studied variables. The highest fermentation yields have been generally achieved in mixtures dominated by the most biodegradable substrate at circumneutral pH and mesophilic conditions. Nonetheless, most experiments have been performed in batch assays which results are driven by the capabilities of the starting microbial community and do not allow evaluating the microbial acclimation that occurs under continuous conditions. Temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time and organic load are variables that can be controlled to optimise the performance of continuous co-fermenters (i.e., favour waste hydrolysis and fermentation and limit the proliferation of methanogens). This review also discusses the integration of co-fermentation with other biotechnologies in WWTPs. Overall, this review presents a comprehensive and critical review of the achievements on co-fermentation research and lays the foundation for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Perez-Esteban
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Vinardell
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Vidal-Antich
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Peña-Picola
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J M Chimenos
- Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Peces
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Centre for Microbial Communities, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - J Dosta
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Astals
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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4
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Owusu-Agyeman I, Plaza E, Cetecioglu Z. Long-term alkaline volatile fatty acids production from waste streams: Impact of pH and dominance of Dysgonomonadaceae. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 346:126621. [PMID: 34958905 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Alkaline co-fermentation of primary sludge and external organic waste (OW) was studied to elucidate the influence of substrate ratios and long-term system robustness and microbial community dynamics using batch and semi-continuous reactors. Volatile fatty acid (VFA) production increased with increasing OW fraction in the substrate due to synergistic effects of co-degradation. VFA production at pH 10 increased up to 30,300 mgCOD/L (yield of 630 mg COD/gVSfed) but reduced over time to ≈10,000 mgCOD/L. Lowering pH to 9 led to the restoration of VFA production with a maximum of 32,000 mg COD/L (676 mg COD/g VSfed) due to changes in microbial structure. VFA was composed mainly of acetic acid, but propionic acid increased at pH 9. The microbial community was dominated by Bacillaceae (34 ± 10%) and Proteinivoracales_uncultured (16 ± 11%) at pH 10, while Dysgonomonadaceae (52 ± 8%) was enriched at pH 9. The study demonstrated a zero-waste strategy that turns organic wastes into bio-based products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Owusu-Agyeman
- Chemical Engineering Department, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Elzbieta Plaza
- Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering Department, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Zeynep Cetecioglu
- Chemical Engineering Department, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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5
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Anaerobic Digestion of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste in Plug-Flow Reactors: Focus on Bacterial Community Metabolic Pathways. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14020195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of a pilot-scale plug-flow reactor (PFR) as a biorefinery system to recover chemicals (i.e., volatile fatty acids (VFAs)), and biogas during the dry thermophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). The effects of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) on both outputs were studied, reducing the parameter from 22 to 16 days. In addition, VFA variation along the PFR was also evaluated to identify a section for a further valorization of VFA-rich digestate stream. A particular focus was dedicated for characterizing the community responsible for the production of VFAs during hydrolysis and acidogenesis. The VFA concentration reached 4421.8 mg/L in a section located before the end of the PFR when the HRT was set to 16 days. Meanwhile, biogas production achieved 145 NLbiogas/d, increasing 2.7 times when compared to the lowest HRT tested. Defluviitoga sp. was the most abundant bacterial genus, contributing to 72.7% of the overall bacterial population. The genus is responsible for the hydrolysis of complex polysaccharides at the inlet and outlet sections since a bimodal distribution of the genus was found. The central zone of the reactor was distinctly characterized by protein degradation, following the same trend of propionate production.
