Anaerobic fermentations in LAMBDA MINIFOR lab scale digesters

In the recent study by the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, organic solid waste was fermented under anaerobic conditions to produce biogas in continuously stirrer lab scale digesters, LAMBDA MINIFOR laboratory fermenter of 7 liters capacity.

Figure 1: Reference Nakasima-López, Mydory, Paul Taboada-González, Quetzalli Aguilar-Virgen, and Nicolás Velázquez-Limón. "Adaptación de Inóculos Durante el Arranque de la Digestión Anaerobia con Residuos Sólidos Orgánicos." Información tecnológica 28, no. 1 (2017): 199-208. doi.org/10.4067/S0718-07642017000100020

For the biodegradation process, the researchers fed organic solid waste as a substrate to the fermentation vessels of LAMBDA MINIFOR anaerobic lab scale digesters, discharged treated effluent from the vessels output and collected the produced biogas by water displacement method.

During anaerobic fermentation, automated regulation and measurement of essential fermentation parameters such as pH and temperature with the integrated sensors were carried out in LAMBDA MINIFOR lab scale digesters.

Maintaining anaerobic conditions made easy with LAMBDA MINIFOR lab fermenters!

With the LAMBDA MINIFOR lab fermenters, the anaerobic conditions are easy to maintain throughout the fermentation:

Complete sealing of reactor vessels for anaerobic fermentation

LAMBDA MINIFOR lab fermenters assures complete physical closure (sealing) of the vessels from the outer environment.
Permanent multi-seal silicone stoppers at the side necks allow an easy and perfect closure of probes, liquid and gas lines to the lab fermenters.

Figure 2: Complete closure of LAMBDA MINIFOR vessels ensures maintaining anaerobic conditions during fermentations.

Purging reactor vessels with N₂ gas

For anaerobic processes, controlled addition of inert N₂ gas to fermentation vessels displaces the residual air in the LAMBDA MINIFOR fermenters:

• Purging headspace with N₂ gas
• N2 sparging for oxygen displacement in the medium

The axis of the agitation of the LAMBDA MINIFOR fermenters is equipped with the gas line and a self-cleaning microsparger. The system will be sparging nitrogen (N2) continuously into the system.

H₂S gas and protection of laboratory fermenter

During degradation of organic waste under anaerobic conditions, the produced biogas contains hydrogen sulphide (H2S) which is corrosive. To protect both the laboratory fermenter and the biodegradation experiments from corrosion, LAMBDA Laboratory Instruments supplies glass reactor vessels for MINIFOR lab fermenter. LAMBDA fermenter manufacturer offers customized replacement parts made with H₂S resistant elastomers or polyurethane membranes for protection against H₂S gas corrosion in the LAMBDA MINIFOR anaerobic digester. 

Off-gas measurement of biogas production

The exhaust or outgas line of the LAMBDFA MINIFOR laboratory fermenter allows the possibility to connect the devices to measure the concentration of carbon dioxide and methane:

• LAMBDA METHAMETER or CH₄-METER measures the concentration of Methane in 0 – 5% pCH₄ and / or 0 – 100%.
• LAMBDA CARBOMETER or CO₂-METER measures the concentration of CO₂ in 0 – 100%.

The gas flow meter MASSFLOW HS continuously measures the total gas flow from the exhaust gas line during laboratory fermentation processes, such as anaerobic digestion of organic waste in waste water or biogas production.

Features of LAMBDA MINIFOR bench-top fermenter could be found at www.fermentador-bioreactor.com/features/ and www.lambda-instruments.com/fermenter-bioreactor/.

Keywords: Anaerobic Digestion, Bioenergy, Biogas, Methane, CO₂, Organic Waste, CSTR, H₂S, Wastewater treatment, laboratory fermenter, Methanogenesis