Desempenho de digestores anaeróbios de fluxo ascendente no tratamento de vinhoto.

Abstract

Currently, the pollution of surface water by the launch of vinhoto (waste water from alcohol production) is one of the most serious environmental problems in the country. In the present work, the treatment of vinhoto is approached through the biological process of anaerobic digestion. For this, an experimental investigation was carried out using an upflow digester with granulated sludge blanket, in pilot scale, inoculated with anaerobic sludge and fed with vinasse from an autonomous distillery. The results of the investigation show the technical viability of anaerobic digestion of vinhoto. After a period of adaptation of the sludge, a high removal efficiency of the organic material (85 percent of the COD) was observed, being possible to apply a high organic load (15.65 kg COD m -3 d -1) and a residence time reduced from the vinhoto in the digester (1,5 d). Due to the high production of methane in the digestion of vinhoto (around 90kg CH4 per milliliter of alcohol produced), it is believed that the anaerobic digestion of vinhoto, besides being efficient in controlling pollution, is also an attractive process from the point of view economic.