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6
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Duque AF, Campo R, Val del Rio A, Amorim CL. Wastewater Valorization: Practice around the World at Pilot- and Full-Scale. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18189466. [PMID: 34574414 PMCID: PMC8472693 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18189466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Over the last few years, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been rebranded as water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), which recognize the resource recovery potential that exists in wastewater streams. WRRFs contribute to a circular economy by not only producing clean water but by recovering valuable resources such as nutrients, energy, and other bio-based materials. To this aim, huge efforts in technological progress have been made to valorize sewage and sewage sludge, transforming them into valuable resources. This review summarizes some of the widely used and effective strategies applied at pilot- and full-scale settings in order to valorize the wastewater treatment process. An overview of the different technologies applied in the water and sludge line is presented, covering a broad range of resources, i.e., water, biomass, energy, nutrients, volatile fatty acids (VFA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and exopolymeric substances (EPS). Moreover, guidelines and regulations around the world related to water reuse and resource valorization are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouk F. Duque
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 1099-085 Lisboa, Portugal;
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 1099-085 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Riccardo Campo
- DICEA—Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via di S. Marta 3, 50139 Florence, Italy;
| | - Angeles Val del Rio
- Department of Chemical Engineering, CRETUS Institute, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Rúa Lope Gómez de Marzoa s/n, E-15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain;
| | - Catarina L. Amorim
- CBQF—Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina—Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-226-196-200
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7
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Vidal-Antich C, Perez-Esteban N, Astals S, Peces M, Mata-Alvarez J, Dosta J. Assessing the potential of waste activated sludge and food waste co-fermentation for carboxylic acids production. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 757:143763. [PMID: 33288258 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated waste activated sludge (WAS) and food waste (FW) co-fermentation in batch assays to produce carboxylic acids. Three mixtures (50%, 70% and 90% WAS in VS basis) were studied under different conditions: with and without extra alkalinity, and with and without WAS auto-hydrolysis pre-treatment. All tests were carried out at 35 °C, without pH adjustment and without external inoculum. Experimental results showed that co-fermentation yields, including volatile fatty acids and lactic acid, were always higher than WAS and FW mono-fermentation yields (ca. 100 and 80 mgCOD/gVS, respectively). Co-fermentation yields increased as the proportion of FW in the mixture increased, indicating that the improvement was primarily due to a higher FW degradation under co-fermentation conditions. The maximum co-fermentation yield was on average 480 mgCOD/gVS for the WAS/FW_50/50 mixture. The importance of pH on co-fermentation performance was evident in the experiments carried out with extra alkalinity, which showed that the proportion of WAS in the mixture should be high enough to keep the pH above 5.0. However, fermenters operational conditions should also prevent the enrichment of acetic acid consuming microorganisms. WAS auto-hydrolysis pre-treatment did not enhance co-fermentation yields but showed minor kinetic improvements. Regarding the product profile, butyric acid was enriched as the proportion of FW in the mixture increased and the concomitant pH decreased to the detriment of propionic acid. Propionic acid prevailed under neutral pH in the WAS mono-fermentation and the WAS/FW_90/10 mixture.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Vidal-Antich
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - N Perez-Esteban
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Astals
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - M Peces
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Centre for Microbial Communities, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - J Mata-Alvarez
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Dosta
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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8
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Gálvez-Martos JL, Greses S, Magdalena JA, Iribarren D, Tomás-Pejó E, González-Fernández C. Life cycle assessment of volatile fatty acids production from protein- and carbohydrate-rich organic wastes. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 321:124528. [PMID: 33333483 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are platform molecules with numerous applications. They can be obtained by adjusting the operational conditions of anaerobic digestion to avoid methanogenesis while focusing on fermentative stages. There are gaps in the knowledge of how, from a life-cycle perspective, the fermentative process performs in VFAs production from waste, including environmental consequences of substituting common commodities in the current market. Mass and energy balances of VFAs production from protein-rich microalgal and carbohydrate-rich agro-industrial wastes were used herein as a key source of inventory data for life cycle assessment. Two waste treatment options were considered: (i) VFAs production (anaerobic fermentation) plus anaerobic digestion of the resulting waste after VFAs separation, and (ii) anaerobic digestion of the original waste for bioenergy. Several scenarios were formulated to evaluate their life-cycle performance. VFAs production generally shows a better environmental behaviour than conventional anaerobic digestion, principally due to the substitution of conventional chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Silvia Greses
