1
|
Perez-Esteban N, Vives-Egea J, Peces M, Dosta J, Astals S. Temperature-driven carboxylic acid production from waste activated sludge and food waste: Co-fermentation performance and microbial dynamics. Waste Manag 2024; 178:176-185. [PMID: 38401431 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
This work aims to improve the continuous co-fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS) and food waste (FW) by investigating the long-term impact of temperature on fermentation performance and the underpinning microbial community. Acidogenic co-fermentation of WAS and FW (70:30 % VS-basis) to produce volatile fatty acids (VFA) was studied in continuous fermenters at different temperatures (25, 35, 45, 55 °C) at an organic loading rate of 11 gVS/(L·d) and a hydraulic retention time of 3.5 days. Two batches of WAS (A and B) were collected from the same wastewater treatment plant at different periods to understand the impact of the WAS microbioota on the fermenters' microbial communities. Solubilisation yield was higher at 45 °C (575 ± 68 mgCOD/gVS) followed by 55 °C (508 ± 45 mgCOD/gVS). Fermentation yield was higher at 55 °C (425 ± 28 mgCOD/gVS) followed by 35 °C (327 ± 17 mgCOD/gVS). Temperature also had a noticeable impact on the VFA profile. At 55 °C, acetic (40 %) and butyric (40 %) acid dominated, while acetic (37 %), butyric acid (31 %), and propionic acid (17 %) dominated at 35 °C. At 45 °C, an accumulation of caproic acid was detected which did not occur at other temperatures. Each temperature had a distinct microbial community, where the WAS microbiota played an important role. The biomass mass-balance showed the highest growth of microorganisms (51 %) at 35 °C and WAS_B, where a consumption of acetic acid was observed. Therefore, at 35 °C, there is a higher risk of acetic acid consumption probably due to the proliferation of methanogens imported from WAS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Perez-Esteban
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Vives-Egea
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Peces
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Dosta
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Astals
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Casallas-Ojeda M, Perez-Esteban N, Cabeza I, Cobo M, Olaya-Rincon M, Caicedo-Concha DM, Astals S. Understanding the acidification risk of cheese whey anaerobic digestion under psychrophilic and mesophilic conditions. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26476. [PMID: 38434373 PMCID: PMC10906320 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion is a suitable technology to treat cheese whey (CW), a high-strength wastewater from cheesemaking. However, CW anaerobic digestion is limited by its high biodegradability, acidic pH, and lack of alkalinity. This publication evaluated the acidification risk of CW anaerobic digestion under psychrophilic and mesophilic conditions, aiming to improve digester design, operation, and decision-making when facing instability periods. To evaluate the acidification risk of CW anaerobic digestion, biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were carried out at four different organic loads, each under psychrophilic (20 °C) and mesophilic (35 °C) conditions. Besides methane production, pH, soluble chemical oxygen demand, volatile fatty acid and alcohols were also monitored. Experimental results showed that CW can be successfully degraded under both temperature conditions, with methane yields of 389-436 mLCH4/gVS. The organic load had a greater impact on the accumulation of intermediate products than temperature, indicating that process inhibition by overloading is plausible under psychrophilic and mesophilic conditions. However, the degradation rate under mesophilic conditions was faster than under psychrophilic conditions. Experimental results also revealed a higher imbalance between fermentation and methanogenesis rate under psychrophilic conditions, which resulted in higher concentrations of intermediate products (volatile fatty acids and alcohols) and prolonged lower pHs. These results indicate that the degradation of intermediate products is less favourable under psychrophilic conditions compared to mesophilic conditions. This implies that psychrophilic digesters have a lower capacity to recover from process disturbances, increasing the risk of process underperformance or even failure under psychrophilic conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Casallas-Ojeda
- Energy, Materials and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario Puente del Común, Km. 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, 250001, Bogotá, Colombia
- Doctoral Program in Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario Puente del Común, Km. 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, 250001, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Noemi Perez-Esteban
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iván Cabeza
- Energy, Materials and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario Puente del Común, Km. 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, 250001, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Martha Cobo
- Energy, Materials and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario Puente del Común, Km. 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, 250001, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Mario Olaya-Rincon
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Diana M. Caicedo-Concha
- Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Carrera 73 # 2A - 80, 760035, Cali, Colombia
| | - Sergi Astals
