ANAEROBIC TREATMENT

PROCESS
 Anaerobic Process
• Methane fermentation is a versatile biotechnology capable of converting almost all
types of polymeric materials to methane and carbon dioxide under anaerobic
conditions. Anaerobes play important roles in establishing a stable environment at
various stages of methane fermentation.

• Process:
1. Hydrolysis
2. Acidogenesis
3. Acetogenesis
4. Methanogenesis

• Microorganisms :
1. fermentative microbes (acidogens);
2. hydrogen-producing,
3. acetate-forming microbes (acetogens); and
4. methane-producing microbes (methanogens) harmoniously grow and
produce reduced end-products.
Reaksi pembentukan Metan:

4H2+CO2CH4+2H2O

4HCOOH CH4+3CO2+2H2O

CH3COOH CH4+CO2

4CH3OH  3CH4+CO2+2H2O

4(CH3)3N+H2O
9CH4+3CO2+6H2O+4NH3
Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment:
• Anaerobic wastewater treatment is the biological treatment of
wastewater without the use of air or elemental oxygen. Many
applications are directed towards the removal of organic pollution
in wastewater, slurries and sludges. The organic pollutants are
converted by anaerobic microorganisms to a gas containing
methane and carbon dioxide, known as "biogas" (see Figure 1
below).

Figure 1. Conversion of Organic Pollutants to Biogas by Anaerobic Microorganisms

 COD Balance:
In the wastewater engineering field organic pollution is measured by the weight of
oxygen it takes to oxidize it chemically. This weight of oxygen is referred to as the
"chemical oxygen demand" (COD). COD is basically a measure of organic matter
content or concentration. The best way to appreciate anaerobic wastewater treatment
is to compare its COD balance with that of aerobic wastewater treatment.

Anaerobic vs Aerobic Treatment for 1000 kg CODB/d

Parameter Anaerobic Aerobic

Power consumption (kW) 1.5 65

Net biosolids prod. (kg TS/d) 15-100 200-600

Energy produced (kW) 140 Nil

 Anaerobic Process
Benefits Disadvantages
• Less nutrients required; • Anaerobic treatment cannot
• System can be shut down achieve surface water
for extended periods discharge quality without
without serious post-treatment;
deterioration; and • Reduced sulfur compounds
• Can handle organic shock are produced, which need
loads effectively. to be properly addressed in
terms of corrosion, odor
and safety; and
• Longer start-up period.
 Anaerobic systems
• Suspended-growth processes
systems where the bacteria grow and are suspended
in the reactor liquid 'granular' or 'flocculent‘

• Attached-growth processes
utilize either fixed film or carrier media (which is
suspended in the liquid) for the bacteria to grow on
and attach to.
 Application
• "High Rate"Anaerobic Treatment:
SRT ≠ HRT

• Granular sludges exhibit high settling velocities and activity rates  reduce reactor volume
and increase the organic loading rate  depend on wastewater characteristics, system
configuration and loading condition
• granular sludge is retained in the system by specially designed gas-liquid-solids separation
devices,

• “Low Rate"Anaerobic Treatment:

SRT = HRT

effective when treating wastewaters that do not granulate well or have substances that
effect the retention of granules at high loading rates (i.e., high concentrations of fat, oil or
grease (FOG), total suspended solids (TSS), COD, salts, total dissolved solids, calcium, etc., in
the wastewater).
• The net effect is that slow growing anaerobes can be
maintained in the reactor at high concentrations, enabling
high volumetric conversion rates, while the wastewater
rapidly passes through the reactor.

• The main mechanism of retaining sludge in the reactor is

immobilization onto support material (microorganisms
sticking to surfaces, eg. filter material in the "anaerobic filter")
or self-aggregation into pellets (microorganisms sticking to
each other, eg. sludge granules).
 Anaerobic Contact Process
• This process consists of a
suspended-growth reactor, with
typical loadings in the range of 0.5
to 3 kg COD/m3/d.
• The lower volumetric loading rate
allows the reactor to retain non-
granular flocculent biomass and to
treat wastewaters that have higher
COD, TSS and FOG than can be
handled by high-rate processes.

• Effective for treatingwastewaters, such as potato processing, dairy and cheese,

yeast and distillery.
• The larger volume of the system means that it occupies more land area;
• Retains a large amount of biomass, which gives the process more stability and
robustness than higher rate systems.
• The system can operate at lower temperatures than other processes and
generates less waste sludge on a dry weight basis.
 Upflow Anaerobic Sludge-Blanket Process
• Influent flow is typically equalized,
neutralized and partially acidified in a
separate tank ahead of the reactor.
• The influent flow is often mixed with
effluent recycle and then distributed into
the lower part of the reactor below the
sludge bed.
• The upper portion of the reactor typically
has a gas-liquid-solids separator (GLSS)
that removes biogas and clarifies the
effluent.

