Semi-Continuous Anaerobic Digestion of Orange Peel Waste: Effect of Activated Carbon Addition and Alkaline Pretreatment on the Process

Paolo S. Calabrò, Filippo Fazzino, Adele Folino, Emilia Paone and Dimitrios Komilis
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Paolo S. Calabrò: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, dell’Energia, dell’Ambiente e dei Materiali, Reggio Calabria IT 89122, Italy
Filippo Fazzino: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, dell’Energia, dell’Ambiente e dei Materiali, Reggio Calabria IT 89122, Italy
Adele Folino: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, dell’Energia, dell’Ambiente e dei Materiali, Reggio Calabria IT 89122, Italy
Emilia Paone: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, dell’Energia, dell’Ambiente e dei Materiali, Reggio Calabria IT 89122, Italy
Dimitrios Komilis: Department of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, GR 67100 Xanthi, Greece

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-11

Abstract: The valorization of orange peel waste (OPW) is sought worldwide mainly via anaerobic digestion. A common problem encountered during the biological treatment is the seasonality of its production and the presence of d-Limonene. The latter is a typical anti-microbial compound. This work aims to evaluate the effect of the use of granular activated carbon (GAC) combined with alkaline pretreatment to enhance methane generation during semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of OPW. The experimental design consisted of two groups of experiments, A and B. Experiment A was designed to verify the maximum OPW loading and to assess the effect of pH and nutrients on the process. Experiment B was designed to study the effect of alkaline pretreatment alone and of alkaline pretreatment aided by biochar addition to the process. Apart from the methane yields, the d-Limonene contents were measured in all experiments. The preliminary results showed that OPW alkaline pretreatment after the addition of a moderate amount of GAC can render anaerobic digestion of OPW sustainable as long as the organic loading does not exceed 2 gVS·L −1 ·day −1 and nutrients are supplemented. The experiment in which GAC was added after alkaline pretreatment resulted in the highest methane yield and reactor stability.

Keywords: alkaline pretreatment; anaerobic digestion; d-Limonene; granular activated carbon; orange peel waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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