MSc Students Presentations - Marina Papadionysiou

Presentation Title (Τίτλος Παρουσίασης): BIOTECHNOLOGICAL ΕXPLOITATION OF USED DIAPERS AND FOODWASTE FOR HYDROGEN AND ORGANIC ACIDS PRODUCTION
Presentation Type (Τύπος Παρουσίασης): MSc Students Presentations
Speakers Full Name (Ονοματεπώνυμο): Marina Papadionysiou
Speakers Affiliation (Προέλευση Ομιλητή): Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras
Seminar Room (Αίθουσα): Seminar Hall
Event Date: Tue, Jun 11 2019, Time: 11:00 - 12:00
Abstract (Περίληψη)

Global economic development and intense population growth over the last decades have contributed to increasing municipal solid waste production (MSW). MSW management is not only a serious environmental issue but also a major social problem. Increasing MSW worldwide creates significant environmental problems, particularly in developing countries, where management can’t be managed due to a lack of economic and technical background. In Greece, significant efforts have been made in recent years to implement integrated management systems. However, the results are not as expected due to the level of background and the poor functioning of the management services, as well as lack of participation, information and public awareness on relevant issues. A large proportion of MSW in both developed and developing countries consists of food and diaper waste, which although they have a high organic load, represent easily biodegradable organic substrates. In this regard, the purpose of the present thesis was to study the performance of a single-stage anaerobic digestion system, treating MSW, at different pH values. The anaerobic co-digestion was performed in batch reactors, under mesophilic conditions and at pH 4-7. The substrate of the process was a mixture of food waste with hydrolysate of used adult diapers. The substrate was subjected to thermal and chemical pretreatment. The main metabolic products produced were acetic and butyric acid, while in some cases the production of ethanol, propionic and lactic acid was also observed. At pH 7, the maximum concentration of total volatile fatty acids (VFAs), 13,438 g/L and the lowest biogas production of 0,557 L. were observed. In addition, maximum biogas production was achieved at pH 6 with a total hydrogen production of 3,4 L, while at pH 4 zero production of VFAs and hydrogen was observed. Finally, high carbohydrate consumption was demonstrated, reaching 91.9%.

Speakers Short CV (Σύντομο Βιογραφικό Ομιλητή)

I am a graduate of the Department of Chemistry at the university of Patras. As a postgraduate student in the Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering and Environmental Technology I studied the identification, the fate, as well as the removal of pharmceutical compounds from wastewater treatment plants. The results of this study are included in " Evaluation of a battery of marine species-based bioassays against raw and treated municipal wastewaters" , published in "Journal of Hazardous Materials" . Furthermore, i studied the performance of a single-stage anaerobic digestion system at different pH values, using as a substrate for this process food waste and diaper waste.