Modification of Waste Biomass Digestion in the Presence of Additives of Bioactive Substances

Abstract

Waste management in the agro-industrial sector is an important issue as it offers ways to prevent the toxic discharges of harmful pollutants into the environment, and at the same time to obtain a series of value-added products. Liquid organic wastes from the agro-industrial sector are usually in the state of continuing digestion and are capable of rendering toxic effects on plants and living organisms. Conventional technologies require a lot of treatment time and large volumes of reservoirs. The aim of this research was to intensify anaerobic fermentation using the additives of bioactive substances introduced directly into the digested biomass. The results obtained testify that substances of natural origin used as additives demonstrate pronounced effects on the alcoholic fermentation of vinasse under mesophilic conditions. The comparative assessment of different additives' action in the studied processes has demonstrated that dihydrofumaric acid caused the emission of 266 cm3 CO2 during 76 hours, aescinum – 251 cm3 during 55 hours, tomatin – 233 cm3 during 78 hours of fermentation.