Anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and wine vinasse mixtures in single-stage and sequential-temperature processes
Rocío Auxiliadora López, Miriam Tena, Rosario Solera, Montserrat Pérez
Abstract
The present work consisted of the energetic valorization of sludge from wastewater treatment plants and discharges from the wine sector by means of anaerobic co-digestion. The valorization was approached through the application of two different processes: a) single-stage mesophilic anaerobic digestion process (35 °C) and, b) Temperature - Phased Anaerobic Digestion (TPAD) with separation of microorganisms: thermophilic acidogenic (55 °C) and mesophilic methanogenic (35 °C) phases. Mesophilic methanogenic biodegradability tests (BMP) were developed to determine the biogas (methane) production yield in single-stage process and sequential thermophilic hydrogen (BHP) and BMP were developed to study the biogas (hydrogen and methane) production yield in anaerobic co-digestion processes in TPAD process. The results obtained showed that the single-stage mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion process was more effective for methane generation with yields of 55.39 mL CH4/g VSadded for the sludge and vinasse mixture, compared to 45.79 mL CH4/g VSadded for the TPAD process.