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Ribeiro AR, Devens KU, Camargo FP, Sakamoto IK, Varesche MBA, Silva EL. Harnessing the Energy Potential and Value-Added Products from the Treatment of Sugarcane Vinasse: Maximizing Methane Production Through Co-Digestion with Sugarcane Molasses and Enhanced Organic Loading. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2025; 197:964-988. [PMID: 39340631 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-024-05078-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024]
Abstract
This study assessed the impact of organic loading rate (OLR) on methane (CH4) production in the anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) of sugarcane vinasse and molasses (SVM) (1:1 ratio) within a thermophilic fluidized bed reactor (AFBR). The OLR ranged from 5 to 27.5 kg COD.m-3.d-1, with a fixed hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h. Organic matter removal varied from 56 to 84%, peaking at an OLR of 5 kg COD.m-3.d-1. Maximum CH4 yield (MY) (272.6 mL CH4.g-1CODrem) occurred at an OLR of 7.5 kg COD.m-3.d-1, while the highest CH4 production rate (MPR) (4.0 L CH4.L-1.d-1) and energy potential (E.P.) (250.5 kJ.d-1) were observed at an OLR of 20 kg COD.m-3.d-1. The AFBR exhibited stability across all OLR. At 22.5 kg COD.m-3.d-1, a decrease in MY indicated methanogenesis imbalance and inhibitory organic compound accumulation. OLR influenced microbial populations, with Firmicutes and Thermotogota constituting 43.9% at 7.5 kg COD.m-3.d-1, and Firmicutes dominating (52.7%) at 27.5 kg COD.m-3.d-1. Methanosarcina (38.9%) and hydrogenotrophic Methanothermobacter (37.6%) were the prevalent archaea at 7.5 kg COD.m-3.d-1 and 27.5 kg COD.m-3.d-1, respectively. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the organic loading rate significantly influences the efficiency of methane production and the stability of microbial communities during the anaerobic co-digestion of sugarcane vinasse and molasses, indicating that optimized conditions can maximize energy yield and maintain methanogenic balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Rodrigues Ribeiro
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, CEP 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Kauanna Uyara Devens
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, CEP 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Franciele Pereira Camargo
- Bioenergy Research Institute (IPBEN), UNESP- São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, 13500-230, Brazil
| | - Isabel Kimiko Sakamoto
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, CEP 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Maria Bernadete Amâncio Varesche
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, CEP 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Edson Luiz Silva
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, km 235, São Carlos, CEP 13565-905, SP, Brazil.
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Ribeiro AR, Devens KU, Camargo FP, Sakamoto IK, Varesche MBA, Silva EL. Insights of energy potential in thermophilic sugarcane vinasse and molasses treatment: does two-stage codigestion enhance operational performance? Biodegradation 2024; 36:3. [PMID: 39470853 DOI: 10.1007/s10532-024-10097-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 10/10/2024] [Indexed: 11/01/2024]
Abstract
The study evaluated the performance of thermophilic co-digestion in both single-stage methanogenic reactors (TMR) and two-stage systems, consisting of a thermophilic acidogenic reactor and a thermophilic sequential methanogenic reactor (TSMR). A 1:1 mixture of sugarcane vinasse and molasses was codigested in anaerobic fluidized bed reactors, with varying organic matter concentrations based on chemical oxygen demand (COD) ranging from 5 to 22.5 g COD L-1. Both systems achieved high organic matter removal efficiency (51 to 86.5%) and similar methane (CH4) yields (> 148 mL CH4 g-1CODremoved). However, at the highest substrate concentration (22.5 g COD L-1), the TSMR outperformed the TMR in terms of energy generation potential (205.6 kJ d-1 vs. 125 kJ d-1). Phase separation in the two-stage system increased bioenergy generation by up to 43.5% at lower substrate concentrations (7.5 g COD L-1), with hydrogen (H2) generation playing a critical role in this enhancement. Additionally, the two-stage system produced value-added products, including ethanol (2.3 g L-1), volatile organic acids (3.2 g lactate L-1), and H2 (0.6-2.7 L H2 L-1 d-1). Microbial analysis revealed that Thermoanaerobacterium, Caldanaerobius, and Clostridium were dominant at 5 g COD L-1, while Lactobacillus prevailed at concentrations of ≥ 15 g COD L-1. The primary methane producers in the single-stage system were Methanosarcina, Methanoculleus, and Methanobacterium, whereas Methanothermobacter, Bathyarchaeia, and Methanosarcina dominated in the two-stage system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Rodrigues Ribeiro
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Kauanna Uyara Devens
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Franciele Pereira Camargo
- Bioenergy Research Institute (IPBEN), UNESP- São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, 13500-230, Brazil
| | - Isabel Kimiko Sakamoto
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Maria Bernadete Amâncio Varesche
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100 - Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Edson Luiz Silva
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, Km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil.
