Effects of Wastewater Composition on Stability of UASB
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 119, Issue 5
Abstract
Three types of wastewater based on acetate, sucrose, and ice cream were used to investigate the long‐term effect of wastewater composition on the stability of the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process using laboratory‐scale reactors. Experimental results revealed that variations in the carbon source in the wastewater caused gradual changes in both the physical structures and the bacterial distribution of the seeding granular sludge, which resulted in disintegration or floatation of the granular sludge under certain conditions. The rate of such changes was found to be relatively slow, and depended on the sludge‐loading rate. A semiquantitative mathematical model on the ecological characteristics of the granular sludge was developed and was able to explain the experimental results. The study suggests that the failure of the UASB process under certain circumstance was primarily due to the limitation in the ecological structure of the granular sludge.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Anderson, G. K., and Yang, G. (1992). “Determination of bicarbonate and total volatile fatty acid concentration in anaerobic digesters using a simple titration.” J. Water Envir. Res., 64(1), 53–59.
2.
Anderson, G. K., Yang, G., and Evison, L. M. (1991). “Light and scanning electron microscopy examination of the effect of substrate changes on the structure of granular anaerobic sludge.” Int. Symposium on Environmental Biotechnology, Technological Inst., Royal Flemish Soc. of Engrs., Koninklijke Vlaamse Ingenieursverenigingvzw, Ostend, 341–346.
3.
Cohen, A., Breure, A. M., van Andel, J. G., and van Deursen, A. (1982). “Influence of phase separation on the anaerobic digestion of glucose‐II: stability, and kinetic responses to shock loadings.” Water Res., 16(4), 449–455.
4.
Frostell, B. (1985), “Process control in anaerobic wastewater treatment.” Water Sci. & Technol., 17(1), 173–189.
5.
Ghosh, S., and Klass, D. L. (1978). “Two phase anaerobic digestion.” Proc. Biochem., 13(1), 15–24.
6.
Ghosh, S., and Poland, F. G. (1974). “Kinetics of substrate assimilation and product formation in anaerobic digestion.” J. WPCF., 46(4), 748–759.
7.
Gujer, W., and Zehnder, A. J. B. (1983). Conversion process in anaerobic digestion. Water Sci. and Technol., 15(8/9), 127–167.
8.
Hulshoff Pol, L. W. (1989). “The phenomenon of granulation of anaerobic sludge,” PhD thesis, Univ. of Wageningen, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
9.
Jeris, J. S., and McCarty, P. L. (1965). “The biochemistry of methane fermentation using C14 tracers.” J. WPCF., 37(2), 178–192.
10.
Jovanovic, M., and Hall, E. R. (1982). “Anaerobic treatment of thermal sludge conditioning liquor with fixed‐film & suspended sludge growth processes.” Proc. 37th Ind. Waste. Conf., Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor, Mich., 719–728.
11.
Kaspar, H. F., and Wuhrmann, K. (1978). “Kinetic parameters and relative turnovers of some important catabolic reactions in digesting sludge.” Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 36(1), 1–7.
12.
Lawrence, A. L., and McCarty, P. L. (1969). “Kinetics of methane fermentation in anaerobic treatment.” J. WPCF., 41(2), R1–R7.
13.
Maat, D. Z., and Gorur, S. S. (1989). “Start‐up and performance test of a full‐scale UASB anaerobic wastewater treatment facility.” Proc. 44th Ind. Waste Conf., Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Mich., 209–214.
14.
Morgan, J. W., Evison, L. M., and Froster, C. F. (1990). “The internal architecture of anaerobic sludge granules.” J. Chem. Technol. & Biotechnol., 50(2), 211–226.
15.
Morgan, J. W., Goodwin, J. A. S., Wase, D. A. J., and Froster, C. F. (1990). “Effects of using various types of carbonaceous substrate on UASB granules and on reactor performance.” Biological Waste, 34(1), 55–71.
16.
Novak, J. T., and Carlson, D. A. (1970). “The kinetics of anaerobic long chain fatty acids degradation.” J. WPCF., 42(11), 1932–1943.
17.
Pavlostathis, S. G., and Giraldo‐Gomez, E. (1990). “Kinetics of anaerobic treatment: a critical review.” Water Sci. & Technol., 24(8), 35–60.
18.
Shea, T. G., Pretorius, W. A., Cole, R. D., and Pearson, E. A. (1968). “Kinetics of hydrogen assimilation in the methane fermentation.” Water Res., 2(12), 833–848.
19.
Standard method for examination of water and wastewaters. (1985). 16th Ed., American Public Health Assoc., Washington, D.C.
20.
Valcke, D., and Verstraete, W. (1983). “A practical method to estimate the acetoclastic methanogenic biomass in anaerobic sludges.” J. WPCF., 55(9), 1191–1195.
21.
Weiland, P., and Rozzi, A. (1991). “The start‐up, operation and monitoring of high‐rate anaerobic treatment systems.” Water Sci. & Technol., 24(8), 257–278.
22.
Zehnder, A. J. B., Huser, B. A., Brock, T. D., and Wuhrmann, K. (1980). “Characterization of an acetate decarboxylating non‐hydrogen oxidizing methane bacterium.” Arch. Microbiol., 124(1), 1–11.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 1993 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 16, 1992
Published online: Sep 1, 1993
Published in print: Sep 1993
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.