Temperature effect on UASB reactor operation for domestic wastewater treatment in temperate climate regions

2003 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Lew ◽  
M. Belavski ◽  
S. Admon ◽  
S. Tarre ◽  
M. Green

The performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was investigated for the treatment of domestic wastewater at different operational temperatures (28, 20, 14 and 10°C) and loading rates. For each temperature studied a constant CODt removal was observed as long as the upflow velocity was lower than 0.35 m/h: 82% at 28°C, 68% at 14°C and 44% at 10°C. At 20°C the COD removal increased with the HRT, reaching similar values as at 28°C for long HRT. At upflow velocities higher than 0.35 m/h, a reduction in total COD removal was observed due to washout of influent TSS. At 28°C, a constant 200 g sludge mass was observed and COD removal was attributed to biological degradation only. At lower temperatures, COD removal resulted from degradation and solids accumulation in the reactor. The increase in reactor sludge was greater as the temperature decreased and explains the similar overall COD removal efficiency at 28°C, 20°C and 14°C. During the transition from winter to summer conditions (10°C to 28°C), methane production initially increased due to the degradation of accumulated solids. Afterwards, methane production gradually declined and an increase in COD removal was observed, indicating that the TSS accumulated during the winter was exhausted and influent degradation remained.

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 295-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Lew ◽  
S. Tarre ◽  
M. Belavski ◽  
M. Green

The performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and a hybrid UASB-filter reactor was investigated and compared for the treatment of domestic wastewater at different operational temperatures (28, 20, 14 and 10¡C) and loading rates. For each temperature studied a constant CODt removal was observed as long as the upflow velocity was lower than 0.35 m/h. At these upflow velocities similar removals were observed for both reactor types at 28 and 20¡C, 82 and 72% respectively. However, at 14 and 10¡C the UASB reactor showed a better COD removal (70% and 48%, respectively) than the hybrid reactor (60% and 38%). COD removal resulted from biological degradation and solids accumulation in the reactors. At 28°C, a constant 200 g sludge mass was observed in both reactors and COD removal was attributed to biological degradation only. At lower temperatures, solids accumulation was observed in addition to biological degradation with an increase in reactor sludge as the temperature decreased. The decrease in biological degradation at lower temperatures was offset by solids accumulation and explains the similar overall COD removal efficiency observed at 28°C, 20°C and 14°C. The decrease in temperature was also followed by an increase in the effluent TSS concentration in both reactors. At 14 and 10°C a lower effluent TSS concentration and better performance was observed in the UASB reactor.


1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 433-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lalit K. Agrawal ◽  
Yasuhiro Ohashi ◽  
Etsuo Mochida ◽  
Hiroyuki Okui ◽  
Yasuko Ueki ◽  
...  

The treatability of raw sewage in a temperate climate (wintertime around 10–20°C) using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and the hanging sponge cubes process was evaluated. After being seeded with digested sewage sludge, a 47.1 L UASB reactor was continuously operated for more than 2 years by feeding raw sewage, which had average COD around 300 mg/L (41% soluble). During summertime at an HRT of 7 h, effluent COD approximately 70 mg/L total, 50 mg/L soluble and BOD5 20 mg/L total, 12 mg/L soluble was obtained. During wintertime also, treatment efficiency and process stability was good. With the hanging sponge cubes process using the effluent of the UASB reactor treating raw sewage, the following results were obtained. The ammonia oxidation rates of 1.9 and 3.5 g NH4-N·m−2·d−1 in a downflow hanging sponge cubes biofilter, under natural air intake only were obtained during wintertime and summertime, respectively. With post-denitrification and an external carbon source, 84% in average N (NO3+NO2) was removed with an HRT of less than 1 hour and in the temperature range of 13 to 30°C using an upflow submerged hanging sponge bed bioreactor, under anaerobic conditions. The overall system using a UASB reactor and the hanging sponge cubes process could be quite an attractive treatment alternative.


2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
S K Patidar ◽  
Vinod Tare

The effect of micro-nutrients, such as Fe, Ni, Zn, Co, and Mo, on anaerobic degradation of sulfate laden organics was investigated using bench-scale models of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR), and hybrid anaerobic baffled reactor (HABR), operating in varying conditions in ten phases (organic loading of 1.9–5.75 kg COD/(m3·d), sulfate loading of 0.54–1.88 kg SO42–/(m3·d), chemical oxygen demand (COD):SO42–ratio of 2.0–8.6). In the initial phase, no nutrient limitation was observed with COD removal of more than 94% in all three systems. Subsequently, increase in sulfate loading resulted in Ni and Co limitation and their supplementation restored COD removal in UASB system. However, baffled systems did not recover because of severe inhibition by sulfide. Results indicate that precipitation of nutrients could seriously deteriorate process performance, leading to failure even before sulfide concentration attains toxic level. The limitation of Fe coupled with high sulfate loading (1.88 kg SO42–/(m3·d)) resulted in growth of low-density, fragile, hollow, and granular biomass in UASB that washed out and caused process instability. Supplementation of Fe with other nutrients stabilized UASB process and also improved COD removal.Key words: anaerobic degradation, nutrients, UASB, ABR, HABR, sulfide toxicity, sulfate laden organics.


