Feasibility of the anaerobic digestion of cheese whey in a Plug Flow Reactor (PFR) under local conditions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the behavior and the stabilization of Cheese Whey (CW) anaerobic digestion in a plug flow reactor by means of the effluent recirculation use and the implementation of the Anaerobic Co-Digestion (ACOD) system with Fresh Dairy Manure (FDM). These alternatives were proposed to avoid the potential acidification. For the monodigestion, it was proved that the system cannot support high OLR. The ACOD of CW with FDM presented a benefic alternative because it implemented a balanced medium due to each substrate contribution. The efficiency stability of the process was guaranteed by the buffer capacity, which was kept around 0.4. The ACOD process allowed maintaining process stabilization, and the biogas production surged when recirculation began. The best performance of the system was reached with 2g VS/L*day with recirculation, obtaining a biogas production of 469.2 L/kg*day and a degradation of the 81% in volatile solid basis from the input organic matter.

Role of Microbial Hydrolysis in Anaerobic Digestion

“…More recently, phase separation for AD in PFR has been used to digest pineapple pulp [89] and co-digest cheese whey and cow manure [90], which resulted in a removal efficiency of 80.9% COD and 81% VS, correspondingly. Considering these examples, application of PFR as a hydrolysis stage seems feasible and might even offer more advantages by microbial phasing into hydrolysis and acidogenesis stage.…”

Microwave Radiation Influence on Dairy Waste Anaerobic Digestion in a Multi-Section Hybrid Anaerobic Reactor (M-SHAR)

“…In the research of Carvalho et al (2013), a COD range of 50-102 g•dm −3 was observed [47]. A high variability in LDW was presented in Escalante et al (2017) experiments, where COD ranged between 65 and 140 g•dm −3 [48]. In the Mainardis et al (2019) [49] and Karadag et al (2015) [50] studies, the concentration of COD was 79 g•dm −3 and 60-68.6 g•dm −3 , respectively.…”

Use of Carbon-Based Additives in Bio-Electrochemically Assisted Anaerobic Digestion for Cheese Whey Valorisation

“…In this regard, anaerobic digestion (AD), a proven technology typically used for the management of different agro-wastes [4,5], can provide a suitable alternative for CW valorisation [6][7][8][9]. However, this waste typically has a low alkalinity and contains a high concentration of organics, all of which makes CW a challenging waste product for AD, usually causing acidification and inhibition of the methanogenic activity [10,11].…”