Anaerobic fermentation of simulated in-situ oil shale retort water

Conference · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:5202624

Ossio, E A; Fox, J P; Thomas, J F; Poulson, R E

The feasibility of removing soluble organics from oil shale retort water by anaerobic digestion with methane production was experimentally investigated. The following conclusions were made. The retort water studied had to be pretreated to remove toxic and add deficient constituents before it could be successfully treated with the anaerobic fermentation process. Pretreatment included pH adjustment to 7, ammonia reduction, and nutrient addition. A digested sludge from a conventional municipal sewage treatment plant was successfully acclimated to the retort water studied. A major fraction of the organics in the retort water studied was stabilized by conversion to CH/sub 4/ and CO/sub 2/ using the anaerobic fermentation process. BOD/sub 5/ and COD removal efficiences were 76 to 80 percent. The effluent from anaerobic fermentation of the retort water studied (BOD/sub 5/ : 530 to 580 mg/l) may be suitable for treatment by conventional aerobic processes. The growth of the methane formers, which stabilize the organics, is nutrient limited in the retort water studied. The pretreatment of the retort water studied removed 49 percent of the BOD/sub 5/. This was probably due to the reduction in solubility of high molecular weight fatty acids at neutral pHs. A major component removed from the retort water studied during anaerobic fermentation was fatty acids. The long hydraulic residence time used in this study would not be used in practice.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Lawrence Berkeley Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5202624
• Report Number(s): LBL-6855; CONF-780305-6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040900* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Waste management
09 BIOMASS FUELS
090122 -- Hydrocarbon Fuels-- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass-- (1976-1989)
ALKANES
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
BIOCONVERSION
BIOSYNTHESIS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
DIGESTION
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
IN-SITU RETORTING
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
METHANE
OIL SHALES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RETORTING
SYNTHESIS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER