Study of tofu wastewater treatment using anaerobic baffled reactor: laboratory scale

One of the foods favorites by Indonesian people is tofu. In the process of making tofu, it produces wastewater. The tofu wastewater must be treated first to reduce environmental pollution. To treat the liquid waste, it is using biological treatment by an anaerobic baffled reactor with bio-ball. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum time at 75% tofu wastewater concentration. The detention time used in this study was 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours and 48 hours. Seeding takes time about 45 days, with the obtained VSS was 5550 mg/L. Furthermore, acclimatization in the reactor takes about 30 days, with an efficiency of removing COD of 86.3%. The results obtained that at 12 hours of detention, there is a COD allowance of 79.8%, 24 hours of detention time there is a COD allowance of 85.4%, 36 hours of detention time 86.3%, and 48 hours of detention time 88.4 %. It shows that the optimum detention time in this anaerobic reactor is 48 hours. However, the COD level was 765.3 mg/L is still slightly above the quality standard according to the Minister of Environment Regulation No.5 2014, which is the maximum COD level of 300 mg/L.

Microwave Radiation Influence on Dairy Waste Anaerobic Digestion in a Multi-Section Hybrid Anaerobic Reactor (M-SHAR)

Whey is a primary by-product of dairy plants, and one that is often difficult to manage. As whey processing units are costly and complicated, only 15–20% of whey is recycled for use in the food industry. The difficulties in managing waste whey are particularly pronounced for small, local dairy plants. One possible solution to this problem is to use advanced and efficient digesters. The aim of this study was to present an innovative multi-section hybrid anaerobic bioreactor (M-SHAR) design and to identify how microwave radiation heating (MRH) affects methane fermentation of liquid dairy waste (LDW) primarily composed of acid whey. The MRH reactor was found to perform better in terms of COD removal and biogas production compared with the convection-heated reactor. The heating method had a significant differentiating effect at higher organic load rates (OLRs). With OLRs ranging from 15 to 25 kgCOD∙m−3∙d−1, the M-SHAR with MRH ensured a 5% higher COD removal efficiency and 12–20% higher biogas yields.

Complete Genome Sequence of Methanothermobacter sp. Strain THM-1, a Thermophilic and Hydrogenotrophic Methanogen Isolated from an Anaerobic Reactor in South Korea

Methanothermobacter sp. strain THM-1, a thermophilic and hydrogenotrophic methanogen, was isolated from an anaerobic reactor enriched with thermophilic methanogens. The genome of THM-1 shares 98.81% of its sequence with Methanothermobacter wolfeii isolate SIV6 and consists of 1,724,502 bp with 1,665 protein-coding genes, 50 noncoding RNAs, and a GC content of 48.6%.

Use of combined UASB + eMBR treatment for removal of emerging micropollutants and reduction of fouling

This study employs a novel combined pilot plant consisting of an anaerobic reactor followed by a membrane electro-bioreactor (eMBR) to treat domestic water containing selected micro-pollutants of emerging concern (CECs) [ibuprofen (IB), carbamazepine, diclofenac (DCF) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2)]. The first phase operated as a conventional membrane bioreactor to achieve the removal of organic matter [chemical oxygen demand (COD)], the CECs and phosphorus. A removal rate of 96.3% for COD, 94.5% for IB, 37.1% for CMZ, 87.1% for DCF and 96% for EE2 was obtained. In the three subsequent phases, current density (CD) of 5, 10 and 15 A/m2 was applied successively in the eMBR with the aim of investigating the effects on the removal of the former components and the fouling of the membrane. After the application of 5 and 10 A/m2 CD, the removal rate of COD decreased. Regarding phosphorus, a CD of 5 A/m2 was enough to achieve the rate of 97% and the membrane fouling suffered a substantial reduction too. Finally, the experimental results were subject to statistical analysis using the Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon tests to validate the influence of each DC.