Selection of inocula conditioning methodologies for the anaerobic digestion of food waste/Seleccion de metodologias de acondicionamiento de inoculos para la digestion anaerobia de residuos de alimentos

• Published in: Revista Facultad de Ingeniería 2019-07 (92), p.9
• Main Authors: Parra-Orobio, Brayan Alexis, Nieto-Mendoza, Melkin, Rivera-Henao, Diego, Manyoma-Velasquez, Pablo Cesar, Torres-Lozada, Patricia
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Subjects: Advertising executives; Analysis; Biogas; Biomass energy; Intelligence gathering; Methane; Methods; Sludge; Solid wastes; Waste management; Workshops (Educational programs)
• ISSN: 0120-6230
• DOI: 10.17533/udea.redin.20190510

Food waste (FW) has a high potential for use in biological processes such as anaerobic digestion (AD), especially due to its high content of biodegradable organic matter. To inoculate the reactors, sludge is usually used. The sludge should ideally have good sedimentation and specific methanogenic activity (SMA), which is typical for granular sludge. However, in a Latin American context, the most available and accessible sludges are flocculants with low sedimentation and SMA. Applying technological surveillance between 1975 and 2017, using multicriteria analysis techniques such as analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and consulting with international and national experts, we observed that there were few studies, compared to published studies on the substrates that focused on improving inoculum quality through conditioning to improve its characteristics and maximize methane production. The inoculum-conditioning methodologies identified were grouped into five categories, being the main strategy the addition of nutrients followed by anaerobic digestion with an easily degradable substrate. However, extension of technological surveillance is recommended by incorporating the results published from significant events in the field of anaerobic digestion, such as the Latin American Workshop and Symposium on Anaerobic Digestion and the World Congress on Anaerobic Digestion. KEYWORDS: Biogas, methane, multicriteria analysis, solid waste, technological surveillance Los residuos de alimentos (RA) presentan un alto potencial de aprovechamiento mediante procesos biologicos como la digestion anaerobia (DA), especialmente por su alto contenido de materia organica biodegradable. Para inocular los reactores, en general se emplean lodos que deben presentar buena sedimentabilidad y actividad metanogenica especifica (AME), tipico en lodos granulares. Sin embargo, los de mayor disponibilidad y accesibilidad en el contexto latinoamericano, son lodos floculentos de baja sedimentabilidad y AME. Aplicando vigilancia tecnologica desde 1975 hasta 2017, se evidencio escasa literatura enfocada a mejorar la calidad del inoculo mediante acondicionamientos para mejorar sus caracteristicas y maximizar la produccion de metano, en comparacion con los estudios publicados sobre el sustrato. Se identificaron diferentes metodologias de acondicionamiento de inoculos, las cuales se agruparon en cinco categorias y mediante la aplicacion de tecnicas de analisis multicriterio como el proceso de analisis