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A Circular Biorefinery-Integrating Wastewater Treatment with the Generation of an Energy Precursor and an Organic Fertilizer

Authors :
null Tabassum-Abbasi
Pratiksha Patnaik
Ranjan Rahi
Shahid Abbas Abbasi
Source :
Sustainability; Volume 14; Issue 9; Pages: 5714
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

A circular (close-loop) biorefinery, which integrates wastewater treatment with the generation of an energy precursor and organic fertilizer, tested at the level of a pilot plant treating 54,000 L per day (LPD) of sewage, is described. In the biorefinery’s first stage, sewage was treated in a novel SHEFROL® (sheet-flow-root-level) bioreactor at a very rapid rate, indicated by a hydraulic retention time of a mere 6 h, to a level that met the prevailing national standards for the discharge of treated sewage. The main bioagent of the reactor—water hyacinth—was then processed for the generation of energy precursors. For this, volatile fatty acids (VFA) were extracted in a simple batch reactor operating at ambient temperature and pressure. The ‘spent’ weeds were then converted into organic fertilizer, also at ambient temperature and pressure, by the high-rate vermicomposting process earlier reported by the authors. In this manner, wastewater treatment, energy production, and the generation of a fertilizer were achieved rapidly and efficiently, creating a circular close-loop system that required very little energy and materials and generated almost zero net waste.

Details

ISSN :
20711050
Volume :
14
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Sustainability
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....fe3af411846847ded470c8a0e5d549ed
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095714