Cheese whey wastewater (CWW) is the major by-product of the dairy industry. CWW is produced in large quantities, has varied characteristics and is usually disposed of. The disposal of CWW causes a negative impact on the environment of different agroindustrial areas due to the physic-chemical composition that significantly increases its high organic load and nutrients. For this reason, the aim of this work was to carry out an evaluation of the anaerobic treatability of an Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) bioreactor as a new sustainable alternative for treatment of these effluents with bioenergy production. In this study, the bioreactor was operated under stable conditions (i.e., buffer index of 0.23 ± 0.1, pH 7.22 ± 0.4 and temperature 26.6 ± 1.4 °C) for 201 days. During evaluation the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 6 and 8 days, and it was buffered with NaHCO₃. At these conditions, the COD removal rate and biochemical methane potential (BMP) were 90, 92%; and 334, 328 mLCH₄/gCOD, respectively. The evidence found in this study highlighted that the CWW is a viable substrate to be treated in the EGSB bioreactor as long as it keeps buffered. Furthermore, the process to treat the CWW in an EGSB bioreactor can be a sustainable alternative to simultaneously solve the environmental pollution that this agro-industry confronts and produce renewable and environmentally-friendly bioenergy.

中文翻译：

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膨胀颗粒污泥床（EGSB）生物反应器与生物甲烷气处理干酪乳清废水

奶酪乳清废水（CWW）是乳制品行业的主要副产品。CWW大量生产，具有多种特性，通常都被丢弃。CWW的处理由于其物理化学成分会大大增加其高有机负荷和养分，从而对不同农用工业区的环境造成负面影响。因此，这项工作的目的是对膨胀颗粒污泥床（EGSB）生物反应器的厌氧可处理性进行评估，以此作为利用生物能生产来处理这些废水的新型可持续替代方法。在这项研究中，生物反应器在稳定的条件下（即缓冲指数为0.23±0.1，pH为7.22±0.4和温度为26.6±1.4°C）运行201天。在评估期间，水力停留时间（HRT）为6天和8天，₃。在这些条件下，COD去除率和生化甲烷潜能（BMP）分别为90％和92％；和334，328 mLCH ₄ / gCOD。这项研究中发现的证据强调，只要保持缓冲状态，CWW是可在EGSB生物反应器中处理的可行底物。此外，在EGSB生物反应器中处理CWW的工艺可以是一种可持续的替代方案，可以同时解决该农业工业面临的环境污染并产生可再生和环保的生物能源。