Performance and Kinetic Evaluation of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Digestion in a Continuous High Rate Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) Bioreactor

Abstract:

In this study, we operated a 10 litre upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor continuosly at mesophilic temperature (38 °C). UASB reactor performance was evaluated based on the impact of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) ranged between 1 and 5 days and influent COD concentration in the range of 4540 mgL^-1 and 20,820 mgL^-1. The pH of the UASB was maintained in the range of 6.5 to 7.2 by adding buffering solution containing of 5 gL^-1 of calcium oxide (CaO) derived from waste cockle shells. A simplified Monod’s model was employed to describe kinetics of anaerobic digestion of POME by using UASB reactor at organic loading rates (OLR) in the range between 1.17 g.CODL^-1d^-1 and 17.22 g.CODL^-1d^-1. A high COD degradation rate of 93.26 % was recorded at OLR of 3.92 g.COD L^-1d^-1 and HRT of 4 days. The UASB reactor generated the maximum biogas production at 34.95 L/d when operated at HRT 1 day and OLR 7.70 g.CODL^-1. The proposed kinetic equations are applicable to describe anaerobic treatment of palm oil mill effluent with the UASB reactor. Biokinetic coefficients evaluated were, the growth yield (Y_G), 3.906 g VSS/g COD_removed.d^-1; the specific biomass decay (b), 0.233 d^-1; the specific biomass growth rate (μ_max), 1.861 d^-1; and the saturation constant (K_s), 3.459 g-CODL^-1.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 1025)
• Pages: 141-149
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.1025.141
• Online since: March 2021
• Authors: Mohamad Mokhtar Ibrahim*, Zulkifly Jemaat, Abdurahman Hamid Nour
• Keywords: Anaerobic Treatment, Cockle Shells, Monod Model, POME Treatment, UASB

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