Batch Reactor Pretreatment of Brewer's Spent Grain Enables Bioenergy Production
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Batch Reactor Pretreatment of Brewer's Spent Grain Enables Bioenergy Production from Continuous Anaerobic Digestion A Major Qualifying Project Report Submitted to the Faculty Of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute In partial fulfillment for the Degree of Bachelor of Science Submitted To Michael Timko By Katherine Vaz Gomes Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Background ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Anaerobic Digestion .................................................................................................................................. 7 Biogas ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 Barley Bagasse ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Anaerobic Digestion of Barley Bagasse ................................................................................................... 10 Characterization ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Gas Chromatograph ............................................................................................................................ 11 pH ........................................................................................................................................................ 12 Alkalinity .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Solids ................................................................................................................................................... 13 Chemical Oxygen Demand .................................................................................................................. 14 Ammoniacal Nitrogen ......................................................................................................................... 14 Materials & Methods: ................................................................................................................................. 16 Batch Reactor Conditions........................................................................................................................ 16 Continuous Reactor ................................................................................................................................ 17 Characterization Methods ...................................................................................................................... 18 Gas Chromatography .......................................................................................................................... 18 Biogas Volume..................................................................................................................................... 19 2 Energy Production ............................................................................................................................... 19 pH Monitoring ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Total Solids .......................................................................................................................................... 20 Characterization Methods ...................................................................................................................... 20 Alkalinity .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Chemical Oxygen Demand .................................................................................................................. 21 Ammoniacal Nitrogen ......................................................................................................................... 21 Results & Discussion ................................................................................................................................... 23 Batch Reactor Behavior........................................................................................................................... 23 Continuous Reactor Behavior ................................................................................................................. 23 Biogas Production ............................................................................................................................... 23 Biogas Composition............................................................................................................................. 25 Ammoniacal Nitrogen ......................................................................................................................... 26 Reactor pH and Alkalinity .................................................................................................................... 26 Solids and Chemical Oxygen Demand ................................................................................................. 28 Energy Production Potential ............................................................................................................... 30 Mass Balance ...................................................................................................................................... 31 Conclusions & Recommendations .............................................................................................................. 32 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... 33 References .................................................................................................................................................. 34 3 Appendix 1-A Batch Reactor Biogas Volume Data ...................................................................................... 38 Appendix 1-B Batch Reactor Biogas Composition Data .............................................................................. 39 Appendix 1-C Batch Reactor Total & Volatile Solids Data........................................................................... 40 Appendix 1-D Batch Reactor Alkalinity Data ............................................................................................... 41 Appendix 1-E Batch Reactor pH Data ......................................................................................................... 42 Appendix 1-F Batch Reactor Chemical Oxygen Demand Data .................................................................... 43 Appendix 1-G Batch Reactor Ammoniacal Nitrogen Data .......................................................................... 44 Appendix 2-A Continuous Reactor Biogas Volume Data ............................................................................ 45 Appendix 2-B Continuous Reactor Biogas Composition Data ..................................................................... 46 Appendix 2-C Continuous Reactor Alkalinity Data ...................................................................................... 47 Appendix 2-D Continuous Reactor pH Data ................................................................................................ 48 Appendix 2-E Continuous Reactor Chemical Oxygen Demand Data .......................................................... 49 Appendix 2-F Continuous Reactor Ammoniacal Nitrogen Data.................................................................. 50 Appendix 2-G Continuous Reactor Total & Volatile Solids Data ................................................................. 51 Appendix 3 Energy Production Calculations ............................................................................................... 52 Appendix 4 Mass Balance Calculations ....................................................................................................... 53 4 Introduction The world needs green energy sources because the current petroleum dependence is not a sustainable practice. Current popular energy strategies include the combustion of natural gas and use of petroleum-based products. These methods contribute largely to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, contributing to the global climate crisis. Research is currently being done to identify potential renewable energy sources that can replace natural gas and petroleum. Brazil is one of the world’s leaders in producing and utilizing renewable energy sources, such as biogas1. Appealing options for sources of biogas are the residues leftover from the large agricultural industry in Brazil. Using residues from industrial agriculture in renewable energy production, can reduce carbon emissions and waste production. Biogas can be used to create chemical, thermal, and mechanical energy; it is a combination of hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide1, 2. Biogas is naturally produced through anaerobic digestion, when microorganisms break down organic matter without the presence of oxygen3. Legal decisions and updates have incentivized the commercialization of biogas in Brazil. The National Oil Agency established the first set of