SEDL / STP / STP851-EB / STP32705S

Energy Recovery from Agroindustrial Wastes with Prevalently Solute Pollutants Using Fixed-Bed Anaerobic Reactors

Sanna, P
Biomass project leader and researcher, ASSORENI, ENI Group Research Association, Laboratori Microbiologici, Rome,

Camilli, M
Biomass project leader and researcher, ASSORENI, ENI Group Research Association, Laboratori Microbiologici, Rome,

Pages: 12    Published: Jan 1984

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Abstract

A process for anaerobic digestion of agroindustrial wastes containing mainly soluble pollutants has been developed utilizing fixed-bed reactors.

A pilot plant at a sugar refinery with two reactors in parallel, respectively of 10 and 50 m³ operating volume, has functioned successfully in treating wastes produced in regenerating ion-exchange columns used to purify the sugar juices. With an hydraulic retention time (HRT) of less than one day, a maximum gas production of 11.5 volumes per operating volume of reactor per day was obtained together with a reduction of up to 80% of the biological oxygen demand for five days (BOD⁵), and volatile solids and up to 70% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD).

The gas contained from 70 to 75% methane.

On the basis of these results, a full-scale industrial plant was built which has produced up to 7500 m³ a day of biogas. The process has been found suitable for a large number of industrial wastes, especially when plants are seasonally operated.