Codigestão anaeróbia de lixiviado de aterro industrial e glicerina

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the anaerobic co-digestion of different concentrations of industrial landfill leachate associated with crude residual glycerin, in a continuous anaerobic bioreactor with a fixed-structure bed (ABFSB) in the same process of anaerobic co-digestion. In this way, co-digestion tests were carried out in laboratory scale (400 mL of useful volume), batch operated in mesophilic conditions (30 ± 1 °C), with a 30-day incubation time in which five levels of (0, 1.5, 5, 8.5, and 10%) and five food/microorganism (F/M) levels (0.3, 0.5, 1, 0, 1.5, and 1.7), adopting experimental design of the Central Composite Rotational Design (CCRD). The results indicated a significant effect on the responses: methanogenic potential, removal of organic matter in terms of COD, accumulated production of CH4, and estimation of maximum production of CH4 using the modified Gompertz model, considering a confidence interval of 95% (p <0.05). From the results and with the desirability test it was verified that the ideal mixture was 95.13% of the industrial landfill leachate with 4.87% of the crude residual (v/v) residual glycerin with F/M ratio of 1.61 to optimize the process as a function of the response variables. From this recommended combination, with approximately 5% glycerin added to the leachate (v/v), the performance of ABFSB was evaluated in the co-digestion cited. The performance of the process was evaluated in three stages: biomass adaptation, gradual increase of organic loading rate (OLR) and reduction of alkaline supplementation. After the first 48-day period, the results were favorable to the application of the bioreactor in the evaluated anaerobic co-digestion, since the system presented stable conditions regarding the operational parameters with the addition of alkalinity with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and biomass adaptation. Thus, the second stage was started with application of increasing OLR (2, 3.5, 7.1 and 11.6 gCOD L-1 d-1). In the OLR of 7.1 gCOD L-1 d-1, the process reached the maximum methane flow rate (MFR) of 7.61 LNCH4 d-1, methane (MY) yield of 0.302 LNCH4 gCODrem-1 and volumetric methane production rate (VMPR) of 2.79 LNCH4 L-1 d-1, with total COD (ERCOD) and soluble COD removal efficiencies (ERsCOD) above 90%. Thus, the condition adopted in the third was OLR of 7.1 gCOD L-1 d-1, CODaffluent of 10.68 gO2 L-1 and hydraulic holding time of 35.2 h, aiming to optimize the quantity effectively required of NaHCO3. The minimum required concentration of alkalinity supplementation was of 0.28 gNaHCO3 gDQOaffluent-1. It is concluded that alkalinity supplementation was an important factor in the stability of the bioreactor. Finally, it is evidenced that the system is promising and that the results can serve as subsidy for industrial landfills to adopt this form of co-digestion, with biogas energy use.