Energetic assessment in anaerobic reactors applied to the treatment of residues of the ethanol production industry

• Grant number: 09/11289-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2010
• End date: December 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Loureiro Garcia
• Grantee: Lucas Tadeu Fuess
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of the present work is to determine whether anaerobic reactors treating ethanol production industry residues are energetically self-sustained. The anaerobic digestion process can be applied to the treatment of thin stillage, a residue of the ethanol industry which contains a high organic matter content, producing a treated effluent and reducing substantially the environmental impact caused by its release to the environment. In addition, the methane gas, formed through this process, can be used as an alternative fuel in the plant to offset the use of nonrenewable resources. Anaerobic digestion is composed of four main phases, hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis. The overall process involves at least five different groups of microorganisms, of which the archaeal methanogens deserve special attention (responsible for the methane production). The methanogenic potential assessment, from literature review and laboratory experiments, is critical to the application of the anaerobic process in full-scale systems, which become advantageous with respect to environmental and energetic issues, especially with self-sustainability questions. (AU)