Biomedical subjects

B K Ahring

Publications and source records attributed to B K Ahring.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Strategies for the anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: an overview.

Different process strategies for anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) are reviewed weighing high-solids versus low-solids, mesophilic versus thermophilic and single-stage versus multi-stage processes. The influence of different waste characteristics such as composition of biodegradable fractions, C:N ratio and particle size is described. Generally, source sorting of OFMSW and a high content of food waste leads to higher biogas yields than the use of mechanically sorted OFMSW. Thermophilic processes are more efficient than mesophilic processes in terms of higher biogas yields at different organic loading rates (OLR). Highest biogas yields are achieved by means of wet thermophilic processes at OLRs lower than 6 kg-VS x m(-3) d(-1). High-solids processes appear to be relatively more efficient when OLRs higher than 6 kg-VS x m(-3)d(-1) are applied. Multi-stage systems show in some investigations a higher reduction of recalcitrant organic matter compared to single-stage systems, but they are seldom applied in full-scale. An extended cost-benefit calculation shows that the highest overall benefit of the process is achieved at an OLR that is lower and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) that is longer than those values of OLR and HRT, at which the highest biogas production is achieved.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed2006

Thermal pretreatment of the solid fraction of manure: impact on the biogas reactor performance and microbial community.

Application of thermal treatment at 100-140 degrees C as a pretreatment method prior to anaerobic digestion of a mixture of cattle and swine manure was investigated. In a batch test, biogasification of manure with thermally pretreated solid fraction proceeded faster and resulted in the increase of methane yield. The performances of two thermophilic continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) treating manure with solid fraction pretreated for 40 minutes at 140 degrees C and non-treated manure were compared. The digester fed with the thermally pretreated manure had a higher methane productivity and an improved removal of the volatile solids (VS). The properties of microbial communities of both reactors were analysed. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) test showed that both biomasses had significant activity towards hydrogen and formate, while the activity with the VFA - acetate, propionate and butyrate - was low. The kinetic parameters of the VFA conversion revealed a reduced affinity of the microbial community from the CSTR fed with thermally pre-treated manure for acetate, propionate and butyrate. The bacterial and archaeal populations identified by t-RLFP analysis of 16S rRNA genes were found to be identical in both systems. However, a change in the abundance of the species present was detected.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Thermophilic anaerobic fermentation of olive pulp for hydrogen and methane production: modelling of the anaerobic digestion process.

The present study investigates the thermophilic biohydrogen and methane production from olive pulp, which is the semi-solid residue coming from the two-phase processing of olives. It focussed on: a) production of methane from the raw olive pulp; b) anaerobic bio-production of hydrogen from the olive pulp; c) subsequent anaerobic treatment of the hydrogen-effluent with the simultaneous production of methane; and d) development of a mathematical model able to describe the anaerobic digestion of the olive pulp and the effluent of hydrogen producing process. Both continuous and batch experiments were performed. The hydrogen potential of the olive pulp amounted to 1.6 mmole H2 per g TS. The methane potential of the raw olive pulp and hydrogen-effluent was as high as 19 mmole CH4 per g TS suggesting that: a) olive pulp is a suitable substrate for methane production; and b) biohydrogen production can be very efficiently coupled with a subsequent step for methane production.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed2006

Status of ADSW 2005.

Abstract The status of the recent developments in anaerobic digestion of solid waste (ADSW) is outlined on the basis of a selection of papers presented at the 4th International Symposium on ADSW 2005.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

PubMed2006

Identifiability study of the proteins degradation model, based on ADM1, using simultaneous batch experiments.

The objective of the present study is to analyse kinetic and stoichiometric parameter values of gelatine anaerobic degradation at thermophilic range, based on an experiment designed to elucidate if volatile fatty acids (VFA) are inhibitors of the hydrolysis process. Results showed that VFA are not inhibiting the hydrolysis process. The ADM1 model adequately expressed the consecutive steps of hydrolysis and acidogenesis, with estimated kinetic values corresponding to a fast acidogenesis and slower hydrolysis. The hydrolysis was found to be the rate limiting step of anaerobic degradation. Estimation of yield coefficients based on the relative initial slopes of VFA profiles obtained in a simple batch experiment produced satisfactory results. From the identification study, it was concluded that it is possible to determine univocally the related kinetic parameter values for protein degradation if the evolution of amino acids is measured in simultaneous batch experiments, with different initial protein and amino acids concentrations.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Thermal pre-treatment of primary and secondary sludge at 70 degrees C prior to anaerobic digestion.

