Mshandete A.M., Björnsson L., Kivaisi A.K., Rubindamayugi M.S.T., Mattiasson B.
Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35179, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Department of Biotechnology, Centre for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-22100, Lund, Sweden
Mshandete, A.M., Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35179, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Björnsson, L., Department of Biotechnology, Centre for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-22100, Lund, Sweden; Kivaisi, A.K., Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35179, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Rubindamayugi, M.S.T., Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35179, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Mattiasson, B., Department of Biotechnology, Centre for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-22100, Lund, Sweden
Three methanogenic biofilm bioreactors were studied to evaluate the performance of three types of carriers. The carrier material were consisted of sisal fibre waste, pumice stone and porous glass beads, and the bioprocess evaluated was the methanogenesis anaerobic digestion of sisal leaf waste leachate. Process performance was investigated by increasing the organic loading rate (OLR) step-wise. The best results were obtained from the bioreactor packed with sisal fibre waste. It had the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies in the range of 80-93% at OLRs in the range of 2.4-25 g COD L -1d -1. The degradation pattern of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) showed that the degradation of propionate was limiting at higher OLRs. The stable pH and higher partial alkalinity (PA) of the outflow illustrated that packed-bed bioreactors have a good ability to withstand the variations in load and volatile fatty acid concentrations that can occur in a two-stage anaerobic process. In conclusion, sisal fibre waste was shown to be a novel promising biofilm carrier and would work very well in methanogenic biofilm bioreactors treating sisal leaf tissue waste leachate. Furthermore both sisal wastes are available in the neighbourhood of sisal industries, which makes anaerobic digestion scale up at sisal factory level feasible and cost-effective. © 2007 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.
Biofilms; Biofilters; Bioreactors; Chemical oxygen demand; Chemical reactors; Civil aviation; Industrial chemicals; Leaching; Nonmetals; Oxygen; Removal; Wastewater treatment; Anaerobic (UASB); Bio films; Bio processes; Bio reactor; Biofilm carriers; Carrier materials; Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal; Leachate; Methanogenesis; Organic loading rate (OLD); Porous glasses; Process performance; Sisal fibre; Anaerobic digestion; fatty acid; alkalinity; article; biofilm; bioprocess; chemical oxygen demand; cost effectiveness analysis; leaching; methanogenesis; pH measurement; sisal; Agave sisalana