Pilot-scale study of an anaerobic baffled reactor for the treatment of domestic wastewater

Abstract

Large proportions of South Africans live in areas with inadequate sanitation and a poor infrastructure for waterborne sanitation. Service providers are looking for alternative wastewater treatment options. The anaerobic baffled reactor is being considered as a decentralised sanitation option in these areas. A 3,200 L reactor was built and is currently being evaluated at a wastewater treatment works. The reactor was built based on experiences gained from working with a laboratory reactor (10 L) and predicted flow patterns observed on a computational fluid dynamics model. The design and construction of the reactor will be discussed in this paper. The feed to the reactor consists of screen degritted sewage and the flow to the reactor is maintained by means of a programmable logic controller. The pilot-plant layout is discussed in this paper. Samples are analysed for chemical oxygen demand, pH, alkalinity, ammonia, phosphorus, solids and ash content. Reductions of between 70 and 80% are obtained for COD and the pH values for the effluent samples are within the discharge limits.

The Effectiveness of Anaerobic Baffled Reactor and Rotating Biological Contactor in Batik Wastewater Treatment

“…This concentration was even higher than that of Melati industry, which was only in the range of 400-1,750 mg/L) [9]. However, phenol, BOD 5 , and lead concentration of the wastewater were lower than those of textile wastewater quality standard which was assessed by the Central Java Provincial Government [10]. Due to this reason, the following measurement was focused on the high-concentrated pollutants, i.e.…”

“…This design gives a good contact between the wastewater and biological agent, such as activated sludge [4]. In addition to its simple design, ABR efficiently reduces COD, solids, and gives a lower operational costs, as reported by Dama et al [5].…”

The Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (Abr): Performance and Microbial Population at Various Cod Loading Rates

“…Each compartment had a vertical baffle that directs the liquid flow alternately downward and upward. The ratio of down-flow and up-flow width in each compartment was 1:3 as suggested by Dama et al [10]. Also, the 45-degree slanting baffle was recommended to reduce the region of dead space and direct the flow to the center of the up-flow region [10].…”

“…The ratio of down-flow and up-flow width in each compartment was 1:3 as suggested by Dama et al [10]. Also, the 45-degree slanting baffle was recommended to reduce the region of dead space and direct the flow to the center of the up-flow region [10]. The wastewater flows from one compartment to the next through window cut on the acrylic partition.…”

Treatment Efficiency of an Anaerobic Baffled Reactor Treating Low Biodegradable and Complex Particulate Wastewater (blackwater) in an ABR Membrane Bioreactor Unit(MBR-ABR)

“…Within this type of reactor, wastewater is forced to flow under and over the baffles from one compartment to the next as it passes from the inlet to the outlet (Dama et al, 2002). Bacteria within the reactor gently rise and settle due to flow characteristics and gas production but move down the reactor at slow rate (Barber et al, 1999).…”