In general, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is more widely used compared to thermophilic digestion, mainly because of the lower energy requirements and higher stability of the process. However, the thermophilic anaerobic digestion process is usually characterised by accelerated biochemical reactions and higher growth rate of microorganisms resulting in an increased methanogenic potential at lower hydraulic retention times. Furthermore, thermal pre-treatment is suitable for the improvement of stabilization and could be realized at relatively low cost especially at low temperatures. The present study investigates the effect of the pre-treatment at 70 degrees C on thermophilic (55 degrees C) anaerobic digestion of primary and secondary sludge in continuously operated digesters. Thermal pre-treatment of primary and secondary sludge at 70 degrees C enhanced the removal of organic matter and the methane production during the subsequent anaerobic digestion step at 55 degrees C. It also greatly contributed to the destruction of pathogens present in primary sludge. Finally it results in enhanced microbial activities of the subsequent anaerobic step suggesting that the same efficiencies in organic matter removal and methane recovery could be obtained at lower HRTs.

Acetates↗

PubMed2005

Potential for biohydrogen and methane production from olive pulp.

The present study investigates the potential for thermophilic biohydrogen and methane production from olive pulp, which is the semi-solid residue coming from the two-phase processing of olives. It focussed on: a) production of methane from the raw olive pulp, b) anaerobic bio-production of hydrogen from the olive pulp, and c) subsequent anaerobic treatment of the hydrogen-effluent with the simultaneous production of methane. Both continuous and batch experiments were performed. The hydrogen potential of the olive pulp amounted to 1.6 mmole H2 per g TS. The methane potential of the raw olive pulp and hydrogen-effluent was as high as 19 mmole CH4 per g TS. This suggests that olive pulp is an ideal substrate for methane production and it shows that biohydrogen production can be very efficiently coupled with a subsequent step for methane production.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed2004

Inhibition of ethanol-producing yeast and bacteria by degradation products produced during pre-treatment of biomass.

An overview of the different inhibitors formed by pre-treatment of lignocellulosic materials and their inhibition of ethanol production in yeast and bacteria is given. Different high temperature physical pre-treatment methods are available to render the carbohydrates in lignocellulose accessible for ethanol fermentation. The resulting hydrolyzsates contain substances inhibitory to fermentation-depending on both the raw material (biomass) and the pre-treatment applied. An overview of the inhibitory effect on ethanol production by yeast and bacteria is presented. Apart from furans formed by sugar degradation, phenol monomers from lignin degradation are important co-factors in hydrolysate inhibition, and inhibitory effects of these aromatic compounds on different ethanol producing microorganisms is reviewed. The furans and phenols generally inhibited growth and ethanol production rate (Q(EtOH)) but not the ethanol yields (Y(EtOH)) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Within the same phenol functional group (aldehyde, ketone, and acid) the inhibition of volumetric ethanol productivity was found to depend on the amount of methoxyl substituents and hence hydrophobicity (log P). Many pentose-utilizing strains Escherichia coli, Pichia stipititis, and Zymomonas mobilis produce ethanol in concentrated hemicellulose liquors but detoxification by overliming is needed. Thermoanaerobacter mathranii A3M3 can grow on pentoses and produce ethanol in hydrolysate without any need for detoxification.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2004

Comparison of two-stage thermophilic (68 degrees C/55 degrees C) anaerobic digestion with one-stage thermophilic (55 degrees C) digestion of cattle manure.

