Abstract
Microalgal biomass (MB) is a promising feedstock for bioenergy production. Nonetheless, the cell recalcitrance and the low C/N ratio limit the methane yield during anaerobic digestion. As an alternative to overcome these challenges, MB co-digestion with different feedstocks has been proposed. Thus, this study evaluated the anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) of MB cultivated in wastewater with sugarcane vinasse (VIN) and residual glycerol from biodiesel production (GLY). Batch tests were conducted using augmented simplex-centroid mixture design to investigate the impact of AcoD on methane production (SMP), synergistic effects, and the influence on microbial community. When compared to MB digestion, 150 NmL CH4.g−1VS, binary and ternary AcoD achieved SMP increases from 120 to 337%. The combination of 16.7:16.7:66.7 (MB:VIN:GLY) showed the highest SMP for a ternary mixture (631 NmL CH4.g−1VS). Optimal synergies ranged from 1.3 to 1.4 and were primarily found for the MB:GLY AcoD. Acetoclastic Methanosaeta genus was predominant, regardless the combination between substrates. Despite the largest SMP obtained from the MB:GLY AcoD, other ternary mixtures were also highly synergetic and therefore had strong potential as a strategic renewable energy source.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, W.R.M.L., upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the support received from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico-CNPq, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior–CAPES, Pernambuco Sanitation Company (COMPESA), the company BRK Ambiental, the National Alcohol Company of the JB Group, and the Experimental Biorefinery of Solid Organic Waste (BERSO) of the UFPE.
Funding
This work was supported by the Human Resources Training Program of the Brazilian National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels–PRH-ANP/FINEP through PRH 48.1/UFPE (Process 48610.201019/2019–38) as well as the financial support from FACEPE (Foundation for the Science and Technology Development of Pernambuco State) through the Young Researchers project (Process APQ 0860–3.07/21) and Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Estações Sustentáveis de Tratamento de Esgoto-INCT ETEs Sustentáveis (Process 400324/2022–9).
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Edilberto Mariano da Silva: data acquisition, software, methodology, writing—original draft preparation, and writing—original draft preparation. Sayonara Costa de Araújo: software, methodology, and writing—original draft preparation. Shyrlane Torres Soares Veras: data acquisition, methodology, writing—original draft preparation, and writing—review and editing. Agnes Adam Duarte Pinheiro: data acquisition and methodology. Fabrício Motteran: software, data curation, and formal analysis. Mario Takayuki Kato: funding acquisition, resources, and writing—review and editing. Lourdinha Florencio: funding acquisition, resources, and writing—review and editing. Wanderli Rogério Moreira Leite: funding acquisition, project administration, resources, and writing—review and editing.
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da Silva, E.M., de Araújo, S.C., Veras, S.T.S. et al. Anaerobic co-digestion of microalgal biomass, sugarcane vinasse, and residual glycerol from biodiesel using simplex-centroid mixture design: methane potential, synergic effect, and microbial diversity. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33193-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33193-1