Thermophilic (55 °C) and hyper-thermophilic (70 °C) anaerobic digestion as novel treatment technologies for concentrated black water

Marinus J. Moerland, Laura Castañares Pérez, Maria E. Ruiz Velasco Sobrino, Paraschos Chatzopoulos, Brendo Meulman, Vinnie de Wilde, Grietje Zeeman, Cees J.N. Buisman, Miriam H.A. van Eekert*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Thermophilic and hyper-thermophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) are promising techniques for the treatment of concentrated black water (toilet fraction of domestic wastewater collected by low flush volume toilets; BW), recovery of nutrients and simultaneous pathogen removal for safe recovery and reuse of those nutrients. This study showed that thermophilic AD (55 °C) of concentrated BW reaches the same methanisation and COD removal as mesophilic anaerobic treatment of BW (conventional vacuum toilets) and kitchen waste while applying a higher loading rate (OLR) (2.5–4.0 kgCOD/m3/day). With a retention time of 8.7 days, and an OLR of >3 kgCOD/m3/day, COD removal of 70% and a methanisation of 62% (based on CODt) was achieved during thermophilic AD. Hyper-thermophilic (70 °C) reached lower levels of methanisation (38%). Start-up time of thermophilic AD was 12 days. And during thermophilic AD, a shift from acetoclastic methanogenesis towards syntrophic acetate oxidation was observed.

Original languageEnglish
Article number125705
JournalBioresource Technology
Volume340
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2021

Keywords

  • Black water
  • Hyper-thermophilic anaerobic digestion
  • Methanogenesis
  • New sanitation
  • Resource recovery
  • Thermophilic anaerobic digestion
  • PRJEB43366
  • ERP127322

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