title: Volatile fatty acids production from sewage organic matter by combined bioflocculation and anaerobic fermentation.
abstract: This work aims at exploring the feasibility of a combined process bioflocculation to concentrate sewage organic matter and anaerobic fermentation to produce volatile fatty acids (VFA). Bioflocculation, using a high-loaded aerobic membrane bioreactor (HL-MBR), was operated at an HRT of 1h and an SRT of 1 day. The HL-MBR process removed on average 83% of sewage COD, while only 10% of nitrogen and phosphorus was removed. During anaerobic fermentation of HL-MBR concentrate at an SRT of 5 days and 35 °C, specific VFA production rate of 282 mg VFA-COD/g VSS could be reached and consisted of 50% acetate, 40% propionate and 10% butyrate. More than 75% of sewage COD was diverted to the concentrate, but only 15% sewage COD was recovered as VFA, due to incomplete VSS degradation at the short treatment time applied. This shows that combined process for the VFA production is technologically feasible and needs further optimization.
authors.affiliation: Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 113, 8900CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands; Biobased Chemistry and Technology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 17, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands; Sub-department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8129, 6700EV Wageningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: rungnapha.khiewwijit@wetsus.nl.
authors.forename: Rungnapha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khiewwijit
authors.affiliation: Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 113, 8900CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands; Biobased Chemistry and Technology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 17, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Karel J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Keesman
authors.affiliation: Sub-department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8129, 6700EV Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Huub
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rijnaarts
authors.affiliation: Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 113, 8900CC Leeuwarden, The Netherlands; Sub-department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8129, 6700EV Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hardy
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Temmink
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D019149:Bioreactors; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry*; D005285:Fermentation; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000737:chemistry; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D012722:Sewage; D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Anaerobic fermentation; Bioflocculation; Membrane bioreactor; Volatile fatty acids