Biogas production from anaerobic digestion of vinasse in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor

The expansion in the production of ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil resulted in increased production of vinasse, which is the main by-product of the sugar industry.The vinasse is a highly polluting effluent is generated in large volumes, which aggravates the problem of its final disposal.An treatment alternative of vinasse is its use for the generation of biogas in UASB (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket) that can be used as an alternative source of sustainable energy.In this study, the UASB efficiency for the production of biogas from the anaerobic digestion of vinasse from sugarcane was evaluated. The experiment was conducted in laboratory scale using the UASB in mesophilic temperature and 87 L capacity, and using as raw material the vinasse from the process of the production of ethanol.The UASB reactor has operated for 15 days with VOC 2 kg DQO m-3 d-3 and TDHof 11.5 days. The results obtained in this study showsa good functioning of the UASB applied vinasse. This study obtained an COD removal efficiency of 71% and the volume of accumulated biogas 1160 liter andmethane concentration around 48-57%.