Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory

The Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory conducts research on wastewater treatment and the recovery of energy and value-added products from wastes. The laboratory houses anaerobic completely mixed reactors, upflow anaerobic reactors, and batch reactors. These systems are used to treat waste and wastewater under anaerobic conditions, enabling the production of energy and various biochemical products. As a result of reactor operations, products such as biogas, organic acids, and ethanol are generated.

A wide range of analytical instruments is available in the laboratory for determining reactor operating conditions and quantifying product composition. The composition of produced biogas is analyzed using a Varian Micro-GC gas chromatography system, allowing for the determination of methane, hydrogen, nitrogen, and other gas components. Biogas volume is measured using a displacement-based method supported by a peristaltic pump. The laboratory is also equipped with a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system and a gas chromatography device with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) for identifying organic acids, ethanol, by-products, and potential inhibitory compounds.

Additionally, the laboratory is capable of producing pure algal cultures. Sterile laminar flow hoods and multiple photobioreactors support these activities.

The laboratory infrastructure enables comprehensive characterization of organic wastes and wastewaters. Analyses include total solids (TS), alkalinity, acidity, pH, temperature, oil content, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total volatile fatty acids, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia, nitrate, phosphorus, Van Soest fiber fractions (cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, soluble components), capillary suction time, biochemical methane potential (BMP), and carbon content. Equipment such as desiccators, drying ovens, and muffle furnaces are used for solid content analysis. Glassware is used for alkalinity and acidity measurements, while pH and temperature are measured with a digital pH meter. COD, ammonium, nitrate, and phosphorus analyses are conducted with Hach spectrophotometer test kits. Oil content is determined using glass apparatus and an evaporator. TKN and ammonia analyses are performed using fume hoods, digestion reactors, and distillation units. Van Soest analysis is conducted using a dedicated glass digestion system. Capillary suction time—an important parameter in sludge characterization—is measured using a Triton CST apparatus.

The laboratory includes multiple batch reactors and temperature-controlled incubator shakers essential for BMP assays, which are critical for determining the energy potential of organic wastes. A Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyzer is available for measuring carbon content in wastes and wastewater.

A broad range of pretreatment processes can also be applied prior to energy and product recovery from wastes. Thermo-chemical, physical, high-pressure–high-temperature, and hydrodynamic cavitation treatments can be successfully implemented. Supporting this capacity are digital heating–stirring plates, various grinders, two hydrodynamic cavitation units of different scales, and a Parr high-pressure/high-temperature reactor.

The laboratory also conducts research on biological membrane reactor systems. In this context, Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors (AnMBR) and an external Sterlitech membrane filtration unit are part of the laboratory infrastructure.

To support the successful operation of reactors and analytical procedures, the laboratory is equipped with a wide array of auxiliary devices. These include extensive glassware (beakers, cylinders, pipettes, volumetric flasks, etc.), heating–cooling circulators, precision and standard balances, automatic pipettes, magnetic stirrers with heating capability, a pure water system, refrigerators, autoclaves, sterile cabinets, fume hoods, deep freezers, and centrifuges.