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Foaming of fermentation residues during a vacuum evaporation
Knob, Jan ; Brummer, Vladimír (referee) ; Vondra, Marek (advisor)
The diploma thesis deals with the processing of digestate, which is the remaining material after biogas production. It aims to experimentally prove how chosen operational parameters of antifoaming agents influence digestate foaming associated with the vacuum evaporating technology. Based on the research of available antifoamers and the issue of digestate foaming itself, it was observed how three selected antifoamers (i.e. rapeseed oil, silicone antifoamer Erbslöh Schaum-ex and oleic acid), together with the decrease in the pH factor of the evaporating digestate, influence the final foam production. For the purposes of the research, an apparatus simulating the vacuum evaporating process was set up in which the heated sample was brought to boil by gradual pressure decrease. The process of foaming was observed in a transparent cylinder of a testing culumn. The essential part of the experimental activity is represented by a planned experiment which by means of a DoE (Design of experiments) method proved rapeseed oil to be very efficient. In contrast, other antifoamers, as well as the influence of the pH factor decrease, manifested themselves as insignificant factors, while the oleic acid even supported the foaming. The supplementary measurements led to a more detailed research of the effects of rapeseed oil and to the construction of a mathematical model describing how the concentration of rapeseed oil undermines the amount of generated foam. The main contribution of the thesis is firstly the evidence that rapeseed oil plays an important part in the reduction process of digestate foaming and secondly the determination of minimum substance concentration leading to the foaming reduction of a particular sample which is considered efficient enough to enable functioning of a vacuum evaporator. The thesis has also experimentally demonstrated the influence of some polymer organic flocculants which have been proved to support the foaming.
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Foaming of fermentation residues during a vacuum evaporation
Knob, Jan ; Brummer, Vladimír (referee) ; Vondra, Marek (advisor)
The diploma thesis deals with the processing of digestate, which is the remaining material after biogas production. It aims to experimentally prove how chosen operational parameters of antifoaming agents influence digestate foaming associated with the vacuum evaporating technology. Based on the research of available antifoamers and the issue of digestate foaming itself, it was observed how three selected antifoamers (i.e. rapeseed oil, silicone antifoamer Erbslöh Schaum-ex and oleic acid), together with the decrease in the pH factor of the evaporating digestate, influence the final foam production. For the purposes of the research, an apparatus simulating the vacuum evaporating process was set up in which the heated sample was brought to boil by gradual pressure decrease. The process of foaming was observed in a transparent cylinder of a testing culumn. The essential part of the experimental activity is represented by a planned experiment which by means of a DoE (Design of experiments) method proved rapeseed oil to be very efficient. In contrast, other antifoamers, as well as the influence of the pH factor decrease, manifested themselves as insignificant factors, while the oleic acid even supported the foaming. The supplementary measurements led to a more detailed research of the effects of rapeseed oil and to the construction of a mathematical model describing how the concentration of rapeseed oil undermines the amount of generated foam. The main contribution of the thesis is firstly the evidence that rapeseed oil plays an important part in the reduction process of digestate foaming and secondly the determination of minimum substance concentration leading to the foaming reduction of a particular sample which is considered efficient enough to enable functioning of a vacuum evaporator. The thesis has also experimentally demonstrated the influence of some polymer organic flocculants which have been proved to support the foaming.
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