HYDROLYTIC PRETREATMENT OF MACAUBA SHELLS FOR ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

HYDROLYTIC PRETREATMENT OF MACAUBA SHELLS FOR ANAEROBIC DIGESTION Jordan Myers Chemical Engineering 2020

MACAÚBA (ACROCOM IA ACULEATA ); FAMILY: ARECACEA E 2

MACAUBA Epicarp Mesocar p Endosper m 3

MACAUBA Thermic Energy Heat Anaerobic Digestion Electricity Animal Feed 6

WHAT IS ANAEROBIC DIGESTION? Goal: To produce methane from organic material Biogas is more useful when it has a greater methane content

4 STEPS OF ANAEROBIC DIGESTION Hydrolysis Acidogenesis Acetogenesis Methanogenesis

Many anaerobic digestors include some pretreatment of the raw feedstock This allows the feedstock to be broken down prior to the start of anaerobic digestion which allows the process to start up faster PRETREA TMENT

This pretreatment altered the structure of the raw material to make digestion easier later in the process It turned our feedstock from a solid material to a liquid material which helps speed up the break down of the material SUB-CRITICAL WATER HYDROLYSIS

MY SETUP The experiment was divided in two reactors: Pre-Treated Reactor (R 1) Control Reactor (R 2) Total volume: 4. 3 L Headspace: 40% Added material: 60%

PRE-TREATED REACTOR (R 1) 30% 70% Hydrolysate Inoculum

CONTROL REACTOR (R 2) 26% 35% 39% Macaúba Inoculum Water

Chemical Oxygen Demand p. H Alkalinity RESULTS Ammoniacal Nitrogen Total and Volatile Solids Volume of Biogas Composition of Biogas

TOTAL AND VOLATILE SOLIDS

Pretreatment Reactor VOLUME ACCUMULATED

COMPOSITION OF BIOGAS

PRETREATMENT REACTOR

CONTROL REACTOR

AVERAGE COMPOSITION Pretreated Reactor Methane Carbon Dioxide 33% ± 10. 478% 67% ± 10. 579% Control Reactor Methane 62 % ± 13. 602% Carbon Dioxide 38% ± 13. 795%

NET ENERGY PRODUCTION

COMPARI SON Initial Conditions: Control Reactor had 9 times more Solid Macauba Feed: Control Reactor fed 7 times more Solid Macauba

Pretreatment increases the methane composition and allows anaerobic digestion to occur at a faster rate and allows for more than 20 times the energy production to occur per mass of feedstock used In the future macauba shells should be tested against other common pretreatments for anaerobic digestion and compared to sub -critical water hydrolysis to find the optimal operating conditions CONCLUS IONS AND CONTINU ATION

Many Thanks to the following people: Professor Timko for advising the project AKNOWLED GEMENTS Professor Forester-Caniero for hosting us in her lab Larissa Ampese for being my project partner in Brazil The entire Biotar lab for hosting us during our time in Brazil