Efficient removal of tannins from anaerobically-treated palm oil mill effluent using protein-tannin complexation in conjunction with electrocoagulation.

Despite the significant removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) by anaerobic digestion, anaerobically-treated palm oil mill effluent (POME) still contains tannins and other phenolic compounds, resulting in residual COD and a brownish color. In this study, we investigated the removal of tannins from anaerobically treated POME using protein-tannin complexation in conjunction with electrocoagulation. The amino acid composition of the protein, aqueous pH, and protein: tannin ratios were found to be important parameters affecting the tannin removal efficiency. Pig blood protein was superior to casein protein in removing tannins, possibly because it had aspartic acid as the major amino acid component. At an optimal condition with a pig blood protein: tannin ratio of 0.33 (w/w), a current density of 30 mA/cm2, pH 5, and an electrolysis time of 10 min, the removals of tannins, COD, and color were 93%, 96%, and 97%, respectively.

Simultaneous treatment of raw palm oil mill effluent and biodegradation of palm fiber in a high-rate CSTR.

A high-rate continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) was used to produce biogas from raw palm oil mill effluent (POME) at 55°C at a highest organic loading rate (OLR) of 19 g COD/ld. Physical and chemical pretreatments were not performed on the raw POME. In order to promote retention of suspended solids, the CSTR was installed with a deflector at its upper section. The average methane yield was 0.27 l/g COD, and the biogas production rate per reactor volume was 6.23 l/l d, and the tCOD removal efficiency was 82%. The hydrolysis rate of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin was 6.7, 3.0 and 1.9 g/d, respectively. The results of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) suggested that the dominant hydrolytic bacteria responsible for the biodegradation of the palm fiber and residual oil were Clostridium sp., while the dominant methanogens were Methanothermobacter sp.

Comparative mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent using upflow anaerobic sludge blanket.

The effects of organic loading rate and operating temperature on the microbial diversity and performances of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors treating palm oil mill effluent (POME) were investigated. The following two UASB reactors were run in parallel for comparison: (1) under a mesophilic condition (37 degrees C) and (2) under a mesophilic condition in transition to a thermophilic condition (57 degrees C). A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis showed that the microbial population profiles significantly changed with the organic loading rate (OLR) and the temperature transition from the mesophilic to the thermophilic condition. Significant biomass washout was observed for the mesophilic UASB when operating at a high organic loading rate (OLR) of 9.5 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L.d. In contrast, the thermophilic UASB can be operated at this OLR and at a temperature of 57 degrees C with satisfactory COD removal and biogas production. The PCR-based DGGE analysis suggested that the thermophilic temperature of 57 degrees C was suitable for a number of hydrolytic, acidogenic, and acetogenic bacteria.

UASB performance and microbial adaptation during a transition from mesophilic to thermophilic treatment of palm oil mill effluent.

The treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) by an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) at organic loading rates (OLR) between 2.2 and 9.5 g COD l(-1) day(-1) was achieved by acclimatizing the mesophilic (37 °C) microbial seed to the thermophilic temperature (57 °C) by a series of stepwise temperature shifts. The UASB produced up to 13.2 l biogas d(-1) with methane content on an average of 76%. The COD removal efficiency ranged between 76 and 86%. Microbial diversity of granules from the UASB reactor was also investigated. The PCR-based DGGE analysis showed that the bacterial population profiles significantly changed with the temperature transition from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions. In addition, the results suggested that even though the thermophilic temperature of 57 °C was suitable for a number of hydrolytic, acidogenic and acetogenic bacteria, it may not be suitable for some Methanosaeta species acclimatized from 37 °C. Specifically, the bands associated with Methanosaeta thermophila PT and Methanosaeta harundinacea can be detected during the four consecutive operation phases of 37 °C, 42 °C, 47 °C and 52 °C, but their corresponding bands were found to fade out at 57 °C. The DGGE analysis predicted that the temperature transition can result in significant methanogenic biomass washout at 57 °C.

Effect of chitosan on UASB treating POME during a transition from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions.

The effects of chitosan addition on treatment of palm oil mill effluent were investigated using two lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactors: (1) with chitosan addition at the dosage of 2 mg chitosan per g volatile suspended solids on the first day of the operation (R1), (2) without chitosan addition (the control, R2). The reactors were inoculated with mesophilic anaerobic sludge which was acclimatized to a thermophilic condition with a stepwise temperature increase of 5 °C from 37 to 57 °C. The OLR ranged from 2.23 to 9.47 kg COD m(-3) day(-1). The difference in biogas production rate increased from non-significant to 18% different. The effluent volatile suspended solids of R1 was 65 mg l(-1) lower than that of R2 on Day 123. 16S rRNA targeted denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of microbial community indicated that some methanogens in the genus Methanosaeta can be detected in R1 but not in R2.

Magnetic composite prepared from palm shell-based carbon and application for recovery of residual oil from POME.

Magnetic separation combined with adsorption by activated carbon has been found to be a useful method for removing pollutants. In this paper, the use of palm shell as a source of activated carbon for the removal and recovery of oil from palm oil mill effluent (POME) is studied. In the first part of the study, the properties of samples of activated carbon prepared from palm shell under a variety of different conditions were characterized for their hydrophobicity, surface areas and pore size distribution. The most effective of the activated carbon samples was prepared by impregnation with ZnCl(2) followed by combined physical/chemical activation under carbon dioxide flow at 800 °C. Four grams of these samples adsorbed 90% of the oil from 50 mL POME. In the second part, the palm shell-based carbon samples were given magnetic properties by the technique of iron oxide deposition. Ninety-four percent of the activated carbon/iron oxide composite containing the adsorbed oil could be extracted from the POME by a magnetic bar of 0.15 T. Four grams of the composite can remove 85% of oil from 50 mL POME and a total of 67% of the initial oil can then be recovered by hexane extraction. Powder X-ray diffractometry showed the presence of magnetite and maghemite in the activated carbon/iron oxide composite.

Influence of a three-phase separator configuration on the performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor treating wastewater from a fruit-canning factory.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of a three-phase separator configuration on the performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (USAB) treating wastewater from a fruit canning factory. The performances of two 30-L UASB reactors--one with a modified three-phase separator giving a spiral flow pattern and the other with a conventional configuration-were investigated in parallel. Wastewater, with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration between 2000 and 7000 mg/L, was obtained from a fruit-canning factory. Based on the effluent data of the first 100 operation days, the UASB with the three-phase separator giving spiral flow patterns yielded up to 25% lower biomass washout. It also showed better efficiencies in treating wastewater--up to 60% lower effluent COD, up to 20% higher COD percent removal, and up to 29% higher biogas production. This work presents evidence of an improvement on the conventional physical design of a UASB.