Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) Production from Wastewaters with High Salinity—Influence of pH, Salinity and Reactor Configuration

The hydrocarbon-based economy is moving at a large pace to decarbonized sustainable bioeconomy based on biorefining all types of secondary carbohydrate-based raw materials. In this work, 50 g L?1 in COD mixture food waste, brine and wastewater derived from biodiesel production facility were used produce organic acids, important building-blocks for biobased industry. High salinity (12–18 L?1), different reactors configuration operated batch mode, initial pH tested. experiment I, stirred reactor (BSR) atmospheric pressure granular sludge bed column (GSBC) tested with an 5. the end experiment, acidification yield (?a) was similar both (22–24%, w/w); nevertheless, lactic acid lower concentrations BSR (6.3 COD), when compared GSBC (8.0 valeric dominant acid, reaching 17.3% (w/w) BSR. II, pressurized (PBSR, 6 bar) 7. ?a VFA concentration higher (46%, 22.8 COD) than PBSR (41%, 20.3 g/L longer chain acids more predominant (24.4% butyric, 6.7% valeric, 6.2% caproic acids) (23.2%, 6.2%, 4.2%, respectively). results show that 7 allows achieving ?a, presents most suitable among configurations wastes/wastewaters high salinity.