Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Process for Wastewater

Abstract

The project entitled “Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket” aims at determining and analyzing the wastewater treatment performance of UASB treatment facility on the basis of mainly reduction in chemical oxygen demand, in the Institute. Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor was investigated for treatment of industrial and synthetic dairy wastewater which was complex in nature. This work assesses the possibility of using municipal sewage sludge in UASB reactor applied to treatment of real dairy effluent having COD range (500 -1500 mg/l), COD (4000 - 6000 mg/l ) and high COD (4600 – 6000 mg/l) synthetic dairy effluent respectively. After inoculating with municipal sewage, reactor showed rapid start up phase .The reactor was operated in continous mode 43 days for low COD real effluent 23 days for high COD real effluent and 30 days for high COD synthetic effluents. Result shows that for low COD real effluent the actual COD load of 0.054 kg /d accounting for 14.4 h of retention time resulted in 54 % of COD removal efficiency , for high COD synthetic effluent the actual COD load of 0.33 kg/d accounting for 34 h of retention time resulted in 68 % COD removal efficiency with mode at mesophilic temperature range of 27 ± 4 oC and for high COD real effluent actual COD Load was 0.414 kg/d accounting for 20 hr retention time resulted in 51% COD removal efficiency and 51% reduction in TSS was observed corresponding to COD Load 0.338 kg/d and HRT 27.6 hr . It was also observed that for low COD real effluent the rising hydraulic retention time after 14.4 h , for high COD synthetic effluent rising the hydraulic retention time after 34 h and for high COD Real dairy effluent rising hydraulic retention time after 27.6 hr then difference in %COD removal is not meaningful. Along with that the other parameter were also observed like Volatile fatty acid , fluctuation in pH ,TSS , MLVSS , MLSS ect. During the startup of UASB the behavior of sludge bed at different port within the reactor , effect of COD Load on the ratio of MLVSS to MLSS and concentration of biomass at different port were also studied.