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Microbiological purification kinetics of wine‐distillery wastewaters
Author(s) -
Romero L. I.,
Nebot E.,
Mart de la Ossa E. Ínez,
Sales D.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.280580207
Subject(s) - mesophile , vinasse , pulp and paper industry , hydraulic retention time , anaerobic exercise , chemical oxygen demand , chemistry , volume (thermodynamics) , wastewater , wine , waste management , environmental science , fermentation , food science , environmental engineering , biology , engineering , bacteria , physics , quantum mechanics , physiology , genetics
Wine alcohol distilleries produce eight volumes of high‐strength waste (known as vinasse) from every volume of ethanol. The waste has an acidic character and a high organic content. Three adequate microbiological treatments (aerobic, mesophilic anaerobic and thermophilic anaerobic) for the purification of vinasses were examined. When around 90% biodegradable chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals were achieved in every treatment, optimum operating conditions had been attained, resulting in an optimum hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 8 days for aerobic, 6 days for mesophilic anaerobic, and 4 days for thermophilic anaerobic processes. The experimental results were compared with those obtained from a substrate utilization kinetic model. The model accurately predicted the performance of these processes, except at HRTs shorter than minimum, since these systems work under transient conditions. A comparison between kinetic coefficients obtained from the model showed that a thermophilic anaerobic process was the more efficient, since the process reached the same purification level, could be energy self‐maintaining and needed smaller process plants than the other two systems.