Digestión de lodos residuales de las lagunas de oxidación de Ucubamba, Cuenca

Abstract

Anaerobic digestion of waste mud is a process improving the characteristics of mud as a fertilizer and soil improver owing to the existence of a group of anaerobic bacterial microorganisms occurring in fecal matter which act on organic waste of vegetal and animal origin and produce a mixture of gases with large contents of methane (CH4) known as biogas. Biogas is particularly efficient if used as a fuel. Thus, waste with high concentration of nutrients and organic matter, ideal as fertilizers, can be used a fresh state because anaerobic treatment kills pathogens and bad smells. This research shows how a digester of biosolids was used with a treatment volume of 50 liters, a useful volume of 37.4 in thermophilic (53°C) and mesophilic (23°C) conditions; it was fed with biological biosolids from the Plant of Sewage Treatment PTAR in the city of Cuenca. The plant was operated in hydraulic retention times of 39 days. The fed biosolid is characterized by having an average of fecal coliforms of 2.06 E+6, total volatile solids of 2,8 % and helminthes eggs of 21 H.H/4g.ST. A reduction of fecal coliforms was attained (97,2 NMP /g ST), which is under the Mexican norm (1000.NMP/ g ST) in relation to the amount of helminthes eggs, with values up to 2.4 H.H/4g.ST.