Continuous hydrogen production from tofu processing waste using anaerobic mixed microflora under thermophilic conditions

We carried out continuous fermentative H₂ production from tofu (soybean curd)-processing waste (TPW) using anaerobic mixed microflora under thermophilic (60 °C) conditions and compared the rates and yields of H₂ production in a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) and a membrane bioreactor (MBR), wherein the membrane filtration unit was coupled to the CSTR. The TPW was diluted with tap water and then hydrolyzed by blending for 5 min in the presence of 0.5% HCl, and it was found that this protocol significantly increased the amount of soluble material in the mixture. The soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD)-to-total COD (TCOD) ratio jumped from 14% to 60%, and the soluble carbohydrate concentration was increased threefold, from 2.4 g/L to 7.2 g/L. Accordingly, H₂ production potential was increased 2.8-fold. In a CSTR operation using pretreated TPW as the substrate, a stable volumetric H₂ production rate (VHPR) of 8.17 ± 0.32 L H₂/L/d and a H₂ yield of 1.20 ± 0.05 mol H₂/mol hexose_added at 8-h HRT were achieved. Substantial increases in the VHPR and H₂ yield over those obtained with the CSTR were observed in the MBR operation. The role of the MBR was to increase the retention time of the solid substrate and the concentration of microorganisms, thereby enhancing the substrate utilization rate for H₂ production. Acetic and butyric acids were the main liquid-state metabolites produced during the fermentation process, thus indicating that the thermophilic operation provided favorable conditions for H₂ production from TPW. A maximum H₂ yield of 1.87 mol H₂/mol hexose_added was achieved at 8-h HRT and then gradually decreased to 1.00 mol H₂/mol hexose-equivalent at 2-h HRT. Meanwhile, the VHPR continuously increased to a maximum of 19.86 L H₂/L/d at 4-h HRT and then decreased with a high dilution rate as the HRT was lowered to 2 h (minimum). At 2-h HRT, the degradation of soluble carbohydrate was limited.     

Hydrogen production by anaerobic co-digestion of rice straw and sewage sludge

In this study, the rich carbon content of rice straw and the high nitrogen content of sewage sludge make the straw a good potential substrate and the sludge a viable inoculum for biohydrogen production. Two treatment conditions for the sewage sludge (raw and heat-treated) were used in the present experiments. Batch test using a mixture of rice straw and sewage sludge were carried out to investigate the optimum carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio for effective biohydrogen production. The experimental results indicate that untreated sludge could be used as the inoculum for efficient hydrogen production when mixed with the appropriate proportion of rice straw. According to our results, biogas and hydrogen production in all raw sludge cases ramped up more quickly and also exhibited longer and higher hydrogen production in comparison with heat-treated cases. At the C/N ratio of 25 in untreated sludge, hydrogen production was 33% higher than heat-treated one. Additionally, under the same conditions, high and stable hydrogen content (58%) and the maximal hydrogen yield (0.74 mmol H₂/g-VS added straw) were obtained.     

Evaluation of real-time ice concentration inside pipeline by the refractive index method

Ice fraction (or ice concentration, IC) of the ice slurry flowing through the pipe is very difficult to measure directly and in real time in ice slurry type system in thermal energy storage system. Measuring IC is very important to calculate the capacity of cold energy supplied through a pipeline. Ice fraction measurement methods have been reported as using density, electric resistance, electric conductivity, freezing point etc. However, the conventional methods are not perfect in terms of the resolution and accuracy. In this study, a new method is suggested to measure the IC of the ice slurry flowing through a pipe, which is used for a refractometer with low electrical noise and high resolution. To measure IC of the flowing ice slurry aqueous solution in pipe, it was installed in the test section to mass flow meter, refractometer, cyclone, and RTD (Resistance temperature detector) sensor. From the experiment, IC measurement method by using refractive index showed better result than others for the ice slurry in pipeline flowing or slurry tank.

     

Effect of iron concentration on continuous H2 production using membrane bioreactor

The effect of FeSO₄ on continuous H₂ production in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) was investigated using anaerobic mixed microflora under mesophilic condition. The H₂ production of 41.6 l/day was obtained at 10.9 mg FeSO₄/l, which was 1.59 times higher than that at 2.7 mg FeSO₄/l. Between 2.7 and 13.7 mg FeSO₄/l, the H₂ production rate increased in parallel with the H₂ yield under high-cell-density condition. For the same amounts of FeSO₄, increases in butyric acid together with decreases in lactic acid promoted a reduction of the number of protons and the resultant release of H₂. The hydrogenase activity of 1.08 mg methylene blue (M.B) reduced/min at 10.9 mg FeSO₄/l was about sixfold higher than at 2.7 mg FeSO₄/l. These results suggest that the addition of iron and sulfur to an MBR is an important key factor in the enhancement of H₂ production.     

