Abstract
Vinasse is characterized by a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and dark brown colour, which requires abatement before disposal to prevent the pollution of receiving streams. Anaerobic digestion (AD) usually applied for vinasse treatment can only reduce the COD with the colour remaining unabated. This study investigated the feasibility of combining AD and ozonation for vinasse treatment. The AD process alone achieved high COD removal of 95 %, at a best organic loading rate of 15 kgCOD/m3/d. However, the anaerobic effluent still had an intense dark brown colour caused by a considerable amount of residual biorecalcitrant COD of 4.5 g/L. The ozonation post-treatment of the anaerobic effluent removed 80 % of the colour with up to 92 % ozone transfer at optimal parameters of pH 4, substrate dilution factor of 2, and 90 mg/L/min ozone dosage. Kinetic analysis showed that for a constant feed flow combined system, the ratio of the anaerobic reactor unit to the ozonation reactor unit is recommended to be 20:1. Also, from energy analysis, application of the bioenergy produced from AD to supplement the total energy requirement of the combined system could lead to 50 % savings on energy, and a carbon dioxide emission reduction of 122 kg CO2/m3 of vinasse treated. The combined system is thus a promising technology for vinasse treatment and can contribute to combating greenhouse gas emissions.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.