Study of parameters for the design of a continuous flow laboratory biogas reactor

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the parameters needed to design a continuos flow bioreactor. Developing studies that expand the quantity and efficiency of biogas currently produced on an industrial anaerobic wastewater treatment in a food processing plant in the Brazilian State of Goiás. The procedures developed in this work we used nine sets of bioreactors in batch and followed the German Standard VDI 4630. A special workbench was developed for that purpose, alternative procedures for determining the volume of the produced biogas were tested. The biomass studied in this work is the resulting sludge of the wastewater treatment from an industrial plant. The daily production is about nine tons, currently, which is totally discarded. Through this batch tests, it was possible to calculate the volume of biogas production and the ideal biomass retention time of the biomass. Obtained data to project a laboratory continuous flow bioreactor. With this data was made a projection of the biogas production potential by the use of this feedstock in an industrial bioreactor constructed for this purpose.