Cadavid-Rodríguez, LS and Horan, NJ (2014) Production of volatile fatty acids from wastewater screenings using a leach-bed reactor. Water Research, 60. 242 - 249. ISSN 0043-1354
Abstract
Screenings recovered from the inlet works of wastewater treatment plants were digested without pre-treatment or dilution using a lab-scale, leach-bed reactor. Variations in recirculation ratio of the leachate of 4 and 8l/lreactor/day and pH values of 5 and 6 were evaluated in order to determine the optimal operating conditions for maximum total volatile fatty acids (VFA) production. By increasing the recirculation ratio of the leachate from 4 to 8l/lreactor/day it was possible to increase VFA production (11%) and soluble COD (17%) and thus generate up to 264g VFA/kg-dry screenings. These VFA were predominantly acetic acid with some propionic and butyric acid. The optimum pH for VFA production was 6.0, when the methanogenic phase was inhibited. Below pH 5.0, acid-producing fermentation was inhibited and some alcohols were produced. Ammonia release during the hydrolysis of screenings provided adequate alkalinity; consequently, a digestion process without pH adjustment could be recommended. The leach-bed reactor was able to achieve rapid rates of screenings degradation with the production of valuable end-products that will reduce the carbon footprint associated with current screenings disposal techniques.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | Wastewater screenings; Anaerobic digestion; Acidification; Hydrolysis; Volatile fatty acids; PH |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) > Inst for Pathogen Control Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 28 Jul 2015 15:55 |
Last Modified: | 28 Jul 2015 16:02 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.05.001 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.watres.2014.05.001 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:84637 |