- Biotechnological Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Av. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose-Antonio Magdalena
- Biotechnological Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Av. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Diego Iribarren
- Systems Analysis Unit, IMDEA Energy, Av. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Elia Tomás-Pejó
- Biotechnological Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, Av. Ramón de la Sagra 3, 28935 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
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9
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Zhang L, Loh KC, Kuroki A, Dai Y, Tong YW. Microbial biodiesel production from industrial organic wastes by oleaginous microorganisms: Current status and prospects. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 402:123543. [PMID: 32739727 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This review aims to encourage the technical development of microbial biodiesel production from industrial-organic-wastes-derived volatile fatty acids (VFAs). To this end, this article summarizes the current status of several key technical steps during microbial biodiesel production, including (1) acidogenic fermentation of bio-wastes for VFA collection, (2) lipid accumulation in oleaginous microorganisms, (3) microbial lipid extraction, (4) transesterification of microbial lipids into crude biodiesel, and (5) crude biodiesel purification. The emerging membrane-based bioprocesses such as electrodialysis, forward osmosis and membrane distillation, are promising approaches as they could help tackle technical challenges related to the separation and recovery of VFAs from the fermentation broth. The genetic engineering and metabolic engineering approaches could be applied to design microbial species with higher lipid productivity and rapid growth rate for enhanced fatty acids synthesis. The enhanced in situ transesterification technologies aided by microwave, ultrasound and supercritical solvents are also recommended for future research. Technical limitations and cost-effectiveness of microbial biodiesel production from bio-wastes are also discussed, in regard to its potential industrial development. Based on the overview on microbial biodiesel technologies, an integrated biodiesel production line incorporating all the critical technical steps is proposed for unified management and continuous optimization for highly efficient biodiesel production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Zhang
- NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 1 Create Way, Create Tower #15-02, 138602, Singapore
| | - Kai-Chee Loh
- NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 1 Create Way, Create Tower #15-02, 138602, Singapore; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, 117585, Singapore
| | - Agnès Kuroki
- NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 1 Create Way, Create Tower #15-02, 138602, Singapore
| | - Yanjun Dai
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yen Wah Tong
- NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 1 Create Way, Create Tower #15-02, 138602, Singapore; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, 117585, Singapore.
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Iglesias-Iglesias R, Kennes C, Veiga MC. Valorization of sewage sludge in co-digestion with cheese whey to produce volatile fatty acids. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 118:541-551. [PMID: 32980733 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The present work explored the production of volatile fatty acids through the anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge (SS) and cheese whey (CW). Two batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of the substrate mixing ratio (SS%:CW% of total COD of feedstock) and the initial pH on the acidogenic fermentation of SS with CW at different temperatures. The first batch experiment showed that a decrease of the SS proportion in the co-digestion with CW led to a higher degree of acidification observing a synergistic effect at a SS:CW mixing ratio of 25:75 (SS25:CW75). In the second batch experiment, three temperatures (30 °C, 38 °C and 50 °C) and two initial pH (5.5 and 9) were studied at SS60:CW40 and SS25:CW75 substrate mixing ratios. Maximum degrees of acidification of 56% and 73% were achieved, at 50 °C and initial pH of 5.5, for the SS60:CW40 and SS25:CW75 substrate mixing ratios, respectively. Finally, the performance of a semi-continuous reactor was demonstrated at laboratory scale reactor. Different hydraulic retention times (HRT) (10 and 20 days), pH (uncontrolled, 5.5 and 9) and the effect of a thermal pre-treatment of the SS was studied. The maximum degree of acidification in the lab-scale reactor was 45% at 37 °C, HRT of 20 days and pH of 5.5. Under these conditions, the volatile fatty acids (VFA) profile was dominated by butyric and acetic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Iglesias-Iglesias
- Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), University of A Coruña, A Coruña 15008, Spain
| | - Christian Kennes
- Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), University of A Coruña, A Coruña 15008, Spain
| | - María C Veiga
- Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), University of A Coruña, A Coruña 15008, Spain.
