Encapsulation technology for decentralized brewery wastewater treatment: A small pilot experiment. (March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Siming; Arnold, William; Wright, Natasha; Zhu, Kuang; Ajayi, Olutooni; Novak, Paige
• Is Part Of: Bioresource technology. Volume 347(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-03
• Subjects: Decentralized wastewater treatment -- Anaerobic digestion -- Encapsulation technology -- Anaerobic membrane bioreactor -- Brewery wastewater; Biomass -- Periodicals; Biomass energy -- Periodicals; Bioremediation -- Periodicals; Agricultural wastes -- Periodicals; Factory and trade waste -- Periodicals; Organic wastes -- Periodicals; Bioénergie -- Périodiques; Déchets agricoles -- Périodiques; Déchets industriels -- Périodiques; Déchets organiques -- Périodiques; Déchets (Combustible) -- Périodiques; 662.88
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126435
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0960-8524

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: Encapsulated anaerobic bacteria were able to treat high strength brewery wastewater. Encapsulation facilitated rapid start-up of anaerobic reactors. Microorganisms leaked from the encapsulant over time, leading to some washout. The make-up of the encapsulated community was important for sustained performance. Abstract: The feasibility of implementing encapsulation technology for the biological anaerobic treatment of high-strength wastewater was investigated. The small pilot-scale wastewater treatment process, deployed at a local brewery, consisted of a 4-L fermenting first-stage reactor containing alginate-encapsulated fermenting microorganisms and a 30-L methanogenic second-stage reactor containing alginate-encapsulated anaerobic digester sludge (CH4E reactor). A parallel second-stage 30-L anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) was operated for comparison. The first-stage reactor produced 40.4 ± 47.3% more volatile fatty acids than present in the influent wastewater. The CH4E reactor stared rapidly, with an off-gas methane content >60% after 14 days. It took >1 month for the AnMBR to achieve this performance. Nevertheless, the CH4E reactor performance declined relative to the AnMBR over time. This was thought to be a result of encapsulant leakage and the encapsulation of a non-ideal initial community. Further optimization is needed, but encapsulation shows promise for small-footprint anaerobic biological treatment applications.