Feasibility of anaerobic digestion on brown water

With the aim of the recovery of energy and nutrients in a decentralized wastewater treatment system, brown water was characterized for its potential use as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. To determine its anaerobic biodegradability and methane yield, BMP (bio-methane potential) assay of brown water with different organic loadings were conducted under a mesophilic condition. The total volatile solids reductions at the end of the 30-days experiment were 49.2, 55.4, 55.4 and 59.61% for the 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 g VS/L organic loadings respectively. The methane yields, based on the total VS (Volatile Solids) removed, were 0.19, 0.16, 0.25 and 0.34 L CH4/g VS removed while the average methane contents of biogas were 71.7, 72.7, 73.2 and 67.0% for the 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5g VS/L organic loadings respectively. The results of this study indicate that brown water is a favourable feedstock for anaerobic digestion with regards to its high biodegradability and methane yield.Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering