Next Article in Journal
Conversion of a Small-Size Passenger Car to Hydrogen Fueling: Evaluation of Boosting Potential and Peak Performance During Lean Operation
Previous Article in Journal
Robust Wide-Speed-Range Control of IPMSM with Multi-Axis Coordinated Extended State Observer for Dynamic Performance Enhancement
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Energies
Volume 18
Issue 11
10.3390/en18112939
energies-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Performance Characteristics of a Pilot-Scale Electromethanogenic Reactor Treating Brewery Wastewater †

by
Kyle Bowman
1,2,*,
Marcelo Elaiuy
2,
George Fudge
2,
Harvey Rutland
2,
William Gambier
2,
Theo Hembury
3,
Ben Jobling-Purser
2,
Thomas Fudge
2,
Izzet Kale
1 and
Godfrey Kyazze
1
1
School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6UW, UK
2
WASE, Unit 1, City Business Park, Bristol BS5 0SP, UK
3
Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
This paper is an extended version of our poster presented in 2022 ISMET8 Conference, Chania, Greece, 19–23 September 2022.
Energies 2025, 18(11), 2939; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112939
Submission received: 22 April 2025 / Revised: 22 May 2025 / Accepted: 27 May 2025 / Published: 3 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Section A: Sustainable Energy)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

A pilot-scale (4000 L) continuous flow electromethanogenic reactor (EMR), also known as a microbial electrochemical cell coupled with an anaerobic digester (MEC-AD), treating brewery wastewater was designed and installed at Hepworth’s Brewery, UK. This investigation presents a 4-fold increase in size compared to the next largest pilot-scale MEC-AD system presented in the literature, providing findings to inform the operation of a 52,000 L MEC-AD system (currently under construction). Housed in a 20 ft shipping container, the pilot system features four 1000 L reaction vessels arranged in series, each with a working volume of 900 L. Each reaction vessel contained 8 electrode modules. The system was tested over varying organic loading rates (OLRs), achieved through systematic reductions in hydraulic retention time (HRT). HRTs between 24 and 1.8 days were investigated to align with commercial viability targets. OLRs were observed from 0.4 to 7.5 kgCOD/m3/d. A maximum stable OLR of 6.75 kgCOD/m3/d at a HRT of 2.3 days was observed while maintaining COD removal of 65 and 88% over the first two vessels. This pilot demonstrated commercially viable performance of an EMR at a brewery, resulting in the purchase of the technology at commercial scale (52,000 L) to form part of a wastewater treatment system.
Keywords: pilot-scale; MEC-AD; brewery wastewater; anaerobic digestion; electromethanogenesis pilot-scale; MEC-AD; brewery wastewater; anaerobic digestion; electromethanogenesis
Graphical Abstract

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Bowman, K.; Elaiuy, M.; Fudge, G.; Rutland, H.; Gambier, W.; Hembury, T.; Jobling-Purser, B.; Fudge, T.; Kale, I.; Kyazze, G. Performance Characteristics of a Pilot-Scale Electromethanogenic Reactor Treating Brewery Wastewater. Energies 2025, 18, 2939. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112939

AMA Style

Bowman K, Elaiuy M, Fudge G, Rutland H, Gambier W, Hembury T, Jobling-Purser B, Fudge T, Kale I, Kyazze G. Performance Characteristics of a Pilot-Scale Electromethanogenic Reactor Treating Brewery Wastewater. Energies. 2025; 18(11):2939. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112939

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bowman, Kyle, Marcelo Elaiuy, George Fudge, Harvey Rutland, William Gambier, Theo Hembury, Ben Jobling-Purser, Thomas Fudge, Izzet Kale, and Godfrey Kyazze. 2025. "Performance Characteristics of a Pilot-Scale Electromethanogenic Reactor Treating Brewery Wastewater" Energies 18, no. 11: 2939. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112939

APA Style

Bowman, K., Elaiuy, M., Fudge, G., Rutland, H., Gambier, W., Hembury, T., Jobling-Purser, B., Fudge, T., Kale, I., & Kyazze, G. (2025). Performance Characteristics of a Pilot-Scale Electromethanogenic Reactor Treating Brewery Wastewater. Energies, 18(11), 2939. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112939

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop