Evaluation of Mixing and Performance of Lab-Scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactors Treating Domestic Wastewater
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 5
Abstract
The effects of varying hydraulic retention time (HRT) and associated upflow velocity on mixing and reactor performance were evaluated in five lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors treating real domestic wastewater. The mixing and transport studies were carried out with the help of tracer experiments at various HRTs using a pulse tracer input. A number of existing models were assessed for the analysis of the time series of observed tracer concentrations. The plug-flow reactor (PFR) model with two-zone dispersion better simulated the time series of tracer concentrations at all HRTs than other models, such as single compartment dispersion, completely mixed flow reactors (CMFRs) in series, and a combination of CMFR and PFR. The dispersion coefficients obtained from the two-zone dispersion model correlated well with the dispersion analysis expression for flow in a circular cylinder, and the correlation can be used for the prediction of dispersion in a UASB reactor. The analysis of reactor performance data indicated that reduction of dispersion owing to decrease in the upflow velocity resulted in increased sulfidogenic activity in the reactor. This was attributed to the inability of the sulfate reducers to colonize in the reactor at high upflow velocity and mixing condition.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Batstone, D. J., et al. (2002). “Anaerobic digestion model no. 1 (ADM1).” IWA task group for mathematical modelling of anaerobic digestion processes, IWA Publishing, London.
Batstone, D. J., Hernandez, J. L. A., and Schmidt, J. E. (2005). “Hydraulics of laboratory and full-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors.” Biotechnol. Bioeng., 91, 387–391.
Batstone, D. J., Keller, J., Newell, R. B., and Newland, M. (2000). “Modelling anaerobic degradation of complex wastewater I: Model development.” Bioresour. Technol., 75, 67–74.
Behrens, H., et al. (2001). “Toxicological and ecotoxicological assessment of water tracers.” Hydrogeol. J., 9(3), 321–325.
Benischke, R., Goldscheider, N., and Smart, C. C. (2007). “Tracer techniques.” Methods in karst hydrogeology. international contributions to hydrogeology, N. Goldscheider and D. Drew, eds., Taylor & Francis, London, 147–170.
Blumensaat, F., and Keller, J. (2005). “Modelling of two-stage anaerobic digestion using the IWA anaerobic digestion model no 1 (ADM1).” Water Res., 39, 171–183.
Bolle, W. L., van Breugel, J., van Eybergen, G., Kossen, N., and van Gils, W. (1986a). “An integral dynamic model for the UASB reactor.” Biotechnol. Bioeng., 28, 1621–1636.
Bolle, W. L., van Breugel, J., van Eybergen, G. C., Kossen, N. W. F., and Zoetemeyer, R. J. (1986b). “Modeling the liquid flow in p-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor.” Biotechnol. Bioeng., 28, 1615–1620.
Boonsawang, P., Laeh, S., and Intrasungkha, N. (2008). “Enhancement of sludge granulation in anaerobic treatment of concentrated latex wastewater.” Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol., 30(Suppl. 1), 111–119.
Brenner, H. (1962). “The diffusion model of longitudinal mixing in beds of finite length.” Chem. Eng. Sci., 17, 229–237.
Buchauer, K. (1998). “A comparison of two simple titration procedures to determine volatile fatty acids in influents to wastewater and sludge treatment processes.” Water SA, 24(1), 49–56.
Clesceri, L. A., Greenberg, E., and Eaton, A. D. (1998). “Standard method for examination of water and wastewater.” APHA, AWWA, WEF, 20th Ed., American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
Costello, D. J., Greenfield, P. F., and Lee, P. L. (1991). “Dynamic modeling of a single stage high-rate anaerobic reactor. II. Model verification.” Water Res., 25, 859–871.
Dolfing, J., and Bloemen, W. (1985). “Activity measurements as a tool to characterize the microbial composition of methanogenic environments.” J. Microbiol. Meth., 4(1), 1–12.
Goldscheider, N., Meiman, J., Pronk, M., and Smart, C. (2008). “Tracer tests in karst hydrogeology and speleology.” Int. J. Speleol., 37(1), 27–40.
Heertjes, P. M., and Kuijvenhoven, L. J. (1982). “Fluid flow pattern in upflow reactors for anaerobic treatment of beet sugar factory wastewater.” Biotechnol. Bioeng., 24, 443–459.
