Kinetic analysis of the psychrophilic anaerobic digestion of wastewater derived from the production of proteins from extracted sunflower flour.

A kinetic analysis of the anaerobic digestion process of wastewater derived from the production of protein isolates from extracted sunflower flour was carried out. The digestion was conducted in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactor with saponite (magnesium silicate) as support for the mediating bacteria at psychrophilic temperature (15-19 degrees C). Soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD(s)) removal efficiencies in the range of 95.9-69.0% were achieved in the reactor at organic loading rates (OLR) of between 0.57 and 2.49 g total COD (COD(t))/L d, hydraulic retention times (HRT) of between 20.0 and 4.5 days, and average feed total COD concentration of 11.3 g/L. The yield coefficient of methane production was 0.32 L of methane (at STP) per gram of COD(t) removed. The total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) levels and the TVFA/alkalinity ratio were lower than the suggested limits for digester failure for OLR and HRT up to 2.26 g COD(t)/L d and 5.0 days, respectively. The specific rate of substrate uptake, r (g COD(s)/g VSS d), correlated with the concentration of biodegradable substrate, S (g COD(s)/L), through an equation of the Michaelis-Menten type. The maximum substrate utilization rate, k, and the Michaelis constant, K(s)(), were found to be 0.125 g COD(s)/g VSS d and 124 mg COD(s)/L, respectively. This proposed model predicted the behavior of the reactor very accurately showing deviations lower than 10% between the experimental and theoretical values of substrate uptake rates. A mass (COD(t)) balance around the reactor allowed the COD equivalent of methane volume (W(CH)4) to be obtained, which gave a value of 2.89 g COD(t)/L CH(4), which was virtually coincident with the theoretical value of 2.86 g COD(t)/L CH(4).