A novel nanomaterial, bacterial cellulose (BC), has become noteworthy recently due to its better physicochemical properties and biodegradability, which are desirable for various applications. Since cost is a significant limitation in the production of cellulose, current efforts are focused on the use of industrial waste as a cost-effective substrate for the synthesis of BC or microbial cellulose. The utilization of industrial wastes and byproduct streams as fermentation media could improve the cost-competitiveness of BC production. This paper examines the feasibility of using typical wastes generated by industry sectors as sources of nutrients (carbon and nitrogen) for the commercial-scale production of BC. Numerous preliminary findings in the literature data have revealed the potential to yield a high concentration of BC from various industrial wastes. These findings indicated the need to optimize culture conditions, aiming for improved large-scale production of BC from waste streams.
The waste water from alcohol industry is called vinasse has a high organic content, with BOD5 = 109.038 mg / l, COD = 353.797 mg / l and TSS = 7200 mg / l, pH 4-5 with a temperature of around 40-50ºC. The current treatment of alcohol waste water, most still using facultative anaerobic technology with open ponds that are only covered with HDPE plastics. This technology produces less optimal biogas and has a weakness that is the hydraulic residence time (HRT) for long (40-50 days), wide land needs, low COD reduction efficiency as well as high risk of fire and leakage of biogas release high to trigger the occurrence of greenhouse gas and global warming effects. Development of technology with innovation reactor integration model Fixed Dome-Hybrid Anaerobic Filter aims to expand the contact area between the substrate and microbial with modification of the substrate flow system and the area of the filter and integrate with the gas accumulator. The design of this Fixed Dome-Hybrid Anaerobic filter integration model technology, has the advantage of producing optimal bioenergy with CH4 more than 50% content with decrease of COD more than 85% and hydraulic residence time of about 10 (ten) days, bioenergy result is renewable energy made from raw material vinasse from alcohol industrial waste which can be utilized for fuel substitution on the distillation process or boiler process of the industry in a sustainable and cleaner environment.
This experiment aimed to investigate the degree of organic degradation to form methane from ethanol/vinasse wastewater using Biomethane Potential test (BMP test). BMP test showed that 180.95 g of COD could degrade to form 0.058 L methane during 58 days of experiment, with hydraulic retention time reach at day 42. The initial COD concentration was 42.857 mg/L with pH 5. The maximum COD degradation was 51.7%, at pH ranged between 5.1 - 5.7. Low pH and high sulfide were indicated in the system that caused inhibitory effect on low degradation of COD. To overcome constraint related to pH, the alkalinity concentration should be also monitored, and addition of CaCO3 to improve alkalinity was necessary.