Methane Production from Confectionery Wastewater Treated in the Anaerobic Labyrinth-Flow Bioreactor

Production and consumption of confectionery products have increased worldwide, thus, effective management of wastewater produced is now an important issue. The confectionery high-load sewage was explored for biogas production in an innovative-design anaerobic reactor with labyrinth flow. The experimental studies were focused on determining the best technological parameters of anaerobic digestion for the effective removal of pollutants and obtaining high CH4 production efficiency. It was found that organic loading rate (OLR) of 5.0-6.0 g COD/L center dot d contributed to the highest CH4 generation of 94.7 +/- 6.1 to 97.1 +/- 5.1 L CH4/d, which corresponded to a high COD removal of 75.4 +/- 1.5 to 75.0 +/- 0.6%. Under such conditions the FOS/TAC ratio was below 0.4, indicating reactor stability, and pH was on the level of 7.15 +/- 0.04 at OLR 5.0 g COD/L center dot d and 7.04 +/- 0.07 at OLR 6.0 g COD/L center dot d.

Automated summary

The production and consumption of confectionery products have been increasing globally, leading to a greater focus on effectively managing the wastewater generated. A study was conducted using a specially designed anaerobic reactor with labyrinth flow to explore the potential of utilizing high-load sewage from the confectionery industry for biogas production. The research aimed to determine the optimal parameters for anaerobic digestion to remove pollutants efficiently and achieve high methane production. The results showed that an organic loading rate (OLR) of 5.0-6.0 g COD/L center dot d resulted in the highest methane generation of 94.7 +/- 6.1 to 97.1 +/- 5.1 L CH4/d, with a high COD removal rate of 75.4 +/- 1.5 to 75.0 +/- 0.6%. The FOS/TAC ratio was below 0.4, indicating reactor stability, and the pH level was around 7.15 +/- 0.04 at OLR 5.0 g COD/L center dot d and 7.04 +/- 0.07 at OLR 6.0 g COD/L center dot d.