6533b852fe1ef96bd12ab50e

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Kinetics and characteristics of 70 °C, VFA-grown, UASB granular sludge

subject

description

We studied in batch reactors the kinetics and characterization of 70 °C, volatile fatty acids (VFAs)-grown, upflow anaerobic sludge blanket granular sludge with 55 and 35 °C sludge as reference. The half-saturation constant (Ks), the inhibition constant (Ki), the maximum specific methane production rate (μCH4max), and the inhibition response coefficient (n) of the 70 °C sludge were 6.15 mM, 48.2 mM, 0.132 h−1, and 2.48, respectively, while no inhibition occurred at 55 and 35 °C, where the Ks was 3.67 and 3.82 mM, respectively. At 70 °C, the highest initial specific methanogenic activity (ISMA, 0.311 gCH4-COD per gram volatile solids per day) on VFAs was about 12–15% lower than that on acetate and three to four times less than the ISMA for the 55 and 35 °C sludge. In the acetate conversion study, residual acetate (79 mg l−1) at 70 °C was three to five times higher than that at 55 and 35 °C. Further, the methane produced as percentage of the acetate consumed at 70 °C (89%) was lower than that at 55 (95%) and 35 °C (97%). At 70 °C, 10% of the ISMA remained after 15 days of starvation as compared to 26% (55 °C) and 92% (35 °C) after 30 days of starvation. Thus, the kinetics of the 70 °C granular sludge seem to differ from those at 55 and 35 °C.