Author: M. Faisal, Asri Gani, Farid Mulana, Hiroyuki Daimon

DOI:

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of organic loading on the change of produced methane biogas and some wastewater parameters (i.e., pH, COD, MLSS, MLVSS, and ammonia) of the thermophilic stirred anaerobic reactor in treating tofu wastewater. The composition of the biogas produced was also measured. The reactor was studied at different organic loadings ranging from 65 to 162.5 g COD. The temperature in the reactor was maintained at 55^oC. In general, the reactor showed a good performance in utilizing tofu waste, producing significant amount of methane biogas. The production of biogas changes with the change of organic loading rates. The biogas comprised methane (79.5%), CO₂ (20%), and CO (0.5%). Based on the results of the analysis, since there were no corrosive materials, the biogas produced could be used directly for electricity or to power a generator. Other parameters such as pH, COD, MLSS, MLVSS, and NH₃-N were changed during the process.

Keywords: Organic Loading, Tofu Waste, Methane, Thermophilic Stirred Anaerobic Reactor.