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Carneiro RB, Gomes GM, Camargo FP, Zaiat M, Santos-Neto ÁJ. Anaerobic co-metabolic biodegradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products driven by glycerol fermentation. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 357:142006. [PMID: 38621493 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion in two sequential phases, acidogenesis and methanogenesis, has been shown to be beneficial for enhancing the biomethane generation from wastewater. In this work, the application of glycerol (GOH) as a fermentation co-substrate during the wastewater treatment was evaluated on the biodegradation of different pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). GOH co-digestion during acidogenesis led to a significant increase in the biodegradation of acetaminophen (from 78 to 89%), ciprofloxacin (from 25 to 46%), naproxen (from 73 to 86%), diclofenac (from 36 to 48%), ibuprofen (from 65 to 88%), metoprolol (from 45 to 59%), methylparaben (from 64 to 78%) and propylparaben (from 68 to 74%). The heterotrophic co-metabolism of PPCPs driven by glycerol was confirmed by the biodegradation kinetics, in which kbio (biodegradation kinetics constant) values increased from 0.18 to 2.11 to 0.27-3.60 L g-1-VSS d-1, for the operational phases without and with GOH, respectively. The assessment of metabolic pathways in each phase revealed that the prevalence of aromatic compounds degradation, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, and benzoate degradation routes during acidogenesis are key factors for the enzymatic mechanisms linked to the PPCPs co-metabolism. The phase separation of anaerobic digestion was effective in the PPCPs biodegradation, and the co-fermentation of glycerol provided an increase in the generation potential of biomethane in the system (energetic potential of 5.0 and 6.3 kJ g-1-CODremoved, without and with GOH, respectively). This study showed evidence that glycerol co-fermentation can exert a synergistic effect on the PPCPs removal during anaerobic digestion mediated by heterotrophic co-metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo B Carneiro
- São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo (USP), 400, Trabalhador São-Carlense Ave., São Carlos, São Paulo, 13566-590, Brazil; Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Severo Ochoa Excellence Center, Spanish Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, E-08034, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Gisele M Gomes
- São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo (USP), 1100, João Dagnone Ave., Santa Angelina, 13563-120, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Franciele P Camargo
- Bioenergy Research Institute (IPBEN), UNESP- São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, SP, 13500-230, Brazil.
| | - Marcelo Zaiat
- São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo (USP), 1100, João Dagnone Ave., Santa Angelina, 13563-120, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Álvaro J Santos-Neto
- São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo (USP), 400, Trabalhador São-Carlense Ave., São Carlos, São Paulo, 13566-590, Brazil.
