Effect of a side-stream voltage supplied by sludge recirculation to an anaerobic digestion reactor

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2020-03, Vol.300, p.122643-122643, Article 122643
• Main Authors: Park, Jun-Gyu, Kwon, Hye-Jeong, Sposob, Michal, Jun, Hang-Bae
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anaerobiosis; Auxiliary bio-electrochemical reactor; Bioreactors; Euryarchaeota; Methane; Methane production; Microbial communities; Sewage; Side-stream voltage supply; Sludge recirculation
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122643

[Display omitted] •Study of effect of side stream voltage supply to an anaerobic digestion reactor.•Side stream voltage supply shows similar effects to main stream voltage supply.•Side and main stream voltage supply enrich the H2-producing bacterial communities.•The side stream process provided practical application direction. This study showed that side stream voltage supplied by sludge recirculation from an auxiliary bio-electrochemical anaerobic digestion (ABEAD) reactor appears to have a similar effect as main stream voltage supply to an anaerobic digestion (AD) reactor. The increased sludge recirculation rate enhanced the operation stability at a high OLR. H2-producing bacterial community was improved in bio-electrochemical anaerobic digestion (BEAD) and ABEAD reactors and was increased with increase in sludge recirculation rate. Despite the dominance of hydrogenotrophic methanogens in all reactors, high operational performances of BEAD and ABEAD reactors supports the results of H2-producing bacteria increase in those reactors. The ABEAD reactors having 1/7 of the capacity of the main AD reactor showed possibility of integration of BEAD technology into new and existing facilities economically. The findings of this study would provide useful information for approaching the commercialization of BEAD and suggest direction of further research for practical applications.