A two-stage 68 degrees C/55 degrees C anaerobic degradation process for treatment of cattle manure was studied. In batch experiments, an increase of the specific methane yield, ranging from 24% to 56%, was obtained when cattle manure and its fractions (fibers and liquid) were pretreated at 68 degrees C for periods of 36, 108, and 168 h, and subsequently digested at 55 degrees C. In a lab-scale experiment, the performance of a two-stage reactor system, consisting of a digester operating at 68 degrees C with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3 days, connected to a 55 degrees C reactor with 12-day HRT, was compared with a conventional single-stage reactor running at 55 degrees C with 15-days HRT. When an organic loading of 3 g volatile solids (VS) per liter per day was applied, the two-stage setup had a 6% to 8% higher specific methane yield and a 9% more effective VS-removal than the conventional single-stage reactor. The 68 degrees C reactor generated 7% to 9% of the total amount of methane of the two-stage system and maintained a volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration of 4.0 to 4.4 g acetate per liter. Population size and activity of aceticlastic methanogens, syntrophic bacteria, and hydrolytic/fermentative bacteria were significantly lower in the 68 degrees C reactor than in the 55 degrees C reactors. The density levels of methanogens utilizing H2/CO2 or formate were, however, in the same range for all reactors, although the degradation of these substrates was significantly lower in the 68 degrees C reactor than in the 55 degrees C reactors. Temporal temperature gradient electrophoresis profiles (TTGE) of the 68 degrees C reactor demonstrated a stable bacterial community along with a less divergent community of archaeal species.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Potential for using thermophilic anaerobic bacteria for bioethanol production from hemicellulose.

A limited number of bacteria, yeast and fungi can convert hemicellulose or its monomers (xylose, arabinose, mannose and galactose) into ethanol with a satisfactory yield and productivity. In the present study we tested a number of thermophilic enrichment cultures, and new isolates of thermophilic anaerobic bacterial strains growing optimally at 70-80 degrees C for their ethanol production from D-xylose. The new isolates came from different natural and man-made systems such as hot springs, paper pulp mills and brewery waste water. The test was composed of three different steps; (i) test for conversion of D-xylose into ethanol; (ii) test for viability and ethanol production in pretreated wheat straw hemicellulose hydrolysate; (iii) test for tolerance against high D-xylose concentrations. A total of 86 enrichment cultures and 58 pure cultures were tested and five candidates were selected which successfully fulfilled the criteria defined for the screening test.

Acetates↗

PubMed2003

Purification of bioethanol effluent in an UASB reactor system with simultaneous biogas formation.

In this study, the prospect of using an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor for detoxification of process water derived from bioethanol production has been investigated. The bioethanol effluent (BEE) originated from wet oxidized wheat straw fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Thermoanaerobacter mathranii A3M4 to produce ethanol from glucose and xylose, respectively. In batch experiments the methane potential of BEE was determined to 529 mL-CH(4)/g-VS. In batch degradation experiments it was shown that the presence of BEE had a positive influence on the removal of the inhibitors 2-furoic acid, 4-hydroxyacetophenone, and acetovanillone as compared to conversion of the inhibitors as sole substrate in synthetic media. Furthermore, experiments were carried out treating BEE in a laboratory-scale UASB reactor. The results showed a Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal of 80% (w/w) at an organic loading rate of 29 g-COD/(L. d). GC analysis of the lignocellulosic related potentially inhibitory compounds 2-furoic acid, vanillic acid, homovanillic acid, acetovanillone, syringic acid, acetosyringone, syringol, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde showed that all of these compounds were removed from the BEE in the reactor. Implementation of a UASB purification step was found to be a promising approach to detoxify process water from bioethanol production allowing for recirculation of the process water and reduced production costs.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

PubMed2003

Potential inhibitors from wet oxidation of wheat straw and their effect on ethanol production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: wet oxidation and fermentation by yeast.

Alkaline wet oxidation (WO) (using water, 6.5 g/L sodium carbonate and 12 bar oxygen at 195 degrees C) was used as pretreatment method for wheat straw (60 g/L), resulting in a hydrolysate and a cellulosic solid fraction. The hydrolysate consisted of soluble hemicellulose (8 g/L), low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids (3.9 g/L), phenols (0.27 g/L = 1.7 mM) and 2-furoic acid (0.007 g/L). The wet oxidized wheat straw hydrolysate caused no inhibition of ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 96581. Nine phenols and 2-furoic acid, identified to be present in the hydrolysate, were each tested in concentrations of 50-100 times the concentration found in the hydrolysate for their effect on fermentation by yeast. At these high concentrations (10 mM), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin, 4-hydroxyacetophenone and acetovanillone caused a 53-67% decrease in the volumetric ethanol productivity in S. cerevisiae compared to controls with an ethanol productivity of 3.8 g/L. The phenol acids (4-hydroxy, vanillic and syringic acid), 2-furoic acid, syringaldehyde and acetosyringone were less inhibitory, causing a 5-16% decrease in ethanol productivity. By adding the same aromatic compounds to hydrolysate (10 mM), it was shown that syringaldehyde and acetovanillone interacted negatively with hydrolysate components on the ethanol productivity. Fermentation in WO hydrolysate, that had been concentrated 6 times by freeze-drying, lasted 4 hours longer than in regular hydrolysate; however, the ethanol yield was the same. The longer fermentation time could not be explained by an inhibitory action of phenols alone, but was more likely caused by inhibitory interactions of phenols with carboxylic acids, such as acetic and formic acid.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed2003

