An Assessment of the Total Phosphorous Mass Balance Using a Modified Persulfate Digestion Method
Poster Number
20
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
William Stringfellow
Faculty Mentor Department
Environmental Engineering
Additional Faculty Mentor Name
Chelsea Spier
Abstract/Artist Statement
California ranks first in the nation in municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, dairy manure, and food processing waste generation. This waste has undeveloped potential biogas generation capacity estimated at 600 Megawatts. Utilizing these wastes to produce biogas for energy production could help California meet state renewable energy goals and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The Ecological Engineering Research Program (EERP) is working with Fiscalini Farms, a California dairy, to develop best available control technology for biogas combined heat and power systems and collect system performance data for future use to advance the science, technology, and market penetration in California. A mass balance of nitrogen, sulfur, carbon, salts, and solids is being developed. Samples collected as part of this mass balance include a mixture of slurry and solids. Slurry samples have been measured for total phosphorous (TP) since the beginning of the project using a modified persulfate digestion followed by an ascorbic acid reaction, which allows for colorimetric determination of TP. For my part of this project, I am developing a new method for TP determination on solid samples based on standard methods because the previous method was determined to be insufficient for many sample types. Once this method is developed all archived solid samples will be measured and TP will be included as part of the mass balance. The mass balance is critical to the long term sustainability of the system because nearly all wastes entering the system remain on site and are ultimately applied to the fields as fertilizers.
Location
Grave Covell
Start Date
21-4-2012 10:00 AM
End Date
21-4-2012 12:00 PM
An Assessment of the Total Phosphorous Mass Balance Using a Modified Persulfate Digestion Method
Grave Covell
California ranks first in the nation in municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, dairy manure, and food processing waste generation. This waste has undeveloped potential biogas generation capacity estimated at 600 Megawatts. Utilizing these wastes to produce biogas for energy production could help California meet state renewable energy goals and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The Ecological Engineering Research Program (EERP) is working with Fiscalini Farms, a California dairy, to develop best available control technology for biogas combined heat and power systems and collect system performance data for future use to advance the science, technology, and market penetration in California. A mass balance of nitrogen, sulfur, carbon, salts, and solids is being developed. Samples collected as part of this mass balance include a mixture of slurry and solids. Slurry samples have been measured for total phosphorous (TP) since the beginning of the project using a modified persulfate digestion followed by an ascorbic acid reaction, which allows for colorimetric determination of TP. For my part of this project, I am developing a new method for TP determination on solid samples based on standard methods because the previous method was determined to be insufficient for many sample types. Once this method is developed all archived solid samples will be measured and TP will be included as part of the mass balance. The mass balance is critical to the long term sustainability of the system because nearly all wastes entering the system remain on site and are ultimately applied to the fields as fertilizers.