Heertjes, P. M., and van der Meer, R. R. (1978). “Dynamics of liquid flow in an upflow reactor used for anaerobic treatment of wastewater.” Biotechnol. Bioeng., 20, 1577–1594.
Hoehler, T. M., Alperin, M. J., Albert, D. B., and Martens, C. S. (1998). “Thermodynamic control on hydrogen concentrations in anoxic sediments.” Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 62, 1745–1756.
Hulshoff Pol, L. W., de Castro Lopes, S. I., Lettinga, G., and Lens, P. N. L. (2004). “Anaerobic sludge granulation.” Water Res., 38, 1376–1389.
Jeong, S. H., Kim, H. Y., Yeom, H. S., Song, K. B., and Lee, S. (2005). “Facilitated UASB granule formation using organic–inorganic hybrid polymers.” Process Biochem., 40(1), 89–94.
Kalyuzhnyi, S., and Fedorovich, V. (1997). “Integrated mathematical model of UASB reactor for competition between sulphate reduction and methanogenesis.” Water Sci. Technol., 36, 201–208.
Kalyuzhnyi, S., Fedorovich, V., and Lens, P. (2006). “Dispersed plug flow model for UASB reactors focusing on sludge dynamics.” J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 33, 221–237.
Kalyuzhnyi, S., Fedorovich, V., Lens, P., Pol, H. L., and Lettinga, G. (1998). “Mathematical modelling as a tool to study population dynamics between sulfate reducing and methanogenic bacteria.” Biodegradation, 9, 187–199.
Karim, K., Varma, R., Vesvikar, M., and Al-Dahhan, M. (2004). “Flow pattern visualization of a simulated digester.” Water Res., 38, 3659–3670.
Käss, W. (1998). Tracing technique in geohydrology, Balkema, Rotterdam, 600.
Khanal, S. K. (2008). Anaerobic biotechnology for bioenergy production: Principle and applications, Wiley Blackwell, Ames, IA.
Kosaric, N., Blaszcyk, R., Orphan, L., and Valladares, J. (1990). “The characteristics of granules from upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors.” Water Res., 24, 1473–1477.
Lettinga, G., and Hulshoff Pol, L. W. (1992). “First and secondary start-up of anaerobic reactor systems, particularly of UASB systems.” Anaerobic reactor technology, international course on anaerobic wastewater treatment, Agricultural Univ., Wageningen, Netherlands, 50–63.
Levenspiel, O. (2004). Chemical reaction engineering, 3rd Ed., Wiley (Asia), Singapore.
Levenspiel, O., and Smith, W. K. (1957). “Notes on the diffusion-type model for the longitudinal mixing of fluids in flow.” Chem. Eng. Sci., 6, 227–233.
Liu, X. W., Sheng, G. P., and Yu, H. Q. (2009). “Physicochemical characteristics of microbial granules.” Biotechnol. Adv., 27(6), 1061–1070.
Liu, Y., Yang, S. F., Xu, H., Woon, K. H., Lin, Y. M., and Tay, J. H. (2003). “Biosorption kinetics of cadmium(II) on aerobic granular sludge.” Process Biochem., 38, 997–1001.
Lou, S. J., Tartakovsky, B., Zeng, Y., Wu, P., and Guiot, S. R. (2006). “Fluorescence-based monitoring of tracer and substrate distribution in an UASB reactor.” Chemosphere, 65, 1212–1220.
Makinia, J., and Wells, S. A. (2005). “Evaluation of empirical formulae for estimation of the longitudinal dispersion in activated sludge reactors.” Water Res., 39, 1533–1542.
Metcalf and Eddy, Inc. (2003). Wastewater engineering: Treatment and reuse, 4th Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.
Moin, P. (2001). Fundamentals of engineering numerical analysis, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Mu, S. J., Zeng, Y., Wu, P., Lou, S. J., and Tartakovsky, B. (2008). “Anaerobic digestion model no. 1-based distributed parameter model of an anaerobic reactor: I. Model development.” Bioresour. Technol., 99, 3665–3675.
Nadais, H., Capela, I., Arroja, L., and Duarte, A. (2005). “Treatment of dairy wastewater in UASB reactors inoculated with flocculent biomass.” Water SA, 31(4), 603–608.
