A novel plug-flow digester for biogasification of conventional and hazardous organics
- Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
A novel plug-flow digestion system of simple construction was designed, fabricated and operated for several years with a synthetic mixture of solid and liquid wastes simulating conditions south of the US-Mexican border and other developing countries. Benzene, toluene, and o-xylene (BTX) were mixed with the synthetic feed in several phases of this research to simulate field conditions where these solvents are discharged to public sewers and mixed with non-hazardous pollutants. The mesophilic plug-flow digester exhibited a high gas yield of 0.46 SCM /kg VS added, a methane content of 77 mol%, and a VS reduction of 75% at an HRT of 13 days with a 96% biodegradation of the feed toluene. At a feed concentration of 50 mg/l, toluene did not inhibit anaerobic fermentation. Gas and methane yields, and VS and COD conversion efficiencies were about the same with or without toluene present in the feed. At a reduced HRT of 8 days, a high feed COD concentration of 50,000 mg/l, and a loading rate of 0.48 kg VS/m{sup 3}-day, the digester afforded a gas yield of 3.1 SCM /kg VS added, and a methane content of 67 mol%. Benzene, toluene, and o-xylene were biodegraded at efficiencies of 94%, 90%, and 88%, respectively. The degradation kinetics of the xenobiotic compound could be described by a model based on cometabolic degradation of these secondary substrates.
- OSTI ID:
- 478750
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960958--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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