Up flow velocity : 0.6 – 0.9 m/h

Granules range in size
from 0.5-2.5 mm,
•
UASB
UASB reactors typically require low influent TSS concentrations (< 15 percent of the influent
COD concentration) and FOG concentrations (< 100 milligram per liter (mg/l)).

• Concentration from 50-100 kg VSS/m3 at the bottom, to 5-40 kg VSS/m3 in the upper part of
the reactor.

• OLR: 5-15 kg COD/m3/d

• Significant parameters in the UASB operation are floe diameter, microbial density, and the
structure of the gas-solid separator which effectively retains the microbial granules within the
reactor.

• The criteria :
(a) selection of a suitable waste water capable of granule self-formation;
(b) operation of the reactor without mechanical agitation;
(c) start up at a relatively low COD load;
(d) use of waste water containing Ca2+ and Ba2+ and
(e) avoidance of bulking caused by filamentous microbial growth. Granule formation in a
UASB system is influenced by the growth of rod-type Methanothrix spp. which produce
spherical granules.
Anaerobic Fixed Bed Process
• Rasio H/d = 1-2
• Nozzle umpan : 5 – 10 m2
• Kecepatan fluida 1-2 m/h
• Rasio resirkulasi 5-10
• Tinggi fixed bed max 7 m; keseluruhan reaktor max 14,5 m
• OLR : 5-15 kg COD/m3/d.
• used for removal of soluble organics and has similar loading
limits in terms of FOG (< 100 mg/l) and TSS (< 15 percent of
COD) concentrations.
 AnFB
• Full-scale UAFP systems (waste water can be treated at an HRT of 7.8 days with 74% COD
removal. Application of this UAFP to domestic sewage treatment using Raschig rings (2.5 cm)
as microbial supports, resulted in BOD removal of 50 to 60 % and suspended solids (SS)
removal of 70 to 80%, at an HRT ranging from 5 to 33 hours.

• Selection of a medium in which microbial adhesion is greatly influenced both by SS, and the
chemical composition of the waste water, is extremely critical in UAFP systems. The effects of
physical medium characteristics, such as size and shape, on COD removal have been
investigated using modular corrugated blocks (porosity > 95%), pall rings, and perforated
spheres.

• At a COD load of 2 kg/m/day, modular corrugated blocks exhibited superior behavior,

removing 88 % of COD. A comparison of COD removal for cross- and tubular-flow systems,
reveals that COD removal is 20 to 30 % greater in cross-flow systems.

• In addition to plastic media, baked clay and a melted slug have also proven useful in
laboratory experiments on methanogenesis from formate, acetate, and methanol. Pumice
was used as a microbial supporter for methanogenesis from methanol-rich waste water of
the evaporate condensate from a pulp mill (COD load: 12 kg/m3/day, COD removal: 96%).
Expanded Bed Process (Fluidized)
• Media: Pasir, batu bara, agregat lain

• Biomassa tumbuh pada permukaan media

• Konsentrasi biomassa 15.000-40.000 mg/l

• Rasio H/d = 5 – 25

• Faktor kunci: fluidization zone  distribusi

homogen “dead zone” dan “high shear force”

• Tinggi fluidized bed ditentukan oleh flow rate

• Untuk mengurangi kehilangan media:

• “stationary support-biomass separation
device” pada tinggi bed maximum (minimum
1,5 m dibawah overflow)
• Mengatur kecepatan fluidisasi

• OLR :10 - 25 kg COD/m3/d.

 AnEB
• Use of artificial sewage in an AFBR, resulted in COD removal exceeding 80 % at 20°C, and at a
COD load of 2-4 kg/m3/day this system was tolerant of shock loading for step changes of
temperature from 13 to 35°C and from 35 to 13°C. In the case of COD shock loading from 1.3
to 24 kg/m3/day, a steady state is established after 6 days. The AFBR thus seems to be
capable of performing at relatively low temperatures with both low and high COD waste
waters, without significant shock loading effects.