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11
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Owusu-Agyeman I, Plaza E, Cetecioglu Z. Production of volatile fatty acids through co-digestion of sewage sludge and external organic waste: Effect of substrate proportions and long-term operation. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 112:30-39. [PMID: 32497899 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are intermediates of anaerobic digestion with high value and wide range of usage. Co-digestion of sewage sludge and external organic waste (OW) for VFA production can help achieve both resource recovery and ensure sustainable and innovative waste management. In view of this, the effect of substrate proportions on VFA production from co-digestion of primary sewage sludge and OW is studied. Long-term operation in a semi-continuous reactor was performed to assess the resilience of such a system and the VFA-rich effluent was tested for its ability to be used as carbon source for denitrification. Co-digestion was initially carried out in batch reactors with OW proportion of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% in terms of COD and scaled up in a semi-continuous reactor operation with 50% OW. In the short-term operation in the batch mode, acetic acid dominated, however, increasing OW fraction resulted in increased valeric and caproic acid production. Moreover, in the long-term semi-continuous operation, caproic acid dominated, accounting for ≈55% of VFAs. The VFA-rich effluent from the semi-continuous reactor achieved the highest denitrification rate as a carbon source when compared with acetic acid and methanol. The results demonstrate that co-fermentation can increase VFA yield and shift products from acetic acid to caproic acid in long-term operation and the VFAs can be used within wastewater treatment plants to close the loop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Owusu-Agyeman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Elzbieta Plaza
- Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Zeynep Cetecioglu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
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12
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Peces M, Pozo G, Koch K, Dosta J, Astals S. Exploring the potential of co-fermenting sewage sludge and lipids in a resource recovery scenario. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2020; 300:122561. [PMID: 31911313 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In this study, co-fermentation of primary sludge (PS) or waste activated sludge (WAS) with lipids was explored to improve volatile fatty acid production. PS and WAS were used as base substrate to facilitate lipid fermentation at 20 °C under semi-aerobic conditions. Mono-fermentation tests showed higher VFA yields for PS (32-89 mgCOD gVS-1) than for WAS (20-41 mgCOD gVS-1) where propionate production was favoured. The principal component analysis showed that the base substrate had a notable influence on co-fermentation yields and profile. Co-fermentation with WAS resulted in a greater extent of oleic acid degradation (up to 4.7%) and evidence of chain elongation producing valerate. The occurrence of chain elongation suggests that co-fermentation can be engineered to favour medium-chain fatty acids without the addition of external commodity chemicals. BMP tests showed that neither mono-fermentation nor co-fermentation had an impact on downstream anaerobic digestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Peces
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 QLD, Australia; Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Centre for Microbial Communities, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
| | - Guillermo Pozo
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 QLD, Australia; Separation and Conversion Technologies, VITO-Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - Konrad Koch
- Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 3, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Joan Dosta
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Astals
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 QLD, Australia; Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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13
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Up-concentration of succinic acid, lactic acid, and ethanol fermentations broths by forward osmosis. Biochem Eng J 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2019.107482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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14
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Magdalena JA, González-Fernández C. Archaea inhibition: Strategies for the enhancement of volatile fatty acids production from microalgae. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 102:222-230. [PMID: 31683078 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.10.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, anaerobic sludge was subjected to thermal and chemical pretreatments to favour VFAs production from a protein-rich waste (i.e. microalgae biomass). Sludge pretreatments have been previously used in hydrogen production; however, information about how they can affect VFAs production from microalgae is still lacking. Thermal pretreatment was studied at: (i) 80 °C for 10 and 30 min; (ii) 120 °C for 10 and 30 min; and (iii) 100 °C for 20 min. 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES) at 10 mM and 30 mM was used as chemical pretreatment. Besides, a combination of both pretreatment methods (80 °C and 120 °C at 10 mM and 30 mM BES) was also tested. Thermal pretreatment increased organic matter conversions into VFAs (up to 71% COD-VFAs/CODin) when compared to control values (40% in the untreated anaerobic sludge). Acetic acid was the most abundant VFAs at high temperatures (120 °C) and when BES was employed (up to 60% and 40%, respectively, in terms of COD). On the other hand, propionic acid was the most abundant product at low temperatures and in the untreated anaerobic sludge (up to 60% in terms of COD). This research work might set guidelines in order to choose a suitable sludge pretreatment for VFAs production from microalgae.
