BIOHYDROGEN GAS STRIPPING FORMED IN ANAEROBIC PROCESS OF HIGH-CONCENTRATION ARTIFICIAL WASTEWATER USING NITROGEN GAS FLUSHING

• Main Author: Rizqi Meutia, Raihannisa
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Teknik saniter dan perkotaan; teknik perlindungan lingkungan
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/87025
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The use of biomass as a renewable energy source has become a primary focus to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and tackle environmental issues. Due to its high organic content, palm oil mill effluent (POME) holds significant potential as a feedstock for renewable energy generation, offering an alternative to food crops in bioenergy production. Renewable energy production from POME can be achieved through anaerobic bioconversion via fermentation. During the acidogenesis phase, bioenergy products such as bioethanol, biohydrogen, and volatile fatty acids can be produced. Several previous studies have investigated the conversion of POME waste into hydrogen, but the biohydrogen concentration remains relatively low. This is likely due to the majority of the hydrogen being dissolved in the liquid phase, making it difficult to measure directly. The addition of nitrogen flushing into the reactor aims to promote the release of dissolved biohydrogen into the gas phase. The effectiveness of hydrogen gas release is evaluated using mass transfer coefficients (kLa and kL) by varying the superficial gas velocity. The hydrodynamic properties of the gas bubbles formed are analyzed to understand the gas transfer process. An increase in the volumetric flow rate and superficial gas velocity positively affects the gas transfer process, with the optimum mass transfer coefficient achieved at a superficial velocity of 0.0079 m/s, yielding a mass transfer coefficient (kLa) and gas transfer coefficient (kL) of 0.00032 s-1 and 2.69×10-5 m/s, respectively. The application of nitrogen gas flushing with a gas superficial velocity of 0.0079 m/s in the processing of high organic artificial waste can increase hydrogen gas concentration, with a maximum concentration increase of 41.7% and the maximum biohydrogen concentration produced being 17.3%, achieved at a reaction time of 72 hours.