Paola Poirrier

• PhD
• Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso

The influence of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the anaerobic hydrolysis of complex substrates has been studied under psychrophilic conditions. For this purpose, a continuous stirred tank reactor was operated at 15 °C and neutral pH and gelatin was considered as a model protein. Three HRTs have been tested: 12, 21 and 36 h. Gelatin hydrolysi...

In this study, a microalgae growth kinetic model based on its PSII quantum yield was built. It was used to simulate the following operational curves: microalgae concentration – dilution rate (X-D) and volumetric cell productivity – dilution rate (Q-D) in a continuous culture. The model considers 8 parameters particular for the microalgae species an...

Dandelion (Taraxacum spec) is a wild plant that has been used for centuries as a traditional medicine in the relief and treatment of several diseases. This use is due to the presence of sesquiterpenes, saponins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and sugars, among others, found in the organs of the plant. The aim of this work is to provide a current r...

We evaluate the total phenolic compounds (TPC) content and the antioxidant activity (AA) of extracts obtained from ground fresh thyme (FT) and depleted thyme (DT), a by-product of the process of essential oil extraction. In addition, enzymatic treatments were evaluated to improve the extraction yields of polyphenolic compounds from thyme. Extractio...

In this work the anaerobic monodigestion for the treatment of turkey manure was evaluated, without its codigestion with another substrate. The effect of the organic loading rate (OLR) and the substrate concentration (high total solids (TS) concentration) or product concentration (high volatile fatty acids (VFA) and/or ammonia (NH(3)-N) concentratio...

In Latin America, the most accepted disposal systems for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) are landfills, which nowadays have low rates of stabilization. The objective of this study was to develop design criteria for sanitary landfills which lead to a reduction in the stabilization times of MSW, based on experiment results obtain from a pre-pilot scale o...

A method based on measuring substrate depletion rate was developed to evaluate the denitrifying activity of activated sludge in suspension and in biofilm form in anoxic serum flasks. The adapted activated sludge inoculum was grown as biofilm in an anoxic rotating biological contactor (RBC). Acetate was used as external carbon source to obtain a car...

A two-phase anaerobic digestion process of synthetic domestic wastewater was studied at ambient temperature in mild to cold climates. The hydrolytic stage was carried out in a continuous stirred tank reactor with an effective volume of 1.2 L. The hydrolytic reactor operated at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) in the range of 1.3 to 2.7 h, which all...

The two-phase anaerobic process of waste water, at environmental temperatures in temperate to cold climates, was studied. The hydrolytic stage occurred in a continuous reactor with an agitation tank that has an effective volume of 1,2 L. The maximum percentaje of organic matter removed was that of 88 % at two stages operation achieving a production...

The influence of the concentration of biomass on the level of inhibition and anaerobic degradation kinetics in batch systems was studied with toxic compounds that can generate destabilization in the operation of sludge anaerobic digesters. The compounds were grouped in four families; long chain fatty acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, linear...

One of the research areas is the agricultural use of treated wastewaters, because it represents a unique opportunity to solve the problem of water supply for irrigation and at the same time the disposal of treated water. Anaerobic digestion appears as an interesting alternative, since anaerobically treated wastewaters can be used for irrigation pur...

Lately, efforts put into solving the serious environmental problems caused by the accumulation of liquid, gaseous or solid industrial residues, have been greatly increased, being solid wastes the last ones to be considered. This work studies the anaerobic biodegradation of salmon waste produced by death in the farming process. The results obtained:...