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Moestedt J, Westerholm M, Isaksson S, Schnürer A. Inoculum Source Determines Acetate and Lactate Production during Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge and Food Waste. Bioengineering (Basel) 2019; 7:bioengineering7010003. [PMID: 31877953 PMCID: PMC7175179 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering7010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Acetate production from food waste or sewage sludge was evaluated in four semi-continuous anaerobic digestion processes. To examine the importance of inoculum and substrate for acid production, two different inoculum sources (a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and a co-digestion plant treating food and industry waste) and two common substrates (sewage sludge and food waste) were used in process operations. The processes were evaluated with regard to the efficiency of hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis and the microbial community structure was determined. Feeding sewage sludge led to mixed acid fermentation and low total acid yield, whereas feeding food waste resulted in the production of high acetate and lactate yields. Inoculum from WWTP with sewage sludge substrate resulted in maintained methane production, despite a low hydraulic retention time. For food waste, the process using inoculum from WWTP produced high levels of lactate (30 g/L) and acetate (10 g/L), while the process initiated with inoculum from the co-digestion plant had higher acetate (25 g/L) and lower lactate (15 g/L) levels. The microbial communities developed during acid production consisted of the major genera Lactobacillus (92–100%) with food waste substrate, and Roseburia (44–45%) and Fastidiosipila (16–36%) with sewage sludge substrate. Use of the outgoing material (hydrolysates) in a biogas production system resulted in a non-significant increase in bio-methane production (+5–20%) compared with direct biogas production from food waste and sewage sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Moestedt
- Department of Thematic Studies–Environmental Change, Linköping University, SE 581 83 Linköping, Sweden;
- Department R&D, Tekniska verken i Linköping AB, SE 581 15 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maria Westerholm
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, BioCenter, SE 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.W.); (S.I.)
| | - Simon Isaksson
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, BioCenter, SE 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.W.); (S.I.)
| | - Anna Schnürer
- Department of Thematic Studies–Environmental Change, Linköping University, SE 581 83 Linköping, Sweden;
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, BioCenter, SE 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden; (M.W.); (S.I.)
- Correspondence:
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16
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Cheah YK, Vidal-Antich C, Dosta J, Mata-Álvarez J. Volatile fatty acid production from mesophilic acidogenic fermentation of organic fraction of municipal solid waste and food waste under acidic and alkaline pH. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 26:35509-35522. [PMID: 31111388 PMCID: PMC6923264 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05394-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
This study is focused on the effects of pH on the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and their distribution through the acidogenic fermentation of source-sorted organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) from a mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) plant, and food waste (FW) from a university canteen. In semi-continuous lab-scale digesters using OFMSW at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3.5 days under acidic conditions (pH 6.0), the VFA concentration in the effluent increased to 9.8-11.5 g L-1 (VS content of the feedstock between 4.2 and 5.2% w/w), while its individual VFA profiling was similar to the influent which was already pre-fermented (namely, C2 35-41%, C3 18-22%, C4 17-21%, and C5 9-12%). When working with the same conditions but using FW as feedstock, an effluent with a VFA concentration up to 11.5 g VFA L-1 (FW with a VS content of 5.5% w/w) and a stable distribution of C2 and C4 acids (up to 60.3% and 12.9%, respectively) but with very low quantities of C3 and C5 acids (lower than 1.8 and 2.7%, respectively) was obtained. Anaerobic batch tests using FW revealed that alkaline pH near 9 could lead to higher VFA production with high acetic acid content when compared to pH 6. In the semi-continuous fermenters working at alkaline conditions (pH 9.5-10) using OFMSW and FW, an enhanced solubilization of organic matter was registered with respect to the fermenters working under acidic conditions. This fact was not reflected in a higher VFA production when using OFMSW as feedstock, probably due to free ammonia inhibition, since OFMSW was mixed in the MBT plant with supernatant from anaerobic digestion of this biowaste. However, when using FW, alkaline conditions lead to an enhanced VFA production with respect to the reactor working under acidic conditions, being acetic acid the predominant product, which represented up to 91% of the VFA spectrum obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen-Keong Cheah
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carme Vidal-Antich
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Joan Dosta
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Joan Mata-Álvarez
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, 08001, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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