Microwave enhanced advanced oxidation process for treating dairy manure at low pH

Anaerobic digestion of liquid dairy manure pretreated by the microwave-enhanced advanced oxidation process

The microwave-enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW-AOP) was utilized for the treatment of liquid dairy manure, prior to anaerobic digestion (AD). A significant amount of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) was formed in the treated solution, but there was no or little increase in volatile fatty acid (VFA). In this study, up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors were used in both the conventional AD system and as the methane phase reactor in a two-phase anaerobic digestion (TPAD) system. Both AD systems were capable of operating at very short hydraulic retention times (HRTs) to as low as about 3 days, and very high methane production rates were achieved. However, much higher methane production was obtained in the TPAD system. The phase separation of the acidogenesis and the methanogenesis in the TPAD system not only increased methane production but also maintained reactor stability throughout the experimental period. Thus, the combination of MW-AOP treatment and TPAD appears to be an effective means of energy recovery from dairy manure.

Microwave enhanced advanced oxidation treatment of dairy manure

The microwave enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW-AOP) was used to treat dairy manure in a continuous-flow 915 MHz microwave wastewater treatment system. The treatment efficiency increased with an increase in temperature, as well as hydrogen peroxide dosage. The settling property was also improved in all treated sets, regardless of temperature applied. The system operated at temperatures >100 °C had a much higher soluble chemical oxygen demand than at temperatures <100 °C. The highest soluble carbonaceous compounds, orthophosphate and ammonia were obtained at 110 °C and 0.6%H₂O₂ per % of total solids content. The process should be operated at higher temperatures and higher hydrogen peroxide dosages for maximizing solids disintegration, nutrient release and energy efficiency. An energy fingerprint correlating the cumulative energy consumption and temperature rise was developed. The results demonstrated that the custom designed MW-AOP system is suitable for the effective treatment of dairy manure. The system can readily be scaled up and integrated into a dairy farm manure treatment and resource recovery system.

Microwave treatment of dairy manure for resource recovery: Reaction kinetics and energy analysis

A newly designed continuous-flow 915 MHz microwave wastewater treatment system was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the microwave enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW/H₂O₂-AOP) for treating dairy manure. After the treatment, about 84% of total phosphorus and 45% of total chemical oxygen demand were solubilized with the highest H₂O₂ dosage (0.4% H₂O₂ per %TS). The reaction kinetics of soluble chemical oxygen demand revealed activation energy to be in the range of 5-22 kJ mole^-1. The energy required by the processes was approximately 0.16 kWh per liter of dairy manure heated. A higher H₂O₂ dosage used in the system had a better process performance in terms of solids solubilization, reaction kinetics, and energy consumption. Cost-benefit analysis for a farm-scale MW/H₂O₂-AOP treatment system was also presented. The results obtained from this study would provide the basic knowledge for designing an effective farm-scale dairy manure treatment system.

Recovery of phosphorus from dairy manure: a pilot-scale study

Phosphorus was recovered from dairy manure via a microwave-enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW/H2O2-AOP) followed by struvite crystallization in a pilot-scale continuous flow operation. Soluble phosphorus in dairy manure increased by over 50% after the MW/H2O2-AOP, and the settleability of suspended solids was greatly improved. More than 50% of clear supernatant was obtained after microwave treatment, and the maximum volume of supernatant was obtained at a hydrogen peroxide dosage of 0.3% and pH 3.5. By adding oxalic acid into the supernatant, about 90% of calcium was removed, while more than 90% of magnesium was retained. As a result, the resulting solution was well suited for struvite crystallization. Nearly 95% of phosphorus in the treated supernatant was removed and recovered as struvite.

Multivariate analysis of sludge disintegration by microwave-hydrogen peroxide pretreatment process

Microwave irradiation (with H2O2) has been shown to offer considerable advantages owing to its flexible control, low overall cost, and resulting higher soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD); accordingly, the method has been proposed recently as a means of improving sludge disintegration. However, the key factor controlling this sludge pretreatment process, pH, has received insufficient attention to date. To address this, the response surface approach (central composite design) was applied to evaluate the effects of total suspended solids (TSS, 2-20 g/L), pH (4-10), and H2O2 dosage (0-2 w/w) and their interactions on 16 response variables (e.g., SCODreleased, pH, H2O2remaining). The results demonstrated that all three factors affect sludge disintegration significantly, and no pronounced interactions between response variables were observed during disintegration, except for three variables (TCOD, TSSremaining, and H2O2 remaining). Quadratic predictive models were constructed for all 16 response variables (R(2): 0.871-0.991). Taking soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) as an example, the model and coefficients derived above were able to predict the performance of microwave pretreatment (enhanced by H2O2 and pH adjustment) from previously published studies. The predictive models developed were able to optimize the treatment process for multiple disintegration objectives.

Effects of acidifying reagents on microwave treatment of dairy manure

Dairy manure, acidified using organic acids (acetic, oxalic, and citric acid) were treated with microwave enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW/H2O2-AOP). The effect of a mixture of oxalic acid and commonly used mineral acids (sulfuric and hydrochloric acid) on MW/H2O2-AOP was also examined. Substantial amounts of phosphorus were released under MW/H2O2-AOP, regardless of organic acid or mineral acid used. All three organic acids were good acidifying reagents; however, only oxalic acid could remove free calcium ion in the solution, and improve settleability of dairy manure. The MW/H2O2-AOP and calcium removal process could be combined into a single-stage process, which could release phosphate, solubilize solids and remove calcium from dairy manure at the same time. A mixture of oxalic acid and mineral acid produced the maximum volume of clear supernatant and had an ideal molar ratio of calcium to magnesium for effective struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) crystallization process. A single-stage MW/H2O2-AOP would simplify the process and reduce mineral acid consumption compared to a two-stage operation. The results of a pilot scale study demonstrate that MW/H2O2-AOP is effective in treating manure and recovering resource from dairy farms.