Pretreatment of vinasse from the sugar refinery industry under non-sterile conditions by Trametes versicolor in a fluidized bed bioreactor and its effect when coupled to an UASB reactor

Abstract

BackgroundDuring hydrous ethanol production from the sugar refinery industry in Mexico, vinasse is generated. Phenolic compounds and melanoidins contribute to its color and make degradation of the vinasse a difficult task. Although anaerobic digestion (AD) is feasible for vinasse treatment, the presence of recalcitrant compounds can be toxic or inhibitory for anaerobic microorganism. Therefore, this study presents new data on the coupled of the FBR (Fluidized Bed Bioreactor) to the UASB (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket) reactor under non-sterile conditions by T. versicolor. Nevertheless, for an industrial application, it is necessary to evaluate the performance in this kind of proposal system.ResultsTherefore, this study used a FBR for the removal of phenolic compounds (67%) and COD (38%) at non-sterile conditions. Continuous operation of the FBR was successfully for 26 days according to the literature. When the FBR was coupled to the UASB reactor, we obtained a better quality of effluent, furthermore methane content and yield were 74% and 0.18 m3 CH4/ kg CODremoval respectively.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated the possibility of using for an industrial application the coupled of the FBR to the UASB reactor under non-sterile conditions. Continuous operation of the FBR was carried out successfully for 26 days, which is the highest value found in the literature.

Evaluation of Opuntia ficus-indica potential as a natural coadjuvant for vinasse treatment

“…Turbidity and color associated with the presence of suspended solids and melanoidins, respectively, both of which can affect photosynthetic processes and aquatic life in water-bodies (Fitzgibbon et al 1995). The color in the stillage, in addition to being attributed to the content of melanoidins, is due to the presence of phenolic compounds (España-Gamboa et al 2017). Phenol is a recalcitrant compound (Othman et al 2008) and the melanoidins are considered the most recalcitrant dye (Johnson et al 2019).…”

Combined Treatment of Mezcal Vinasses by Ozonation and Activated Sludge

“…On the other hand, some phenols are difficult to biodegrade by bacteria consortia (Borja et al, 1993), and very often ligninolytic fungi have to be used (Lacina et al, 2003;Ortega-Clemente et al, 2009). The latter are known to possess special enzymes (laccase, manganese-peroxidase, and lignin-peroxidase) which are capable of phenol degradation, and also degradation of other recalcitrant and toxic compounds (Espa˜na-Gamboa et al, 2017;Garc´ıa et al, 1997;Garibay-Orijel et al, 2005Ortega-Clemente et al, 2009;Strong and Burgess, 2008b). The pH measurements were made using a Hach potentiometer model 5465011 Sension 156 (Hach, U.K).…”

Native fungal strains from Yucatan, an option for treatment of biomethanated vinasse

“…BV was obtained from a UASB reactor with an operational volume of 4.2 L operated under mesophilic conditions (30 ± 5°C) and fed daily with 300 ml of ethanol hydrous vinasse with an Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of 110,065 mg/L (España- Gamboa et al, 2017). The physicochemical VB characteristics is showed in Table 1.…”

“…This fungus produced high laccase activity without the addition of mediators and increased extracellular laccase activity eightfold when it was grown on a medium induced with agro-industrial substrates, compared to the basal medium. The laccases are enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of various aromatic compounds, specifically phenolic compounds (ortho-and para-diphenols, aminophenols and polyphenols), anilines, polyamines and aryl diamines, as well as some inorganic ions, while concomitantly reducing molecular oxygen to water (España-Gamboa et al, 2017). Three laccases of T. hirsuta Bm-2 were purified and characterized; these enzymes showed high resistance to organic solvents, thermostability, and an ability to decolorize synthetic dyes and textile effluents (Pereira-Patrón et al, 2019).…”