Eco-Friendly and Effective Diatomaceous Earth/Peat (DEP) Microbial Carriers in the Anaerobic Biodegradation of Food Waste Products

Agnieszka A. Pilarska, Krzysztof Pilarski, Mariusz Adamski, Maciej Zaborowicz, Dorota Cais-Sokolińska, Agnieszka Wolna-Maruwka and Alicja Niewiadomska
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Agnieszka A. Pilarska: Department of Hydraulic and Sanitary Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Piątkowska 94A, 60-649 Poznań, Poland
Krzysztof Pilarski: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627 Poznań, Poland
Mariusz Adamski: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627 Poznań, Poland
Maciej Zaborowicz: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627 Poznań, Poland
Dorota Cais-Sokolińska: Department of Dairy and Process Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 31, 60-624 Poznań, Poland
Agnieszka Wolna-Maruwka: Department of General and Environmental Microbiology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Szydłowska 50, 60-656 Poznań, Poland
Alicja Niewiadomska: Department of General and Environmental Microbiology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Szydłowska 50, 60-656 Poznań, Poland

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: This article aims to present the results of research on anaerobic digestion (AD) of waste wafers (WF-control) and co-substrate system—waste wafers and cheese (WFC-control), combined with digested sewage sludge. The aim of this study was to assess the physicochemical parameters of the diatomaceous earth/peat (DEP; 3:1) carrier material and to verify its impact on the enzymatic activity and the process performance. The experiment was conducted in a laboratory, in a periodical mode of operation of bioreactors, under mesophilic conditions. The results of analyses of morphological-dispersive, spectroscopic, adsorption, thermal, and microbiological properties confirmed that the tested carrier material can be an excellent option to implement in biotechnological processes, especially in anaerobic digestion. As part of the experiment, the substrates, feedstock, and fermenting slurry were subjected to the analysis for standard process parameters. Monitoring of the course of AD was performed by measuring the values of key parameters for the recognition of the stability of the process: pH, VFA/TA ratio (volatile fatty acids/total alkalinity), the content of NH 4 + , and dehydrogenase activity, as an indicator of the intensity of respiratory metabolism of microorganisms. No significant signals of destabilization of the AD process were registered. The highest dehydrogenase activity, in the course of the process, was maintained in the WFC + DEP system. The microbial carrier DEP, used for the first time in the anaerobic digestion, had a positive effect on the yield of methane production. As a result, an increase in the volume of produced biogas was obtained for samples fermented with DEP carrier material for WF + DEP by 13.18% to a cumulative methane yield of 411.04 m 3 Mg −1 VS, while for WFC + DEP by 12.85% to 473.91 m 3 Mg −1 VS.

Keywords: diatomaceous earth/peat carrier; physicochemical properties; anaerobic biodegradation; food waste; process efficiency (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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