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Pirete LDM, Camargo FP, Grosseli GM, Sakamoto IK, Fadini PS, Silva EL, Varesche MBA. Microbial diversity and metabolic inference of diclofenac removal in optimised batch heterotrophic-denitrifying conditions by means of factorial design. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2024; 45:2847-2866. [PMID: 36927407 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2023.2192365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Rotational Central Composite Design (RCCD), this study evaluated the removal of DCF under denitrifying conditions, with ethanol as cosubstrate, in batch reactors, being 1 L Erlenmeyer flasks (330 mL of reactional volume) containing Dofing medium and kept under agitation at 130 rpm and incubated at mesophilic temperature (30 °C). It considered the individual and multiple effects of the variables: nitrate (130 - 230 mg NO3- L-1), DCF (60-100 µg DCF L-1) and ethanol (130 - 230 mg EtOH L-1). The highest drug removal efficiency (17.5%) and total nitrate removal were obtained at 176.6 ± 4.3 mg NO3 -L-1, 76.8 ± 3.7 µg DCF L-1, and 180.0 ± 2.5 mg EtOH L-1. Under such conditions, the addition of ethanol and nitrate was significant for the additional removal of diclofenac (p > 0.05). The prevalence of Rhodanobacter, Haliangium and Terrimonas in the inoculum biomass (activated sludge systems) was identified through the 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The potential of these genera to remove nitrate and degrade diclofenac was inferred, and the main enzymes potentially involved in this process were α-methylacyl-CoA racemase, long-chain fatty acid-CoA ligase, catalases and pseudoperoxidases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana de Melo Pirete
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Franciele Pereira Camargo
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
| | | | - Isabel K Sakamoto
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil
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Menezes CAD, Almeida PDS, Camargo FP, Delforno TP, Oliveira VMD, Sakamoto IK, Varesche MBA, Silva EL. One versus two-stage codigestion of sugarcane vinasse and glycerol: Assessing combinations at mesophilic and (hyper) thermophilic conditions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 904:166294. [PMID: 37586502 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Sugarcane vinasse exits the distillation process at high temperatures, which may differ from the optimal temperatures for dark fermentation and anaerobic digestion. A 15 °C temperature increase, for example, stops sugarcane vinasse methane generation, making distillery vinasse digestion complicated. Conversely, in other aspects, co-digesting vinasse and glycerol has been proven to stabilize methane production from vinasse because of sulfate dilution. However, glycerol has not been tested to stabilize vinasse digestion under temperature changes. Thus, this study compared the effects of different temperature settings on the co-digestion of 10 g COD L-1 of vinasse and glycerol (50 %:50 % on a COD basis) in anaerobic fluidized bed reactors (AFBR), i.e., an acidogenic and a methanogenic one-stage AFBRs operated at 55, 60, and 65 °C, and two methanogenic AFBRs fed both with acidogenic effluent (one operated at room temperature (25 °C) and the other at 55, 60, and 65 °C). The co-digestion provided steady methane generation at all AFBRs, with methane production rates ranging from 2.27 to 2.93 L CH4 d-1 L-1, whether in one or two stages. A feature of this research was to unravel the black box of the role of sulfate in the digestion of sugarcane vinasse, which was rarely studied. Desulfovibrio was the primary genus degrading 1,3-propanediol into 3-hydroxypropanoate after genome sequencing. Phosphate acetyltransferase (EC: 2.3.1.8, K00625) and acetate kinase (EC: 2.7.2.1, K00925) genes were also found, suggesting propionate was metabolized. In practical aspects, regarding the two-stage systems, the thermophilic-mesophilic (acidogenic-methanogenic) configuration is best for extracting additional value-added products because 1,3-propanediol may be recovered at high yields with steady methane production at reduced energy expenditure in a reactor operated at room temperature. However, the one-stage design is best for methane generation per system volume since it remained stable with rising temperatures, and all systems presented similar methane production rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Aparecida de Menezes
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, School of Engineering of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100, Jd. Santa Angelina, CEP 13563-120 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Priscilla de Souza Almeida
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, km 235, CEP 13565-905 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Franciele Pereira Camargo
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, School of Engineering of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100, Jd. Santa Angelina, CEP 13563-120 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Tiago Palladino Delforno
- SENAI Innovation Institute for Biotechnology, Rua Anhaia, 1321, Bom Retiro - São Paulo, 01130-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Valeria Maia de Oliveira
- Microbial Resources Division, Research Center for Chemistry, Biology and Agriculture (CPQBA), Campinas University, Campinas, SP CEP 13081-970, Brazil
| | - Isabel Kimiko Sakamoto
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, School of Engineering of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100, Jd. Santa Angelina, CEP 13563-120 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Maria Bernadete Amâncio Varesche
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, School of Engineering of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, Av. João Dagnone, 1100, Jd. Santa Angelina, CEP 13563-120 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Edson Luiz Silva
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, km 235, CEP 13565-905 São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
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