ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Methanogenic and Nonmethanogenic Activity of Granulated Sludge in Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

M. Hutňan, L. Mrafková, M. Drtil, and J. Derco

Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Slovak University of Technology, SK-812 37 Bratislava

Abstract: The methanogenic and nonmethanogenic activities of sludge from anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) were investigated. The lab-scale ABR treated synthetic wastewater containing starch and peptone. The activities were measured at two values of organic loading rate (OLR) - 3.5 kg m^-3 d^-1 and 10 kg m^-3 d^-1 (as COD - Chemical Oxygen Demand). The performance of ABR. was compared with the performance of a UASB (Upflow Anaerabic Sludge Bed) reactor operated under the same conditions. For the kinetic tests corresponding substrates were used: the starch for hydrolytic activity, the glucose for acidogenic activity, and the sodium acetate for methanogenic activity. NaHCO₃ was added to each test with the aim to keep pH in a normal range of operation. For ABR the maximal measured specific hydrolytic activity was 36.8 kg kg^-1 d^-1, maximal specific acidogenic activity 38.1 kg kg^-1 d^-1, and maximal specific methanogenic activity 1.51 kg kg^-1 d^-1 (at OLR. 10 kg m^-3 d^-1). The activities of the anaerobic sludge from UASB reactor at OLR 10 kg m^-3 d^-1 were as follows: hydrolysis 3.52 kg kg^-1 d^-1, acidogenesis 1.12 kg kg^-1 d^-1, and methanogenesis 0.66 kg kg^-1 d^-1. The measurements have shown that the rate-limiting step of anaerobic degradation for the used system substrate-reactor was the methanogenic phase.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 536a374.pdf

Chemical Papers 53 (6) 374–378 (1999)