Changes of Bacterial Communities in an Anaerobic Digestion and a Bio-Electrochemical Anaerobic Digestion Reactors According to Organic Load

Jun-Gyu Park, Won-Beom Shin, Wei-Qi Shi and Hang-Bae Jun
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Jun-Gyu Park: Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Korea
Won-Beom Shin: Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Korea
Wei-Qi Shi: Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Korea
Hang-Bae Jun: Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763, Korea

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-11

Abstract: Bacterial communities change in bulk solution of anaerobic digestion (AD) and bio-electrochemical anaerobic digestion reactors (BEAD) were monitored at each organic loading rate (OLR) to investigate the effect of voltage supply on bacterial species change in bulk solution. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) degradation and methane production from AD and BEAD reactors were also analyzed by gradually increasing food waste OLR. The BEAD reactor maintained stable COD removal and methane production at 6.0 kg/m 3 ·d. The maximum OLR of AD reactor for optimal operation was 4.0 kg/m 3 ·d. pH and alkalinity decline and volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation, which are the problem in high load anaerobic digestion of readily decomposable food wastes, were again the major factors destroying the optimal operation condition of the AD reactor at 6.0 kg/m 3 ·d. Contrarily, the electrochemically activated dense communities of exoelectrogenic bacteria and VFA-oxidizing bacteria prevented VFAs from accumulating inside the BEAD reactor. This maintained stable pH and alkalinity conditions, ultimately contributing to stable methane production.

Keywords: bio-electrochemical anaerobic digestion (BEAD); bacterial communities; bulk solution; organic loading rate; food waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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