Strategy of mitigating ammonium-rich waste inhibition on anaerobic digestion by using illuminated bio-zeolite...

Intermittent illumination combined with bio-zeolite fixed-bed process was utilized to improve the efficiency of anaerobic digestion with ammonium-rich substrate. The batch experiments were carried out at NH₄⁺-N concentration of 2211mg/L under intermittent illumination and dark (as control) conditions, respectively. The illuminated bioreactor achieved higher methane production (287mL/g-DOC) and ATP value (0.38μmol/L) than that under dark condition. Then the bio-zeolite fixed-bed bioreactor (NH₄⁺-N concentration: 3000mg/L) was used to study the additional efficiency on the illuminated ammonium-rich anaerobic digestion process. The result showed that the illuminated fixed-bed bioreactor presented the greatest methane concentration (70%), methane yield (283mL/g-DOC) and quantity of methanogens comparing with no-bed bioreactor. Furthermore, the illuminated fixed-bed bioreactor achieved better performance during 118-day semi-continuous fermentation. The combination of the intermittent illumination and bio-zeolite fixed-bed strategy contributed to the higher efficiency and stability of the ammonium-rich anaerobic digestion process.