Modeling of Toxic Wastewater Treatment by Expanded‐Bed Anaerobic GAC Reactors
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 118, Issue 4
Abstract
The expanded‐bed anaerobic GAC reactor, operating with GAC replacement has been demonstrated to treat toxic wastes effectively. The concentration of adsorbable toxic compounds, the hydraulic detention time within the treatment system, and the GAC replacement rate represent three parameters that are strongly related and effectively control process performance. This study investigates the impact of the aforementioned process variables on treatment efficiency. A steady‐state model that includes representations of the various phenomena that occur within the anaerobic reactors such as biodegradation, inhibition, competitive adsorption, and attached biomass shearing is presented. Using independently determined adsorption parameters, measured shear loss coefficients, and literature values for biodegradation kinetic parameters, the model predictions are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Crank, J. (1964). The mathematics of diffusion. Oxford at the Claredon Press, London, England.
2.
Fox, P. (1989). “An innovative reactor design for the treatment of biologically inhibitory wastewater,” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign, Urbana. Ill.
3.
Gupta, A. S., and Thodos, G. (1963). “Direct analogy between mass and heat transfer to beds of spheres.” AIChE J, 9(16), 751–754.
4.
Jossens, L., Prausnitz, J. M., Fritz, W., Schluender, E. U., and Myers, A. L. (1978). “Thermodynamics of multi‐solute adsorption from dilute aqueous solutions.” Chem. Engrg. Sci., 33(8), 1097–1106.
5.
Math/PC‐library. (1984). International Mathematics and Statistics Library, Houston, Tex.
6.
Myers, A. L., and Prausnitz, J. M. (1965). “Thermodynamics of mixed‐gas adsorption.” AIChE J, 11(1), 121–127.
7.
Nakhla, G. F. (1989), “Treatment of inhibitory wastewaters using expanded‐bed anaerobic GAC reactors,” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign, Urbana, Ill.
8.
Nakhla, G. F., Suidan, M. T., and Pfeffer, J. T. (1989). “Operational control of an anaerobic GAC reactor treating hazardous wastes.” Water Sci. Tech., 21, 167–173.
9.
Nakhla, G. F., Suidan, M. T., and Pfeffer, J. T. (1990). “Control of anaerobic GAC reactors treating inhibitory wastewaters.” J. WPCF, 62(1), 65–72.
10.
Pfeffer, J. T., and Suidan, M. T. (1985). “Anaerobic‐aerobic processes for treating coal gasification wastewater.” Proc. of the Ind. Waste Symp., 58th Annual WPCF Conf., Water Pollution Control Federation.
11.
Suidan, M. T., and Fox, P. (1987). “Treatment of hazardous landfill leachate with fluid‐bed anaerobic filter technology.” CERL‐EN‐5‐413A.
12.
Suidan, M. T., Strubbler, C. E., Kaw, S. W., and Pfeffer, J. T. (1983). “Treatment of coal gasification wastewater with anaerobic filter technology.” J. WPCF, 55(10), 1263–1270.
13.
Traegner, U.K. (1990). “Simultaneous modeling of competitive adsorption and dual substrate biodegradation in completely mixed GAC reactors,” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign, Urbana, Ill.
14.
Vidic, R. D., Suidan, M. T., Traegner, U. K., and Nakhla, G. F. (1990). “Adsorption isotherms: Illusive capacity and role of oxygen.” Water Res., 24(1), 1187–1195.
15.
Wang, Y. T. (1984). “Modeling of biological activity in expanded‐bed anaerobic activated carbon filters,” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign, Urbana, Ill.
16.
Wang, Y. T., Suidan, M. T., and Rittman, B. E. (1986). “Anaerobic treatment of phenol by an expanded‐bed reactor.” J. WPCF, 58(3), 227–233.
17.
Weber, W. J. Jr. (1977). “Integrated biological and physiochemical treatment for reclamation of wastewater.” Proc. IAWPRC Conf.
18.
Weber, W. J. Jr., Friedman, Z. D., and Bloom, R. Jr. (1972). “Biologically extended physiochemical treatment.” Proc. of the 6th IAWPRC Conf.
19.
Williamson, K., and McCarty, P. L. (1976). “A model of substrate utilization by bacterial films.” J. WPCF, 48(1), 9–24.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 118 • Issue 4 • July 1992
Pages: 495 - 512
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 ASCE.
History
Published online: Jul 1, 1992
Published in print: Jul 1992
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.