Influence of solids retention time on continuous H2 production using membrane bioreactor

The influence of solids retention time (SRT) on continuous H₂ production in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) was investigated using mixed mesophilic microflora. The bioreactor was continuously operated at the four SRTs of 2, 4, 12.5 and 90 d on a glucose medium under the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 9 h and the mesophilic condition of 35°C ± 0.5. Stable biogas production with H₂ content of 50.8%–60% was achieved at SRTs ranging from 2 to 12.5 d. No methane gas was observed in monitoring the experimental conditions. The H₂ production increased from 17.62 to 26.1 l-H₂/d when the SRT increased from 2 to 12.5 d, but decreased to 9.1 l-H₂/d at the 90 d SRT. The best H₂ yield, 1.19 mol-H₂/mol-glucose, was observed at the SRT of 2 d and the highest H₂ production rate, 5.8 l-H₂/l/d, was obtained at the SRT of 12.5 d. Stable H₂ production was achieved by maintaining the SRT in the range of 2 - 12.5 d, regardless of the fermentative pathway related to higher lactate production. The decrease in H₂ yield was observed at long SRTs due to the low volatile suspended solids/total suspended solids (VSS/TSS) as well as the high extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) concentrations. These results suggest that the SRT is the key factor enabling sustainable H₂ fermentation in MBR, and that an SLR value of around 1.6 kg-DOC/kg-VSS/d might be the specific condition for achieving optimum H₂ production.     

Abnormal grain growth enhanced densification of liquid phase-sintered WC–Co in support of the pore filling theory

This study examines the effect of grain growth on densification during liquid phase sintering of compacts with faceted grains. Two kinds of WC powders with different sizes were used to produce WC–Co alloys. Large pores of ~5 μm size were generated in 95WC–5Co (wt%) using spherical Co particles of the same size. The overall sintering behavior was observed by measuring grain growth and densification as a function of sintering time at a sintering temperature of 1350 °C. When the WC powder was fine (0.4 μm), large pores disappeared upon filling of pores by liquid with the formation of abnormal grains. On the contrary, when the WC powder was large (4.2 μm), grain growth is not observed, and large pores remained intact even after a long period of sintering (24 h). These observations confirm that densification during final stage liquid phase sintering occurs via filling of pores by liquid as a result of grain growth. This finding is consistent with the model of densification predicted by the pore filling theory.     

Hydrogen production potentials and fermentative characteristics of various substrates with different heat-pretreated natural microflora

Batch tests were carried out to investigate the effects of heat-pretreated inocula on the fermentative hydrogen production characteristics of various types of substrates. A total of 8 different inocula and 4 different substrates (starch, glycerol, oil and peptone) were used. Heat pretreatment of the inocula was conducted in order to harvest spore-forming clostridial bacteria. Significant hydrogen production potentials were observed from starch (20.5–174.4 ml H₂/g-COD_starch) and glycerol (11.5–38.1 ml H₂/g-COD_glycerol); however, almost no hydrogen was produced from oil and peptone. When starch was used as a substrate, two different fermentation patterns were observed, according to the inocula: butyric acid-type and ethanol-type fermentation. Polymerase chain reaction combined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis was conducted to compare the bacterial structures cultivated on the starch medium. Different species of clostridial bacteria were observed between the butyric acid-type and ethanol-type fermentation cultures. When glycerol was used as a substrate, 1,3-propanediol was the main by-product with each inoculum. The results of the present study suggest that simultaneous production of ethanol or 1,3-propanediol in addition to hydrogen is a more promising strategy than conventional hydrogen production in acidogenesis.     

Effects of expanded graphite content on the performance of MgO-C refractories

Expanded graphite was introduced into a MgO-C refractory to suppress its thermal expansion and thus enhance thermal shock resistance. The refractory was prepared by mixing MgO powders (particle size = 75 μm and 1 mm), antioxidant and curing agents, flake and expanded graphite, and a novolak-type phenolic resin at 50°C. This was followed by aging at 20°C for 24 h, compacting by uniaxial pressing, curing at 210°C for 5 h, and heat treatment at 1500°C. With an increase in expanded graphite content from 0 to 4 wt.%, the bulk density decreased, apparent density remained unchanged, and apparent porosity increased. The gaps created in the vicinity of MgO particles because of this increase in apparent porosity buffered the thermal expansion of MgO. This increased resistance to thermal shock up to 1500°C. However, the increase in expanded graphite content also had a detrimental effect reflected in the decrease in fracture strength and increase in the residual strain after repeated thermal shock. This contradiction indicates that composition optimization is important for the practical performance enhancement of MgO-C bricks. The optimum content of the expanded graphite was determined as 2 wt.%.     

Adjusting the Thermomechanical Condition to Change the Microstructure of C–Mn Cold Heading Quality Steel for Rapid Cementite Spheroidization at Subcritical Temperature: Effect of Stored Energy

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The effect of the amount of stored energy on the cementite spheroidization rate of 0.45 pct C–0.75 pct Mn (wt pct) steel was investigated. This...     

Effect of organic loading rate on continuous hydrogen production from food waste in submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor

The characteristics of hydrogen fermentation in a membrane bioreactor (HF-MBR) fed with food waste were investigated at thermophilic condition. The HF-MBR was operated at three different organic loading rates (OLRs) of 70.2, 89.4 and 125.4 kg-COD/m³/day. Biogas production rate increased from 22.4 to 32.8 and 62.5 l/day with OLR. The maximum Hydrogen yield and production rate were 111.1 mL-H₂/g-VS _added and 10.7 l-H₂/L/day at an OLR of 125.4 kg-COD/m³/day. The total carbohydrate degradation was better than 96% throughout the experimental runs. Continuous H₂ production from food waste with CH₄-free biogas was successfully sustained in the HF-MBR for 90 days. The microbial community was dominated by Clostridium sp. strain Z6. The H₂ production was significantly improved by shortening the retention time and increasing the OLRs. The HF-MBR showed an H₂ production capacity at the high OLRs due to its higher cell retention.