Energy recovery from food industry wastewater using microbial electrochemical cells and anaerobic membrane bioreactor

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We will develop innovative biotechnologies for treating high strength organic wastewater released from food industries, which will significantly reduce surcharge fees for over-strength wastewater effluent discharge and add supplemental economic benefits with cost-effective management and value-added products: methane gas production with anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) and hydrogen peroxide yield using microbial electrochemical cells (MECs). AnMBRs can effectively treat high organic wastewater without oxygen supply and recover methane gas, along with clean water production. A pilot-scale AnMBR will be operated with food wastewater released from Conestoga Meat Packers through collaborations of the University of Waterloo and GE Water and Process Technologies. The pilot study will evaluate effluent water qualities, methane recovery and membrane fouling for the food wastewater. Cost assessment will be conducted including methane recovery, operating and maintenance costs, excess sludge production and surcharge fees. We will evaluate in bench-scale experiments if MECs can resolve AnMBR limitations of dissolved methane and moderate biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in permeates. The success of lab-scale MEC experiments enables us to complete an energy-capturing anaerobic wastewater treatment technology combining AnMBRs with MECs for high BOD wastewaters in food industries. Food industries employing the innovative wastewater treatment biotechnology will significantly save wastewater treatment costs, and derive additional benefits from water reuse and added-value products, which will considerably contribute to the growth of the food industry and natural protection in Canada.