Evaluating the concept of wastes to energy : using sugary waste (P-0764) (MFN 3005)

Abstract

In Pakistan the water resources is declining day by day due to different factors like temperature, atmospheric pressure, wastage due to improper management and pollution. And same water is being polluted at an alarming rate. Besides water deficiency it is an admitted fact that Pakistan is deficient in energy though it has a substantial potential of energy. Since, Pakistan is facing an acute shortage of energy; therefore, encouraging the technologies like anaerobic digestion, will not only prevents the water pollution but it can help to tackle the problem of energy crises to a certain extent. Therefore, this study was design to evaluate the treatability performance of sugary wastes using under anaerobic conditions under constant operating temperature and pH. The main objective was to study the amount of biogas production from sugary wastes using UASB reactor and to check the effects of varying organic loading rate and hydraulic retention time on the treatability performance of the reactor. The reactor was started-up in step-wise loading rates starting from 0.05kg-COD/m3.day to 3.50kg-COD/m3.day. The HRT was slowly decreased from 96hrs to 08hrs. It was observed that the removal efficiency of COD of more than 73% can be easily achieved at an HRT of more than 16 hours corresponding to an average OLR of 3.0kg-COD/m3.day, at neutral pH and constant temperature of 29oC. The average VFAs and biogas production was observed as 560mg/L and 1.6L/g-CODrem-d, respectively. The average methane composition was estimated as 62%. The results of this study suggest that the treatment of sugar mills effluent the anaerobic technology seems to be more reliable, effective and economical. It gives both pollution free environment and fulfills the main requirement of energy in the form of producing the biogas.