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Vidal-Antich C, Peces M, Perez-Esteban N, Mata-Alvarez J, Dosta J, Astals S. Impact of food waste composition on acidogenic co-fermentation with waste activated sludge. Sci Total Environ 2022; 849:157920. [PMID: 35952870 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The impact of food waste (FW) composition on co-fermentation performance was studied to elucidate if adjusting FW composition can be used to drive the fermentation yield and profile, which is relevant for biorefinery applications. First, the impact of individual FW components (i.e., fruit, vegetables, pasta, rice, meat, fish, and cellulose) was assessed. Subsequently, the effect of mixing a protein-rich component and a carbohydrate-rich component was studied (i.e., fish/fruit and fish/cellulose, and meat/rice and meat/vegetable). All experiments were carried out in mesophilic batch assays using waste activated sludge (WAS) as main substrate, the same mixture ratio (70 % WAS +30 % FW on VS basis), and no pH control. Results showed that each FW component had a distinct effect on VFA yield and profile, with protein-rich components reaching the highest VFA yields; 502 and 442 mgCOD/gVS for WAS/Fish and WAS/Meat, respectively. A positive interaction on VFA yield was observed when mixing a protein-rich and a carbohydrate-rich component. This interaction was not proportional to the co-substrates proportion in the mixtures. On the other hand, the VFA profile was clearly driven by the components in the mixture, including both WAS and FW composition. Overall, these results indicate that predicting the VFA yield of WAS/FW co-fermentation is not just related to FW composition, but FW composition could be used to adjust the VFA profile to a certain extent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Vidal-Antich
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Peces
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - N Perez-Esteban
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Mata-Alvarez
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Dosta
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Astals
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Perez-Esteban N, Vinardell S, Vidal-Antich C, Peña-Picola S, Chimenos JM, Peces M, Dosta J, Astals S. Potential of anaerobic co-fermentation in wastewater treatments plants: A review. Sci Total Environ 2022; 813:152498. [PMID: 34968594 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Fermentation (not anaerobic digestion) is an emerging biotechnology to transform waste into easily assimilable organic compounds such as volatile fatty acids, lactic acid and alcohols. Co-fermentation, the simultaneous fermentation of two or more waste, is an opportunity for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to increase the yields of sludge mono-fermentation. Most publications have studied waste activated sludge co-fermentation with food waste or agri-industrial waste. Mixing ratio, pH and temperature are the most studied variables. The highest fermentation yields have been generally achieved in mixtures dominated by the most biodegradable substrate at circumneutral pH and mesophilic conditions. Nonetheless, most experiments have been performed in batch assays which results are driven by the capabilities of the starting microbial community and do not allow evaluating the microbial acclimation that occurs under continuous conditions. Temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time and organic load are variables that can be controlled to optimise the performance of continuous co-fermenters (i.e., favour waste hydrolysis and fermentation and limit the proliferation of methanogens). This review also discusses the integration of co-fermentation with other biotechnologies in WWTPs. Overall, this review presents a comprehensive and critical review of the achievements on co-fermentation research and lays the foundation for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Perez-Esteban
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Vinardell
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Vidal-Antich
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Peña-Picola
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J M Chimenos
- Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Peces
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Centre for Microbial Communities, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - J Dosta
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Astals
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Vidal-Antich C, Perez-Esteban N, Astals S, Peces M, Mata-Alvarez J, Dosta J. Assessing the potential of waste activated sludge and food waste co-fermentation for carboxylic acids production. Sci Total Environ 2021; 757:143763. [PMID: 33288258 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated waste activated sludge (WAS) and food waste (FW) co-fermentation in batch assays to produce carboxylic acids. Three mixtures (50%, 70% and 90% WAS in VS basis) were studied under different conditions: with and without extra alkalinity, and with and without WAS auto-hydrolysis pre-treatment. All tests were carried out at 35 °C, without pH adjustment and without external inoculum. Experimental results showed that co-fermentation yields, including volatile fatty acids and lactic acid, were always higher than WAS and FW mono-fermentation yields (ca. 100 and 80 mgCOD/gVS, respectively). Co-fermentation yields increased as the proportion of FW in the mixture increased, indicating that the improvement was primarily due to a higher FW degradation under co-fermentation conditions. The maximum co-fermentation yield was on average 480 mgCOD/gVS for the WAS/FW_50/50 mixture. The importance of pH on co-fermentation performance was evident in the experiments carried out with extra alkalinity, which showed that the proportion of WAS in the mixture should be high enough to keep the pH above 5.0. However, fermenters operational conditions should also prevent the enrichment of acetic acid consuming microorganisms. WAS auto-hydrolysis pre-treatment did not enhance co-fermentation yields but showed minor kinetic improvements. Regarding the product profile, butyric acid was enriched as the proportion of FW in the mixture increased and the concomitant pH decreased to the detriment of propionic acid. Propionic acid prevailed under neutral pH in the WAS mono-fermentation and the WAS/FW_90/10 mixture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Vidal-Antich
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - N Perez-Esteban
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Astals
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - M Peces
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Centre for Microbial Communities, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - J Mata-Alvarez
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Dosta
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Water Research Institute, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|