Search results for "reactors"
showing 10 items of 299 documents
Optical properties of TiO2 suspensions: Influence of pH and powder concentration on mean particle size
2007
WOS: 000250584100025
Modelling and simulation of gas-liquid hydrodynamics in mechnically stirred tanks
2007
Abstract Computational fuid dynamics (CFD) is an increasingly important tool for carrying out realistic simulations of process equipment. In the case of multiphase systems the development of CFD models is less advanced than for single-phase systems. In the present work CFD simulations of gas–liquid stirred tanks are reported. An Eulerian–Eulerian multi-fluid approach is used in conjunction with the simplest two-phase extension of the k–ɛ turbulence model. All bubbles are assumed to share the same size. The effect of inter-phase forces on simulation results is separately considered. As concerns drag, it is shown that the sole parameter needed to characterize the dispersed phase behaviour is …
Electrical conductivity as a state indicator for the start-up period of anaerobic fixed-bed reactors.
2016
The aim of this work was to analyse the applicability of electrical conductivity sensors for on-line monitoring the start-up period of an anaerobic fixed-bed reactor. The evolution of bicarbonate concentration and methane production rate was analysed. Strong linear relationships between electrical conductivity and both bicarbonate concentration and methane production rate were observed. On-line estimations of the studied parameters were carried out in a new start-up period by applying simple linear regression models, which resulted in a good concordance between both observed and predicted values. Electrical conductivity sensors were therefore identified as an interesting method for monitori…
Influence of Elevated Pressure on the Torrefaction of Wood
2016
The use of pressurized reactors in industrial processes can improve efficiency and economics. Torrefaction is a partial pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass designed to result in a solid product with improved fuel properties for utilization in combustion and gasification. In this work, the influence of elevated pressure on the torrefaction of wood has been investigated. Wood samples were torrefied using a pressurized thermogravimetric reactor (PTGR) with pressures of 0.1 to 2.1 MPa. The results indicate that reactor pressure, particle size of feedstock, and wood species are all factors in torrefaction yield improvements. Torrefaction at 2.1 MPa pressure improved the higher heating value (ca…
Modelling hydrolysis: Simultaneous versus sequential biodegradation of the hydrolysable fractions
2018
Hydrolysis is considered the limiting step during solid waste anaerobic digestion (including co-digestion of sludge and biosolids). Mechanisms of hydrolysis are mechanistically not well understood with detrimental impact on model predictive capability. The common approach to multiple substrates is to consider simultaneous degradation of the substrates. This may not have the capacity to separate the different kinetics. Sequential degradation of substrates is theoretically supported by microbial capacity and the composite nature of substrates (bioaccessibility concept). However, this has not been experimentally assessed. Sequential chemical fractionation has been successfully used to define i…
Ultrasound assisted method to increase soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) of sewage sludge for digestion
2004
The aim of this study was to clarify the possibilities to increase the amount of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and methane production of sludge using ultrasound technologies with and without oxidising agents. The study was done using multivariate data analyses. The most important factors affected were discovered. Ultrasonically assisted disintegration increased clearly the amount of SCOD of sludge. Also more methane was produced from treated sludge in anaerobic batch assays compared to the sludge with no ultrasonic treatment. Multivariate data analysis showed that ultrasonic power, dry solid content of sludge (DS), sludge temperature and ultrasonic treatment time have the most signi…
Biochemical methane potential (BMP) of solid organic substrates: evaluation of anaerobic biodegradability using data from an international interlabor…
2011
Background: This paper describes results obtained for different participating research groups in an interlaboratory study related to biochemical methane potential (BMP). In this research work, all experimental conditions influencing the test such as inoculum, substrate characteristics and experimental conditions were investigated. The study was performed using four substrates: three positive control substrates (starch, cellulose and gelatine), and one raw biomass material (mung bean) at two different inoculum to substrate ratios (ISR). Results: The average methane yields for starch, cellulose, gelatine and mung bean at ISR of 2 and 1 were 350 ± 33, 350 ± 29, 380 ± 42, 370 ± 36 and 370 ± 35 …
Identification and quantification of microbial populations in activated sludge and anaerobic digestion processes
2014
Eight different phenotypes were studied in an activated sludge process (AeR) and anaerobic digester AnD) in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant by means of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and automated FISH quantification software. The phenotypes were ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, denitrifying bacteria, phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO), glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAO), sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB), methanotrophic bacteria and methanogenic archaea. Some findings were unexpected: (a) Presence of PAO, GAO and denitrifiers in the AeR possibly due to unexpected environmental conditions caused by oxygen deficiencies or its ability to survive …
Mixotrophy in a Local Strain of Nannochloropsis granulata for Renewable High-Value Biomass Production on the West Coast of Sweden
2022
A local strain of Nannochloropsis granulata (Ng) has been reported as the most productive microalgal strain in terms of both biomass yield and lipid content when cultivated in photobioreactors that simulate the light and temperature conditions during the summer on the west coast of Sweden. To further increase the biomass and the biotechnological potential of this strain in these conditions, mixotrophic growth (i.e., the simultaneous use of photosynthesis and respiration) with glycerol as an external carbon source was investigated in this study and compared with phototrophic growth that made use of air enriched with 1–2% CO2. The addition of either glycerol or CO2-enriched air stimulated the…
Detection and prevention of enhanced biological phosphorus removal deterioration caused by Zoogloea overabundance.
2008
A sequencing batch reactor was operated in the conventional anaerobic-aerobic mode for enhanced biological phosphorus removal using acetate as the sole substrate. Despite the nutrients concentrations in the influent being high enough to satisfy the biological requirements, Zoogloea ramigera managed to grow in the system until it had negative effects on the process performance. The excess of exocellular polymeric material produced by this microorganism contributed to a viscous bulking phenomenon and caused important settling problems. The examination of the sludge under the microscope was a valuable tool to diagnose the cause of the imbalance in the process. The strategy adopted to avoid the…