Bioaugmentation with Mixed Hydrogen-Producing Acetogen Cultures Enhances Methane Production in Molasses Wastewater Treatment

• Published in: Archaea (Vancouver) Vol. 2018; no. 2018; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Du, Guocheng, Zheng, Guochen, Li, Jianzheng, Wang, Shuo, Li, Ji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2018; Hindawi; Hindawi Limited; Wiley
• Subjects: Acetogenesis; Anaerobic treatment; Anaerobiosis; Bacteria; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Bioremediation; Biotechnology; Butyric acid; Butyric Acid - metabolism; Chemical oxygen demand; Cultures; Environmental science; Ethanol; Fatty acids; Fermentation; Glucose; Growth rate; Hydrogen; Hydrogen - metabolism; Metabolism; Methane; Methane - metabolism; Microorganisms; Molasses; Molasses - microbiology; Organic chemistry; Propionates - metabolism; Propionic acid; Removal; Saturated fatty acids; Seafood industry; Sewage treatment; Sludge; Sugar industry; Waste treatment equipment; Waste Water - microbiology; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Water Purification - methods; Water treatment
• ISSN: 1472-3646; 1472-3654
• DOI: 10.1155/2018/4634898

Hydrogen-producing acetogens (HPA) have a transitional role in anaerobic wastewater treatment. Thus, bioaugmentation with HPA cultures can enhance the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and CH4 yield of anaerobic wastewater treatment. Cultures with high degradation capacities for propionic acid and butyric acid were obtained through continuous subculture in enrichment medium and were designated as Z08 and Z12. Bioaugmentation with Z08 and Z12 increased CH4 production by glucose removal to 1.58. Bioaugmentation with Z08 and Z12 increased the COD removal rate in molasses wastewater from 71.60% to 85.84%. The specific H2 and CH4 yields from COD removal increased by factors of 1.54 and 1.63, respectively. Results show that bioaugmentation with HPA-dominated cultures can improve CH4 production from COD removal. Furthermore, hydrogen-producing acetogenesis was identified as the rate-limiting step in anaerobic wastewater treatment.