title: Molasses as an external carbon source for anaerobic treatment of sulphite evaporator condensate.
abstract: Failures in stability and COD removal performance often occurred in full-scale anaerobic reactors treating the evaporator condensate from a sulphite pulp mill due to substrate inhibition and occasional contaminations with red liquor (wood cooking liquor). With this work, the beneficial effect provided by the continuous addition of an external carbon source (sugarcane molasses) on the overall performance and stability of the biological process was evaluated. With a moderate addition of molasses the inhibition was mitigated which led to an increase of the COD removal rate from 52% to 77% and a methane production increase from 460 to 1650mld(-1) at an organic loading rate of 2.61g CODl(-1)d(-1). A similar conclusion can be drawn for the case when contamination with red liquor occurs. These results suggest that sugarcane molasses addition may be regarded as a low-cost operational strategy for the anaerobic treatment of sulphite evaporator condensate.
authors.affiliation: CESAM, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Flávio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nadais
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prates
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arroja
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Capela
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D002244:Carbon; D005052:Eucalyptus; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism; D008965:Molasses; D013447:Sulfites / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014835:Volatilization; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D013447:Sulfites; D002244:Carbon; D008697:Methane