Two-stage anaerobic treatment: investigation of the factors affecting bioenergy production, sludge properties and its feasibility for wastewater treatment

• Grant number: 17/05819-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: June 20, 2017
• End date: December 19, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Zaiat
• Grantee: Vera Tainá Franco Vidal Mota
• Supervisor: David Alejandro Jeison Nunez
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), Chile
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/22475-3 - Two-stage anaerobic treatment: investigation of the impacts on the bioenergy production, sludge properties and its applicability for wastewater treatment, BP.DR

Abstract

The applicability of the two-stage anaerobic reactors will be evaluated in relation to the conventional reactors, i.e.., single-stage reactors. Studies have shown that the two-stage treatment, which consists of the spatial separation of the acidogenic and methanogenic stages, can contribute to a greater control and stability of the process due to the achievement of more favorable environmental conditions for each microbial group. In addition, other potential advantages include the possibility of increased bioenergy production by recovering hydrogen gas produced in the acidogenic stage, lower suspended solids concentration in the final effluent, and improved filtration performance in anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR). These potential advantages are the focus of this research project, which is grouped in three phases of operation. In the Phases 1 and 2, different acidogenic reactors' configurations were evaluated, and that one which showed the better H2 production performance was coupled to a methanogenic structured fixed-bed reactor. The bioenergy recovery potential was compared to a single-stage reactor. The Phases 1 and 2 have been completed in the Biological Processes Laboratory (LPB, EESC-USP). The Phase 3 will be carried out for a period of six months in the PUCV (Chile) through the Research Internships Abroad (BEPE) program. Anaerobic membrane bioreactors will be applied for the methanogenic reactor applied in the two-stage treatment and for the single-stage reactor. The main objective is to indicate the changes in sludge properties due to effluent acidification in a previous step and their impacts on membrane filtration performance. Additionally, the bioenergy production, effluent quality and stability of the process will be compared between the single- and two-stage treatment and analyzed with the results obtained in the previous experimental phases.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MOTA, V. T.; FERRAZ JUNIOR, A. D. N.; TRABLY, E.; ZAIAT, M.. Biohydrogen production at pH below 3.0: Is it possible?. WATER RESEARCH, v. 128, p. 350-361, JAN 1 2018. (15/06246-7, 14/22475-3, 17/05819-9, 13/15665-8)