SummaryTower cycling fermentors for the production of single-cell protein from volatile substrates were studied. The mass transfer, mixing and circulation patterns, and residence time distribution (RTD) curves were investigated in these vessels. This study suggests that the tower cycling fermentors for volatile substrates fermentation may improve product yields and a t the same time reduce the power consumption, thereby resulting in a significant increase in operating cost savings and capital profits. The results of this research further indicate a future potential for commercial scale tower cycling fermentors.
The biogas generated from anaerobic digestion (AD) also includes undesirable by-product such as hydrogen sulfide (HS), which must be removed before the biogas can be used as a clean energy source. Therefore, it is necessary to find an appropriate strategy to simultaneously enhance the methane yield and reduce HS production. An efficient strategy-pretreating sludge at pH 10 for 8d and adjusting the system at neutral pH to produce methane for 20d-is reported for the synchronous enhancement of methane production and reduction of HS production during AD. The experimental results showed that the cumulative methane yield was 861.2±6.1mL/g volatile solids (VS) of sludge pretreated at pH 10 in semi-continuous stirred anaerobic reactors for 84d, an increase of 49.6% over the yield in the control. Meanwhile, the cumulative production of HS was 144.1×10mL/g VS, 54.2% lower than that in the control.
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