Research Paper Led by Assistant Professor at Faculty of Science and Engineering Published in “Journal of Water Process Engineering”
A research paper co-authored by Dr. Pranshu Bhatia, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Soka University (SU), along with other researchers from SU and Bahir Dar University (BDU), was published in the “Journal of Water Process Engineering.”* The paper is titled “High-rate anaerobic digestion of water hyacinth juice in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor with observations on granule formation.”
Water hyacinth is an invasive aquatic plant that poses significant environmental challenges due to its rapid proliferation in water bodies. Water hyacinth juice can serve as an appropriate substrate to generate methane through anaerobic digestion, offering a sustainable solution for managing water hyacinth biomass.
This study investigated the efficiency of treating water hyacinth juice using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor, focusing on biogas production and the development of microbial granules. The results of this study indicate the potential use of water hyacinth as a sustainable energy source while solving environmental problems caused by its overgrowth.
This study was conducted within the framework of the SATREPS-EARTH Project.
Authors: Pranshu Bhatia (SU), Masaaki Fujiwara (SU), Shin-ichi Akizuki (SU), Daiki Maruyama (SU), Nigus Gabbiye Habtu (BDU), Shinjiro Sato (SU), Tatsuki Toda (SU)
* “Journal of Water Process Engineering” is an academic journal which covers research on water and wastewater treatment. Its impact factor (IF) is 6.3.