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Continuous biohydrogen and biomethane production from whey permeate in a two‐stage fermentation process
Author(s) -
Kisielewska M.,
Wysocka I.,
Rynkiewicz M.R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
environmental progress and sustainable energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.495
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1944-7450
pISSN - 1944-7442
DOI - 10.1002/ep.11890
Subject(s) - biohydrogen , biogas , mesophile , hydraulic retention time , chemical oxygen demand , fermentation , effluent , chemistry , pulp and paper industry , fermentative hydrogen production , methane , hydrogen production , hydrogen , waste management , food science , environmental science , wastewater , environmental engineering , biology , organic chemistry , bacteria , engineering , genetics
This study focuses on the exploitation of the two‐stage continuous fermentation process for biohydrogen and biomethane production from whey permeate. Mesophilic fermentative biohydrogen production was investigated at a constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h and organic loading rates (OLRs) of 20, 25, 30, and 35 kg COD/m 3 ·d. The hydrogenogenic reactor was successfully operated at OLR of 30 kg COD/m 3 ·d when the proportion of hydrogen in biogas, volumetric productionrsquo rate of hydrogen, and hydrogen yield reached the maximum values of 44.6 ± 0.8%, 5.26 ± 0.15 L H 2 /d, and 4.19 mol H 2 /kg COD removed , respectively. The effluent from hydrogenogenic reactor was further digested to biogas in the second reactor operated at a HRT of 3 d and variable OLR in the range of 0.9–1.9 kg COD/m 3 ·d. Maximum biogas production rate, volumetric production rate of methane and methane yield were 16.90 ± 0.6 L/d, 11.95 ± 0.6 L CH 4 /d, and 0.12 m 3 CH 4 /kg COD added . The total chemical oxygen demand elimination from whey permeate reached 98% in a two‐stage process. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 33: 1411–1418, 2014