Biogas Production of Ozone and/or Microwave-Pretreated Canned Maize Production Sludge

The production of canned maize is accompanied by formation of large volumes of waste water, with high contents of starch, and high chemical- and biochemical oxygen demand. In our work the effects of acidic, microwave and ozone pretreatment on the biogas production and aerobic biodegradability of canned maize production sludge were examined and the energy balance of the processes were determined when different sludge pretreatments were used. It was found that ozone treatment decreased the chemical oxygen demand, while the biochemical oxygen demand and the aerobic biodegradability increased. The combination of microwave and ozone treatment increased the biodegradability relative to ozone treatment alone.