Ottino, M. (1990). “Mixing, chaotic advection, and turbulence.” Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech., 22, 207–254.
Papelis, C., and Um, W. (2003). “Evaluation of cesium, strontium, and lead sorption, desorption, and diffusion in cores from Western Pahute Mesa, Nevada test site, based on macroscopic and spectroscopic investigations.” Publication No. 45187, Nevada Site Office National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, Las Vegas.
Patidar, S. K., and Tare, V. (2005). “Effect of molybdate on methanogenic and sulfidogenic activity of biomass.” Bioresour. Technol., 96(11), 1215–1222.
Pena, M. R. (2002). “Advanced primary treatment of domestic wastewater in tropical countries: development of high-rate anaerobic ponds.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Pena, M. R., Marab, D. D., and Avellaa, G. P. (2006). “Dispersion and treatment performance analysis of an UASB reactor under different hydraulic loading rates.” Water Res., 40, 445–452.
Perry, R. H., and Chilton, C. C. (1985). Chemical engineers handbook, 50th Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.
Ren, T. T., Mu, Y., Jie Ni, B. J., and Yu, H. Q. (2009). “Hydrodynamics of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors.” AIChE J., 55(2), 512–528.
Ren, T. T., Mu, Y., Yu, H. Q., Harada, H., and Li, Y. Y. (2008). “Dispersion analysis of an acidogenic UASB reactor.” Chem. Eng. J., 142, 182–189.
Schmidt, J. E., and Ahring, B. K. (1996). “Granular sludge formation in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors.” Biotechnol. Bioeng., 49(3), 229–246.
Shayegan, J., Ghavipanjeh, F., and Mirjafari, P. (2005). “The effect of influent COD and upward flow velocity on the behaviour of sulphate-reducing bacteria.” Process Biochem., 40, 2305–2310.
Singhal, A., Gomes, J., Praveen, V. V., and Ramachandran, K. B. (1998). “Axial dispersion model for upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors.” Biotechnol. Progress, 14, 645–648.
Soto, M., Méndez, R., and Lema, J. M. (1993). “Methanogenic and nonmethanogenic activity tests. Theoretical basis and experimental set up.” Water Res., 27(8), 1361–1376.
Sun, X. F., et al. (2008a). “Biosorption of malachite green from aqueous solutions onto aerobic granules: Kinetic and equilibrium studies.” Bioresour. Technol., 99, 3475–3483.
Sun, X. F., et al. (2008b). “Competitive biosorption of zinc (II) and cobalt (II) in single- and binary-metal systems by aerobic granules.” J. Colloid Interface Sci., 324, 1–8.
Taylor, G. I. (1953). “Dispersion of soluble matter in solvent flowing slowly through a tube.” Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 219(1137), 186–203.
Tiwari, M. K., Guha, S., Harendranath, C. S., and Tripathi, S. (2005). “Enhanced granulation by natural ionic polymer additives in UASB reactor treating low-strength wastewater.” Water Res., 39, 3801–3810.
Valcke, D., and Verstraete, W. (1983). “A practical method to estimate the acetoclastic methanogenic biomass in anaerobic sludges.” J. Water Pollut. Control Fed., 55, 1191–1195.
van der Laan, E. Th. (1958). “Letters to the Editors for ‘Notes on the diffusion-type model for the longitudinal mixing in flow.’” Chem. Eng. Sci., 7, 187.
van Haandel, A. C., and Lettinga, G. (1994). Anaerobic sewage treatment: Apractical guide for regions with a hot climate, Wiley, Chichester, UK.
Wu, M. M., and Hickey, R. F. (1997). “Dynamic model for UASB reactor including reactor hydraulics, reaction and diffusion.” J. Environ. Eng., 123(3), 224–252.
Xu, H., and Liu, Y. (2008). “Mechanisms of , and biosorption by aerobic granules.” Sep. Purif. Technol., 58, 400–411.
Zeng, Y., Mu, S. J., Lou, S. J., Tartakovsky, B., Guiot, S. R., and Wu, P. (2005). “Hydraulic modeling and axial dispersion analysis of UASB reactor.” Biochem. Eng. J., 25, 113–123.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 5 • May 2011
Pages: 322 - 331
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 28, 2010
Accepted: Nov 15, 2010
Published online: Nov 17, 2010
Published in print: May 1, 2011
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.