A granular activated carbon (GAC) anaerobic fluidised bed reactor treating vinasse from an ethanol distillery of sugar beet molasses was operated for 250 days under three different organic loading rates. The reactor showed good performance in terms of organic matter removal and methane production but an anomalous behaviour in terms of unusual high concentrations of molecular nitrogen and low concentration of hydrogen sulphide in the biogas. The analysis of the different nitrogenous and sulphur compounds and the mass balances of these species in the liquid and gas phases clearly indicated an uncommon evolution of nitrogen and sulphur in the reactor. Up to 55% of the TKN and up to 80% of the sulphur disappear in the liquid phase This is the opposite to any previously reported results in the bibliography. The new postulated anaerobic process of ammonia and sulphate removal seems to follow the mechanism: SO4=+2NH4+ → S + N2 + 4H2O (ΔG° = - 47.8 kJ/mol).
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
August 01 2001
Simultaneous organic nitrogen and sulfate removal in an anaerobic GAC fluidised bed reactor
F. Fdz-Polanco;
F. Fdz-Polanco
*
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
*corresponding author, e-mail: ffp@iq.uva.es
Search for other works by this author on:
M. Fdz-Polanco;
M. Fdz-Polanco
2Instituto Superior Poltécnico José Antonio Echevarria, La Habana, Cuba
Search for other works by this author on:
N. Fernandez;
N. Fernandez
2Instituto Superior Poltécnico José Antonio Echevarria, La Habana, Cuba
Search for other works by this author on:
M. A. Urueña;
M. A. Urueña
2Instituto Superior Poltécnico José Antonio Echevarria, La Habana, Cuba
Search for other works by this author on:
P. A. García;
P. A. García
2Instituto Superior Poltécnico José Antonio Echevarria, La Habana, Cuba
Search for other works by this author on:
S. Villaverde
S. Villaverde
2Instituto Superior Poltécnico José Antonio Echevarria, La Habana, Cuba
Search for other works by this author on:
Water Sci Technol (2001) 44 (4): 15–22.
Citation
F. Fdz-Polanco, M. Fdz-Polanco, N. Fernandez, M. A. Urueña, P. A. García, S. Villaverde; Simultaneous organic nitrogen and sulfate removal in an anaerobic GAC fluidised bed reactor. Water Sci Technol 1 August 2001; 44 (4): 15–22. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2001.0166
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Impact Factor 2.430
CiteScore 3.4 • Q2
13 days submission to first
decision
1,439,880 downloads in 2021