Abstract

MARIN L., Julio César et al. Control and monitoring of anaerobic reactors by partial hydrogen pressures. Rev. Téc. Ing. Univ. Zulia [online]. 2002, vol.25, n.3, pp.140-148. ISSN 0254-0770.

Abstract     The measurement of H₂ proportion in the biogas is becoming one of the commonly parameters evaluated during the organic matter anaerobic degradation process, which leads to define if it is necessary to evaluate all the operational parameters simultaneously or it is possible to monitoring the all process measuring a single parameter. In this investigation the variability of the Pp_H2 were studied during the organic matter anaerobic biodegradation, in an anaerobic granular sludge, using glucose as the only carbon source. The tests were conduced using load reactors under mesophilic conditions, in which the following operational parameters were monitored daily: pH, total alkalinity, % COD removal, TSS, VSS, biogas volume, H₂ and CH₄ production. The COD removal percentage showed an average of 91.1%. It was observed a slight increase of hydrogen in the biogas (from 2.76 to 4.25%) and one slight decrease of methane (from 97.08 to 95.64%), as the organic load was increased from 1 to 5 KgDQO/m³.d. The possible decrease of the methanogens population could be the cause of the increase of the H₂ accumulation in the biogas. The change in the hydrogen levels does not have to be taken as the only parameter to study, when the operational conditions of an anaerobic reactor are evaluated.

Keywords : Hydrogen; gas partial pressures; anaerobic sludge; anaerobic digestion.