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Influence of a Three‐Phase Separator Configuration on the Performance of an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed Reactor Treating Wastewater from a Fruit‐Canning Factory
Author(s) -
Wongnoi Rachbordin,
Songkasiri Warinthorn,
Phalakornkule Chantaraporn
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143006x111790
Subject(s) - wastewater , effluent , separator (oil production) , chemical oxygen demand , biogas , pulp and paper industry , sewage treatment , environmental science , waste management , bioreactor , chemistry , environmental engineering , engineering , physics , organic chemistry , thermodynamics
The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of a three‐phase separator configuration on the performance of an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (USAB) treating wastewater from a fruit canning factory. The performances of two 30‐L UASB reactors—one with a modified three‐phase separator giving a spiral flow pattern and the other with a conventional configuration—were investigated in parallel. Wastewater, with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration between 2000 and 7000 mg/L, was obtained from a fruit‐canning factory. Based on the effluent data of the first 100 operation days, the UASB with the three‐phase separator giving spiral flow patterns yielded up to 25% lower biomass washout. It also showed better efficiencies in treating wastewater—up to 60% lower effluent COD, up to 20% higher COD percent removal, and up to 29% higher biogas production. This work presents evidence of an improvement on the conventional physical design of a UASB.