Evaluation of Banana Agroindustrial Waste Pre-Treated with Acid Additions in Hydrogen and Methane Generation

• Grant number: 23/16410-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Imaculada Maintinguer
• Grantee: Isadora Caroline Barbosa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa em Bioenergia (IPBEN). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/22401-8 - Fruit-refinery: obtention processes, characterization methods and generation of products derived from residues of the fruitculture, AP.TEM

Abstract

Brazil is the third largest fruit producer in the world and the fourth largest banana producer in relation to other producing countries, with 6.6 million tons produced on 455 thousand hectares, half of which originates from family farming. During the processing of this fruit, a large amount of waste is generated and, as it is an environmental liability, this waste is responsible for increasing production costs. One of the methods that can be used to convert this liability into an asset for industries can be its application in the use of this waste to produce biogas from anaerobic biological processes. The production of biogas from waste from national fruit farming may prove to be more efficient after thermal and acid pre-treatment where sugars will be released. Therefore, this project will evaluate the efficiency of thermal pre-treatment with the addition of acetic acid in banana processing residues co-digested with its wastewater, aiming to release sugars and thus lead to the generation of biogas in anaerobic batch reactors. Hydrogen and methane production tests will be carried out in 2 integrated stages, aiming at the total pre-use of the organic matter contained in such waste.