Standing
Graduate (Masters)
Type of Proposal
Visual Presentation (Poster, Installation, Demonstration)
Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
Proposal
Fermentative methane production from glycerol Lu Cao and Jerald A. Lalman Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Windsor Abstract Glycerol (1,2,3-propanetriol) is a waste from biodiesel production. Increasing biodiesel production has caused a surplus of glycerol on global markets. Converting glycerol into value-added chemicals would aid in alleviating this global ‘glut’. Producing fuels such as hydrogen and methane from glycerol are possible routes for adding value to glycerol. The current studies focus on fermentative methane production from glycerol. Screening studies to establish optimal conditions for methane production were conducted at different pH levels (5.5-8.5), initial glycerol concentrations (312-10,000 mg·l-1) and varying glucose to glycerol ratios (1:1-1:4). The preliminary data indicate that the optimal pH was 7.6. The optimal initial glycerol concentration for maximum methane production at pH 7.6 was 625 mg·l-1. Decreasing methane yields were correlated with increasing the initial glycerol concentration. In terms of glucose and glycerol as co-substrate, methane production was inhibited in the presence of glucose, while adding glucose boosts the glycerol degradation rate to some extent. A series of experiments was conducted to examine the effect of vitamin B12 on methane production using glycerol as the substrate. Preliminary results indicate that less methane and more 1,3-PD were produced in cultures containing vitamin B12. Keywords: glycerol, methane production, co-substrate, vitamin B12
Grand Challenges
Sustainable Industry
Fermentative methane production from glycerol
Fermentative methane production from glycerol Lu Cao and Jerald A. Lalman Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Windsor Abstract Glycerol (1,2,3-propanetriol) is a waste from biodiesel production. Increasing biodiesel production has caused a surplus of glycerol on global markets. Converting glycerol into value-added chemicals would aid in alleviating this global ‘glut’. Producing fuels such as hydrogen and methane from glycerol are possible routes for adding value to glycerol. The current studies focus on fermentative methane production from glycerol. Screening studies to establish optimal conditions for methane production were conducted at different pH levels (5.5-8.5), initial glycerol concentrations (312-10,000 mg·l-1) and varying glucose to glycerol ratios (1:1-1:4). The preliminary data indicate that the optimal pH was 7.6. The optimal initial glycerol concentration for maximum methane production at pH 7.6 was 625 mg·l-1. Decreasing methane yields were correlated with increasing the initial glycerol concentration. In terms of glucose and glycerol as co-substrate, methane production was inhibited in the presence of glucose, while adding glucose boosts the glycerol degradation rate to some extent. A series of experiments was conducted to examine the effect of vitamin B12 on methane production using glycerol as the substrate. Preliminary results indicate that less methane and more 1,3-PD were produced in cultures containing vitamin B12. Keywords: glycerol, methane production, co-substrate, vitamin B12