• The AFBR has been progressively developed, as shown by the full-scale operation data in
Table 4-5. Engineering improvements which can potentially minimize the mechanical power
required for fluidization include reduction of the expanded volume, selection of a low density
medium of high specific area; and avoidance of fragility. Media such as sand, quartzite,
alumina, anthracite, granular activated carbon, or crystobalite with a particle size of
approximately 0.5 mm are usually employed.
 Modification of Anaerobic Process
• Novel bioreactors for methane
fermentation such as the UASB, UAFP,
and AFBR experience inherent problems
when operated at high COD loads
overall growth rate of acidogenic
bacteria proceeds faster (10-fold) than
that of methanogenic bacteria.

• Inhibitory products such as volatile fatty

acids and H2 accumulate in the reactor,
slowing down the entire process.

• In order to overcome this, two-phase

processes consisting of acidogenic and
methanogenic fermentation's have
been investigated (16).
• The influent is pumped into the reactor via a
distribution system, where influent and
recycled sludge/effluent are well mixed.
IC Reactor
• The first reactor compartment contains an
expanded granular sludge bed, where most
of the COD is converted to biogas.
• The biogas produced in this compartment is
collected by the lower level separator and is
used to generate a gas lift by which water
and sludge are carried upward via the "riser"
pipe to the gas/liquid separator located on
top of the reactor. Here the biogas is
separated from the water/sludge mixture
and leaves the system.
• The water/sludge mixture is directed
downwards to the bottom of the reactor via
the concentric "downer" pipe, resulting in
the internal circulation flow. • Wastewater with low TSS and FOG can be
processed through the reactor in as little
• The effluent from the first compartment is as a few hours, depending on the strength
post-treated in the second, low-loaded of the waste.
compartment, where any remaining
biodegradable COD is removed. • OLR :15 to 35 kg COD/m3/d.
• The biogas produced in the upper • effective for treating wastewaters from
compartment is collected in the top 3-phase the beverage, brewery and paper
separator, while the final effluent leaves the industries.
reactor via overflow weirs.
 Anaerobic Hybrid Reactor
The hybrid reactor is a combination of
suspended- and fixed-film growth processes.
Typically, the upper 50 to 70 percent of the
reactor is filled with cross-flow plastic media
that serves as the fixed-film zone (or anaerobic
filter section). The lower 30 to 50 percent is the
suspended-growth zone (or UASB section). A
schematic diagram of the ADI-Hybrid reactor is
provided as an example of such technology that
is available commercially
• OLR 5- 15 kg COD/m3d.
• This process is used primarily for soluble
organics removal and has similar constraints
in terms of influent FOG and TSS
concentrations.
• The hybrid reactor has been particularly
suitable for wastewaters where the
development of granular sludge has proven to
be difficult, such as in some chemical
industries. The attached growth on the media
in the upper portion of the reactor together
with the formation of a granular or flocculent
sludge bed in the lower section helps
concentrate biomass in the system, thus
promoting better process stability and higher
performance.
• The cross-flow media also serves as an
effective gas-liquid-solids separator, further
enhancing the biomass retention abilities of
the process.
 Parameter Pengontrolan Proses
1. pH dan alkalinitas
2. Kebutuhan nutrien
3. temperatur
 pH dan alkalinitas
• Bakteri metanogen sensitif
terhadap perubahan pH (6,6 -
7,6)
• Proses anaerob berlangsung
pada kisaran pH 6-8
• Kontrol pH  sistem kimia :
kesetimbangan karbon
dioksida  penyangga pH
• Alkalinitas bikarbonat ≈ total
alkalinitas ( jumlah total asam
yang dapat dinetralkan oleh
basa yang tambahkan ke
dalam sistem)
• Alkalinitas bikarbonat 2500-
5000 mg/l
• Akalinitas:
– Alami : OH-; CO32-; HCO3-; (Ca2+,
Mg2+, Na+, NH4+) Akumulasi VA indikator ketidakseimbangan
– Artifisial : kapur & NaOH sistem dalam reaktor, (asetat 13 mM dan
propionat /asetat = 1,4)
 Kebutuhan Nutrien dan Temperatur
• Proses biologi memerlukan nutrien anorganik
• Nutrien anorganik : N dan P
• Perbandingan minimum C : N : P = 100 : 6 : 1
(Jennet dan Dennis, 1979)

• Optimal temperatur untuk metanogenesis 28-

35oC
 Kondisi Reaktor
• Bebas dari Dissolved O2
• Bebas dari H2S dan logam berat  konsentrasi
inhibitor
• pH 6,6-7,6
• Alkalinitas cukup untuk mencegah pH turun < 6,2
(alkalinitas 1000-5000 mg/l)
• VFA < 250 mg/l
• Cukup N&P
• Suhu mesofilik (30-38oC) ; termofilik (49-57oC)
Konfigurasi Umum