This study presents a biophotocatalytic system as a sustainable technology for the recovery of clean water and renewable energy from wastewater, thereby providing a unique opportunity to drive industrialization and global sustainable development throughputs. Herein, inhouse magnetized photocatalyst (Fe-TiO2) with surface area 62.73 m2/g synthesized via co-precipitation, was hypothesized to hasten an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor for the treatment of local South Africa municipality wastewater with the benefit of high-quality biogas production. A lab scale UASB process with a working volume of 5 L coupled with two UV-lights (T8 blacklight-blue tube, 365 nm, 18 W) was operated batchwise under mesophilic conditions for the period of 30 days with a constant organic load charge of 2.76 kg COD/m3. d. This biophotocatalytic system performance was investigated and compared with and without the Fe-TiO2 charge (2-6 g) with respect to effluent quality, biogas production and CO2 methanation. Using chemical oxygen demand (COD) measured as the degree of degradation of the pollutants, the best efficiency of 93% COD removal was achieved by a 4 g Fe-TiO2 charge at 14 days and pH of 7.13, as compared to zero charge where only 49.6% degradation was achieved. Under the same charge, cumulative biogas and methane content of 1500 mL/g COD.d and 85% were respectively attained as compared with the control with 400 mL/g COD.d and 65% methane content. Also, the energy produced can be used to offset the energy utilized by the UV-light for the wastewater abatement and other limitations of photocatalysis. The BP system was found to be an eco-friendly and cost-effective technology to be explored in water treatment settings.
Keywords: anaerobic digestion; bio photocatalysis; bioenergy; biogas; hydrolysis; magnetic nanomaterials; wastewater.