Characteristics of Biohydrogen Production and Performance of Hydrogen-Producing Acetogen by Increasing Normal Molasses Wastewater Proportion in Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

Abstract

The biohydrogen production efficiency and performance of hydrogen-producing acetogen in a four-compartment anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) were studied by gradually increasing the influent normal molasses wastewater (NMWW) proportion. When the influent NMWW proportion increased to 55%, ABR could develop microbial community with methanogenic function in 63 days and reach a stable operation. When the influent NMWW proportion increased to 80% and reached a stable state, ethanol fermentation was established from butyric acid fermentation in the first three compartments, whereas butyric acid fermentation in the fourth compartment was strengthened. The average biohydrogen production yield and biohydrogen production capacity by COD removal increased to as high as 12.85 L/day and 360.22 L/kg COD when the influent NMWW proportion increased from 55% to 80%, respectively. Although the biogas yield and the specific biogas production rate reached 61.54 L/day and 232 L/kg MLVSS·day, the biohydrogen production yield and specific biohydrogen production rate were only 12.85 L/day and 48 L/kg MLVSS·day, which results in hydrogen consumption by homoacetogenesis and methanogenesis.

Biological Processes for Pollution Control: Current Research and Emerging Technologies 2020

“…This ecofriendly and highly efficient microbial flocculant is expected for practical applications in carbamazepine removal [18]. For nutrient recovery, X. Gu et al applied anaerobic baffled reactors for biohydrogen production out of molasses wastewater and analyzed hydrogen-producing acetogen's performance under increasing organic loads [19]. X. Li et al demonstrated the feasibility of cultivating marine macroalgae (Chaetomorpha maxim) in a moving bed bioreactor to remove nitrogen and phosphorus in aquaculture wastewater and produce macroalgae biomass, supplying an effective option to benefit aquaculture systems [20].…”