Anaerobic sludge digestion with a biocatalytic additive

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6528995

Ghosh, S; Henry, M P; Fedde, P A

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of a lactobacillus additive an anaerobic sludge digestion under normal, variable, and overload operating conditions. The additive was a whey fermentation product of an acid-tolerant strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus fortified with CaCO/sub 3/, (NH/sub 4/)/sub 2/HPO/sub 4/, ferrous lactate, and lactic acid. The lactobacillus additive is multifunctional in nature and provides growth factors, metabolic intermediates, and enzymes needed for substrate degradation and cellular synthesis. The experimental work consisted of several pairs of parallel mesophilic (35/sup 0/C) digestion runs (control and test) conducted in five experimental phases. Baseline runs without the additive showed that the two experimental digesters had the same methane content, gas production rate (GPR), and ethane yield. The effect of the additive was to increase methane yield and GPR by about 5% (which was statistically significant) during digester operation at a loading rate (LR) of 3.2 kg VS/m/sup 3/-day and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 14 days. Data collected from the various experimental phases showed that the biochemical additive increased methane yield, gas production rate, and VS reduction, and decreased volatile acids accumulation. In addition, it enhanced digester buffer capacity and improved the fertilizer value and dewatering characteristics of the digested residue.

• Research Organization: Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA); Texas Gas Transmission Corp., Owensboro, KY (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6528995
• Report Number(s): CONF-8210126-1; ON: DE83901350
• Resource Relation: Conference: 55. annual conference on water pollution control, St. Louis, MO, USA, 3 Oct 1982
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
09 BIOMASS FUELS
METHANE
YIELDS
SEWAGE SLUDGE
ADDITIVES
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BACILLUS
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CATALYSTS
MESOPHILIC CONDITIONS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKANES
BACTERIA
BIOCONVERSION
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
DIGESTION
HYDROCARBONS
MANAGEMENT
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
SEWAGE
SLUDGES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
320604* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Municipalities & Community Systems- Municipal Waste Management- (1980-)
140504 - Solar Energy Conversion- Biomass Production & Conversion- (-1989)
090122 - Hydrocarbon Fuels- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass- (1976-1989)