Development of protocols for assessing the effect of phenol on the dry anaerobic digestion process

• Main Author: Trybula, Barbara Franciszka
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/797

The study was conducted to develop protocols for assessing the effect of phenol on the dry anaerobic digestion process. The experimenter was carried out in two phases. Phase I was designed to observe the effect of increasing phenol concentrations on the process and to assess phenol monitoring program. Phenol addition from 50 mg kg$\sp{-1}$ to 168.75 mg kg$\sp{-1}$ through three additions did not have a deleterious effect on the fermentation process since the system has a stable performance. The effect of phenol concentrations from 168.75 mg kg$\sp{-1}$ to 379.65 mg kg$\sp{-1}$ could not be determined since both reactors failed. Phenol monitoring program covered specific issues such as: sampling from heterogenous compost material at different stages of the digestion process, phenol quanitification using extraction technique, and high-performance liquid chromatography measurement. Phase II was designed to develop a standard operating procedure for phenol analysis and extraction from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Alkaline water and the solution of 95% of 0.1 N sodium phosphate and 5% acetonitrile were the best extractants. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)