Potential for anaerobic conversion of xenobiotics.

This review covers the latest research on the anaerobic biodegradation of aromatic xenobiotic compounds, with emphasis on surfactants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate esters, polychlorinated biphenyls, halogenated phenols, and pesticides. The versatility of anaerobic reactor systems regarding the treatment of xenobiotics is shown with the focus on the UASB reactor, but the applicability of other reactor designs for treatment of hazardous waste is also included. Bioaugmentation has proved to be a viable technique to enhance a specific activity in anaerobic reactors and recent research on reactor and in situ bioaugmentation is reported.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed2003

Molecular ecology of anaerobic reactor systems.

Anaerobic reactor systems are essential for the treatment of solid and liquid wastes and constitute a core facility in many waste treatment plants. Although much is known about the basic metabolism in different types of anaerobic reactors, little is known about the microbes responsible for these processes. Only a few percent of Bacteria and Archaea have so far been isolated, and almost nothing is known about the dynamics and interactions between these and other microorganisms. This lack of knowledge is most clearly exemplified by the sometimes unpredictable and unexplainable failures and malfunctions of anaerobic digesters occasionally experienced, leading to sub-optimal methane production and wastewater treatment. Using a variety of molecular techniques, we are able to determine which microorganisms are active, where they are active, and when they are active, but we still need to determine why and what they are doing. As genetic manipulations of anaerobes have been shown in only a few species permitting in-situ gene expression studies, the only way to elucidate the function of different microbes is to correlate the metabolic capabilities of isolated microbes in pure culture to the abundance of each microbe in anaerobic reactor systems by rRNA probing. This chapter focuses on various molecular techniques employed and problems encountered when elucidating the microbial ecology of anaerobic reactor systems. Methods such as quantitative dot blot/fluorescence in-situ probing using various specific nucleic acid probes are discussed and exemplified by studies of anaerobic granular sludge, biofilm and digester systems.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed2003

Toxicity of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on the anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge.

Previous studies on the microbial degradation of individual phthalic acid esters (PAEs) have demonstrated that the compounds with short ester hydrocarbon chains are easily biodegraded and mineralized, but PAEs with long ester chains are less susceptible to degradation and some of them are considered recalcitrant. Moreover, they inhibit methanogenesis. However, studies have not been made on the effect of feeding a combination of recalcitrant and biodegradable PAEs into anaerobic digesters treating wastewater sludge. The present study was conducted with wastewater sludge from the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation's Hyperion Treatment Plant. Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), the most common persistent PAE found in wastewater, and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), a common PAE with short ester chains, were sorbed into the sludge fed to a bench-scale digester for a period of 12 weeks. DEHP degradation was always poor, and accumulation of DEHP was correlated with inhibition of the microbial degradation of DBP and with process instability of the test digester. Inhibition of the DBP removal was completely reversed after DEHP addition was discontinued, but biogas production never recovered to the level observed in a control digester. Other process parameters of digester performance were not affected by DEHP accumulation. These results are similar to the toxic effects of long chain fatty acids on sludge digestion, suggesting that DEHP or its degradation products affect all the microbial populations in the anaerobic bioreactor. Our results imply that high levels of DEHP or other recalcitrant PAEs in wastewater sludge are likely to compromise methanogenesis and removal of biodegradable PAEs in sludge digesters.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

PubMed2003

Phthalic acid esters found in municipal organic waste: enhanced anaerobic degradation under hyper-thermophilic conditions.

