Biogas production from sugarcane vinasse with filter cake in high-rate anaerobic reactors

• Grant number: 17/23347-7
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal researcher: Roberto Alves de Oliveira
• Grantee: Denis Silva Santos
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The need to reduce global pollution contributed to the development of renewable energy sources such as ethanol and biogas. Brazilian ethanol is produced in a sustainable way, but the production process generates by-products, such as vinasse. For the treatment of vinasse we highlight the anaerobic processes, which allow the stabilization of the organic matter, allowing the production of biogas and biodigested vinasse. However, there are gaps in the process that need to be studied to improve bioenergy production of vinasse, such as the applicability of different configurations of anaerobic reactors, strategies of anaerobic reactor operation to obtain stability in methane production and quality of biodigested vinasse. Therefore, the objective of this work will be to study an anaerobic reactor configuration, little explored for the production of biogas from the vinasse, composed of two anaerobic upflow reactors with sludge blanket (UASB), in series. For nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) supplementation a new strategy will be studied, which consists in the use of filter cake, the residue of a sugar industry using natural polymers. The experimental unit will consist of two UASB reactors, in series, with volumes of 214.2 L (R1) and 115.0 L (R2). The hydraulic detention time (TDH) applied will be 24 h (R1) and 12 h (R2) and the organic volumetric loads (VOC) will be increased to values close to 20 g CODtotall (L d) -1. The use of UASB reactors in series and the study of strategies for nutrient supplementation using filter cake may contribute to stable production of methane and consequently the development and applicability of anaerobic digestion of vinasse technology. (AU)