A novel enhancement for the start-up of methane fermentation reactor by inoculating the acclimated sludge as a seeding material

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the strategy for accelerating the start-up of anaerobic reactor treating glycerol. The experiment was carried out for 25 days duration in two cases: (1) gradually increase of glycerol content in substrate from 33% to 67% to 100% after 13 days (runs: G1 and B1); (2) feeding with 100% glycerol content in substrate from the start (runs: G2 and B2). G1 and G2 were inoculated by one third of acclimated granular sludge to treat glycerol and two third of granular sludge taken from a brewery wastewater treatment system. In results, the average methane production rate (L CH4 L−1 day−1) of runs G1; B1; G2; B2 was 0.56; 0.39; 0.42; and 0.14, respectively. G1 was the best performance among runs. G2 and B1 were unstable during the start-up. B2 was fluctuant throughout the duration time. The methane production rate of G1 and B1 was highly correlated and DNA concentration of Genus Trichococcus in the sludge. This study suggests that gradual feeding substrate during start-up could provide a stable performance compare to the shock feeding. Acclimated sludge which contained functional microorganisms of treating glycerol could accelerate the start-up of new anaerobic digester.

Bioconversion of Crude Glycerol to Hydrogen and Methane in Three-Stage Horizontal Anaerobic Fixed-Bed Reactors (HARFB)

“…The optimum condition for glycerol and COD removal was a 5:5 ratio, yielding 213.3 mL g −1 COD (21.7% CH 4 ). Dinh [45] evaluated the substrate's gradual feeding and sludge type (acclimated and non-acclimated) effect on methane production from glycerol. Reactors inoculated using a non-acclimated brewery granular sludge gradually fed with glycerol exhibited a 44.7% of CH 4 .…”