Contamination of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) with xenobiotic compounds and their fate during anaerobic digestion was investigated. The phthalic acid ester di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) was identified as the main contaminant in OFMSW in concentrations more than half of the threshold value for the use as fertilizer on agricultural soil in Denmark. Analysis of DEHP in samples before and after large-scale anaerobic digesters revealed higher concentrations of DEHP per kg dry matter in the effluent than in the influent. The concentration of DEHP and DBP (dibutylphthalate) in OFMSW was monitored in the influent and effluent of anaerobic thermophilic (55 degrees C) and hyper-thermophilic (68 degrees C) laboratory-scale reactor systems. In the thermophilic reactors with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 15 days 38-70% of DBP was removed, but no consistent removal of DEHP was observed. However, after treatment of the effluent from the thermophilic reactor in a hyper-thermophilic digester (HRT: 5 days) 34-53% of the DEHP content was removed and the DBP removal was increased to further 62-74%. Removal rates (k(h)) of DEHP and DBP were found to be 0.11-0.32 d(-1) and 0.41-0.79 d(-1), which is much higher than in previous investigations. It can be concluded that the higher removal rates are due to the higher temperature and higher initial concentrations per kg dry matter. These results suggest that the limiting factor for DEHP degradation is the bioavailability, which is enhanced at higher temperature and higher degradation of solid organic matter, to which the highly hydrophobic DEHP is adsorbed. The investigated reactor configuration with a thermophilic and a hyper-thermophilic treatment is, therefore, a good option for combining high rate degradation of organic matter with high biogas yields and efficient reduction of the phthalic acid ester contamination.

Agriculture↗

PubMed2003

Anaerobic digestion of manure and mixture of manure with lipids: biogas reactor performance and microbial community analysis.

Anaerobic digestion of cattle manure and a mixture of cattle manure with glycerol trioleate (GTO) was studied in lab-scale, continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) operated at 37 degrees C. The reactor codigesting manure and lipids exhibited a significantly higher specific methane yield and a higher removal of VS than the reactor treating manure. Microbial population analysis done by cultivation--most probable number (MPN) test and specific methanogenic activity (SMA) measurement, revealed higher MPN and increased SMA of methanogenic populations of biomass from the reactor codigesting manure and lipids. Spatial microbial distribution and activity was studied in digested materials fractionated into size of particles > 200 microm, 50-200 microm and 0.45-50 microm. With manure, the main pool of methanogenic activity from propionate, butyrate and hydrogen was associated with the particles > 200 microm, while the activity of acetotrophic methanogens was uniformly distributed in all fractions. When digesting manure and lipids, an enhanced methanogenesis was detected both for particles > 200 microm and the 50-200 microm fraction. The molecular methods--temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE), cloning library and sequencing of 16S rDNA--showed presence of a restricted number of archaeal species in both reactors. The vast majority of clones was phylogenetically most closely related to Methanosarcina siciliae.

Agriculture↗

PubMed2002

Formation of metabolites during biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor under thermophilic conditions.

Biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) was shown in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor under thermophilic conditions. The reactor was inoculated with granular biomass and fed with a synthetic medium and 3 micromol/L of a mixture of LAS with alkylchain length of 10 to 13 carbon atoms. The reactor was operated with a hydraulic retention time of 12 h with effluent recirculation in an effluent to influent ratio of 5 to 1. A sterile reactor operated in parallel revealed that sorption to sludge particles initially accounted for a major LAS removal. After 8 days of reactor operation, the removal of LAS in the reactor inoculated with active granular biomass exceeded the removal in the sterile reactor inoculated with sterile granular biomass. The effect of sorption ceased after 185 to 555 h depending on the LAS homologs. 40% of the LAS was biodegraded, and the removal rate was 0.5 x 10(-6) mol/h/mL granular biomass. Acidified effluent from the reactor was subjected to dichloromethane extraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Benzenesulfonic acid and benzaldehyde were detected in the reactor effluent from the reactor with active granular biomass but not in the sterile and unamended reactor effluent. Benzenesulfonic acid and benzaldehyde are the first identified degradation products in the anaerobic degradation of LAS.

Alkanesulfonic Acids↗