Enhancement of anaerobic digestion operational efficiency for guar gum production wastewater using a microaerobic-biochar coupled system

DONG Yuanyuan; YU Jianchang; SHAN Yu; XU Tian; BU Jiuhe; WANG Tao

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202604010

Volume 44 Issue 4

Apr. 2026

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DONG Yuanyuan, YU Jianchang, SHAN Yu, XU Tian, BU Jiuhe, WANG Tao. Enhancement of anaerobic digestion operational efficiency for guar gum production wastewater using a microaerobic-biochar coupled system[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(4): 90-100. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202604010

Citation:

DONG Yuanyuan, YU Jianchang, SHAN Yu, XU Tian, BU Jiuhe, WANG Tao. Enhancement of anaerobic digestion operational efficiency for guar gum production wastewater using a microaerobic-biochar coupled system[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(4): 90-100. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202604010

Citation:

DONG Yuanyuan, YU Jianchang, SHAN Yu, XU Tian, BU Jiuhe, WANG Tao. Enhancement of anaerobic digestion operational efficiency for guar gum production wastewater using a microaerobic-biochar coupled system[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(4): 90-100. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202604010

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Enhancement of anaerobic digestion operational efficiency for guar gum production wastewater using a microaerobic-biochar coupled system

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202604010

1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China;
2. Jimo Lishui Water Affairs Co., Ltd., Qingdao 266000, China;
3. School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Wuxi University, Wuxi 214105, China

Received Date: 2025-03-28
Available Online: 2026-06-06
Publish Date: 2026-04-01

Abstract

Abstract

The 1，2-propanediol in guar gum production wastewater tends to trigger propionate accumulation during traditional anaerobic treatment， leading to microbial activity inhibition. Microaerobic conditions can create a favorable environment for fermentative bacteria metabolism and promote the conversion of organic substrates. Biochar can facilitate the formation of anaerobic microbial aggregates and enhance the oxygen tolerance of anaerobic microorganisms. In this study， actual guar gum production wastewater was used as the research object， and a blank control group， an anaerobic group， and a microaerobic-biochar coupled （O₂/BC） group were set up to investigate the operational efficiency of anaerobic digestion under the microaerobic-biochar coupled system. The results showed that through the regulation of micro-aeration ［0.2 mL/（g VS·d）］ and biochar dosage （15 g/L）， efficient wastewater treatment was achieved under mesophilic （37 ℃） conditions， with a COD removal efficiency reaching 90%， which was 10.6% higher than that of the anaerobic control group. The effluent COD concentration and propionate concentration were reduced to 3800 mg/L and 0.15 g/L， respectively， representing decreases of 49.6% and 98.4% compared to the anaerobic control group. The biogas production was 1.64 times that of the anaerobic control group， with the maximum methane concentration reaching 77.2%. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR） revealed that the quantities of —OH， —CH₂— and C—O functional groups on the surface of the sludge increased significantly， revealing the enhanced adsorption effect of biochar on microorganisms. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） observations showed that the microaerobic-biochar coupled system formed dense microbial aggregates dominated by long bacilli， which were significantly different from traditional anaerobic sludge. The analysis of the microbial community composition revealed that the microaerobic-biochar coupled condition increased the abundance of Clostridium and Comamonas species， thereby modulating the propionate-to-acetate ratio and thus enhancing the efficiency of complex organic matter degradation.
- guar gum wastewater,
- microaerobic,
- biochar,
- anaerobic digestion,
- gas production

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References(39)

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