BIOMETHANIZATION OF SOLID URBAN WASTE URBAN: LABORATORY SCALEAND PILOT SCALE

Abstract

The general objective of the present work has been to establish an appropriate protocol to carry out the start up and stabilization of the process of biomethanization of municipal solid waste (MSW), under dry (20-30 % total solid) and thermophilic (55ºC temperature) conditions, and transferable to industrial scale. The first study was conducted to develop and apply the different technical analytic for the appropriate characterization of the MSW. The second objective was defined to propose a specific procedure to carry out the start up and stabilization of the process of dry thermophilic anaerobic digestion, using the batch technology (reactor with 5.0 L total capacity) and pilot plant. The results of reactor laboratory scale showed a fast start up (20-30 days) and appropriate degradate activity. The system was operating according to the used protocol. Finally, in the study of pilot plant the results obtained indicate that, a experiment using dry thermophilic anaerobic digestion and 30% of inoculation with digested sludge from Waste Water Treatment Plant,(under mesophilic conditions), with MSW treatment, could be see a fast start up and stabilization phase, higher biodegradation of the organic matter and fast stabilization of the system.