2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Elmitwalli

Although the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor has been widely applied for domestic wastewater treatment in many developing countries, there is no sufficient mathematical model for proper design and operation of the reactor. An empirical model based on non-linear regression was developed to represent the physical and chemical removal of suspended solids (SS) in the reactor. Moreover, a simplified dynamic model based on ADM1 and the empirical model for SS removal was developed for anaerobic digestion of the entrapped SS and dissolved matter in the wastewater. The empirical model showed that effluent suspended chemical oxygen demand (CODss) concentration is directly proportional to the influent CODss concentration and inversely proportional to both the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the reactor and wastewater temperature. For obtaining sufficient CODss removal, the HRT of the UASB reactor must be higher than 4 h, and higher HRT than 12 h slightly improved CODss removal. The dynamic model results showed that the required time for filling the reactor with sludge mainly depends on influent total chemical oxygen demand (CODt) concentration and HRT. The influent CODt concentration, HRT and temperature play a crucial role on the performance of the reactor. The results indicated that shorter HRT is needed for optimization of CODt removal, as compared with optimization of CODt conversion to methane. Based on the model results, the design HRT of the UASB reactor should be selected based on the optimization of wastewater conversion and minimization of biodegradable SS accumulation in the sludge bed, not only based on COD removal, to guarantee a stable reactor performance.


2012 ◽  
Vol 534 ◽  
pp. 221-224
Author(s):  
Fei Yan ◽  
Jin Long Zuo ◽  
Tian Lei Qiu ◽  
Xu Ming Wang

It took 55 days to start up a lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor at ambient temperature 27-28 oC by using the synthetic wastewater, and piggery wastewater was used as the influent after the reactor start-up. From day 120 onwards, COD removal efficiency maintained in the range of 85% to 95% with 6.79-9.66 kg COD/ (m3•d) of volume loading, and the effluent COD concentration ranged between 400 mg/L and 600 mg/L. Granular sludge formation was observed in the reactor after 40-day operation, and the sludge diameter reached 2-4 mm in the 120 day-old reactor. The pH changes in the influent had little influence on COD removal from piggery wastewater using the UASB reactor.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria G. S. L. Brito ◽  
Flávio C. B. Nunes ◽  
Hortência L. F. Magalhães ◽  
Wanderson M. P. B. Lima ◽  
Flávia L. C. Moura ◽  
...  

This work performed a three-dimensional numerical study to describe the hydrodynamics of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor treating domestic wastewater. The simulations were made in the commercial software Ansys CFX®. Different inclinations of the gas deflector were considered, to assess its influence on the velocity field inside the reactor. In order to validate the numerical study, we used experimental data regarding the inflow, the inlet and outlet concentrations of the organic matter, the concentration of solids at the liquid-gas interface and at the reactor outlet, and the pressure field inside it. The comparison between the numerical and experimental results demonstrated small differences. The mathematical model used to describe the hydrodynamics flow in the UASB reactor was quite satisfactory since it adequately has reproduced the physical behavior inside the reactor.


1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 91-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Jeison ◽  
R. Chamy

In the present study an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor were operated with different substrates under the same conditions. Ethanol, diluted beer (as a brewery effluent model) and wastewater from a coffee industry were tested. Ethanol was fed at two different concentrations: 0.5 and 10 gCOD/l. Beer was diluted to a concentration of 3gCOD/l and coffee wastewater had a concentration of approximately 7 gCOD/l. During the operation, samples of sludge were taken from both reactors to measure TSS, VSS, size distribution and methanogenic activity. Batch assays were performed in a third reactor using ethanol at two different superficial velocities to measure substrate uptake. The overall COD removal for ethanol at 500 gCOD/l in EGSB and UASB reactors was similar (around 80% for a sludge loading rate of 0.8 gCOD/day/gVSS). Granular sludge experienced an important development in its characteristics during the operation with ethanol. Superficial velocity showed a positive effect on COD removal for ethanol below 5m/h. There were no big differences in the removal rates during the operation with coffee wastewater. Probably in this effluent the process is limited by the reaction kinetics instead of by the mass transfer, due to the complex nature of the waste. With diluted beer, EGSB reactor showed a better performance than the UASB.


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