Optimization of air micro-bubble bioreactor for the winery wastewater treatment...

• Author(s): Silva, Henrique Joaquim Lopes da Silva e
• Date: 2012
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/5308
• Origin: Repositório da UTL
• Subject(s): aeration time rate; air micro-bubble bioreactor; COD removal efficiency; phenol removal efficiency; winery wastewater
• Document Type: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Advisor(s): Duarte, Elizabeth Fernandes de Almeida; Maria Margarida da Costa Ferreira Correia de Oliveira

Description

Mestrado em Tecnologias do Ambiente - Tecnologias Ambientais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia The energy consumption of wastewater treatment processes had become an important tool parameter for designers and engineers in the wastewater treatment industry, and efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the equipments represent a great challenge. The present study proposes the use of the Air Micro-Bubble Bioreactor (AMBB), with a working volume of 14 dm3 and a hydraulic retention time of 14 days, operating in continuous mode to treat winery wastewater from second racking period, for seven different runs, during 167 days. The organic loads fluctuations, usual in the winemaking industry, and the aeration time rate (ATR), both related to energy costs, were the studied variables. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) was selected as a key parameter to monitor the AMBB performance. The total polyphenol compounds were also followed. The effect of the organic loading rate OLR was assessed by adjusting feed substrate concentration between 0.16-0.44 kg COD m-3 d-1. The ATR varied between 1, 5 and 15 min h-1. Each run was operated until steady state was reached with respect to COD concentration. All runs showed a positive answer for COD removal, having a minimum efficiency of 70%. Also the COD removal efficiency showed to be not dependent on the applied OLR and the decrease in the ATR to 5 min h-1 was accompanied by a nearly three-fold reduction in energy consumption without relevant changing on the final COD removal efficiency (93-96%). However, the total polyphenol compounds removal was highly affected by decreasing the ATR from 15 to 1 min h-1, leading to a decrease in the total polyphenols removal efficiency from 94% to 4%. In the present study, we report for the first time the impact of oxygen-limited conditions in the AMBB performance with emphasis on the efficiency energy use. The polyphenols as a performance indicator, the energy costs of treated wastewater and COD removal efficiency achieved in pilot scale show the technical feasibility of the process, giving a sustainable solution for this important sector of activity.