Kinetic Study of the Anaerobic Digestion of Recycled Paper Mill Effluent (RPME) by Using a Novel Modified Anaerobic Hybrid Baffled (MAHB) Reactor

Abstract

The process kinetics of an anaerobic digestion process for treating recycled paper mill effluent (RPME) was investigated. A laboratory-scale modified anaerobic hybrid baffled reactor (MAHB) was operated at hydraulic retention times of 1, 3, 5, and 7 days, and the results were analyzed for the kinetic models. A kinetic study was conducted by examining the phase kinetics of the anaerobic digestion process, which were divided into three main stages: hydrolysis kinetics, acetogenesis kinetics, and methane production kinetics. The study demonstrated that hydrolysis was the rate-limiting step. The applied Monod and Contois kinetic models showed satisfactory prediction with μmax values of 1.476 and 0.6796 L day−1, respectively.