FEASIBILITY OF THE USE OF A CONSORTIUM MICROBIAL IN THE TREATMENT OF STILLAGE

Abstract

The anaerobic digestive process is a natural biological process in which an interlaced community of bacteria cooperates to obtain stable and auto-regulated fermentation, transforming the residual organic matter into biogas. In the process four main groups of bacteria coexist, being the most important methanogenics, which have like habitual means the stomach of the ruminant. In this study was used an originating microbial partnership of rumen of cow to investigate the feasibility of its
use in the depuration of vinasses originating of a distillery, by means of the degradation of organic matter expressed like COD and with the generation of biogas. The results demonstrate a high capacity of degradation of the substrate, diminishing in more than half the initial organic content
(56,7 %). On the other hand, the volume of biogas generated by the system suggests them first hours of reaction are crucial in digestive process. Finally, the relation between biogas and COD indicate that by each gram of diminished COD 971,2 mL of biogas are generated, which represents a very acceptable degradation of the pollution.