Anaerobic Wastewater

Treatment Process
Design

Mohamed Hasnain Isa

Civil Engineering Department
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

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Learning
Outcomes 3,4
Able to design wastewater treatment processes.

Able to evaluate and solve complex wastewater treatment

problems.

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Objectiv
es
To apply engineering principles to design anaerobic
biological reactors.

To evaluate performance of anaerobic biological reactors.

To calculate energy equivalent of methane produced from

anaerobic treatment of wastewater.

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Anaerobic Suspended
Growth Processes CH4, CO2
Complete-Mix Process Influent Effluent

CH4, CO2
Anaerobic Contact Process Influent Effluent

Flocculator
or degasifier

Sludge recycle Waste

sludge

Anaerobic Sequencing
Batch Reactor

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Figure Organic loading rates for anaerobic treatment processes
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Table Summary of design parameters for completely mixed
suspended growth reactors treating soluble COD

Parameter Unit Value

Range Typical
Solids yield, YH g VSS/g COD 0.05-0.10 0.08
Decay coeff., bH g/g.d 0.02-0.04 0.03
Max. sp. growth rate (25 C), max g/g.d 0.18-0.24 0.20

Half-vel. const. (25 C), KS mg/L 60-500 120

Methane
Production ( at std. conditions) m3/kg CODrem 0.35 0.35
Content % 60-70 65
Energy content (at std. conditions) kJ/m3 - 38,846

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Table Estimated minimum alkalinity as CaCO3 required to
maintain a pH of 7 during anaerobic digestion

Gas phase CO2, %

Temperature
C 25 30 35 40

20 2040 2449 2857 3265

25 1913 2295 2678 3061
30 1761 2113 2465 2817
35 1609 1931 2253 2575
40 1476 1771 2066 2362

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Q. Determine the reactor volume, HRT, gas production rate,
energy available, solids production rate and amount of
alkalinity & nutrient addition needed for an anaerobic
contact process treating the following wastewater to
achieve 90% COD removal.
Item Unit Value
Flow rate m3/d 500
COD g/m3 6000
Soluble COD g/m3 4000
COD/VSS ratio g/g 1.8
Degradable fraction of VSS % 80
Nitrogen g/m3 10
Phosphorus g/m3 20
Alkalinity g CaCO3/m3 500
Temperature C 25 8
Design assumptions:
1. Effluent VSS concentration = 150 g/m3
2. Factor of safety for design SRT = 3.0
3. fd = 0.15 g VSS cell debris/g VSS biomass decay
4. At SRT 30 d, > 99% of degradable VSS is transformed
5. MLVSS = 6000 g/m3
6. Settling rate = 24 m/d
7. Gas composition = 65% CH4, 35% CO2
8. Use kinetic coefficients as given in Table
9. Biomass nutrient content = 12% N & 2.4% P

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 Useful Equations:
Solids retention time:

S allowable effluent soluble COD

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Useful Equations (contd.):
Solids production (PX,VSS) in terms of VSS is given by:

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Useful Equations (contd.):

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Useful Equations (contd.):

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UASB reactors

Figure Effect of temperature on organic loading rate for

UASB process 14
UASB reactors
Table Recommended upflow velocities and reactor heights

Upflow velocity, m/h Reactor height, m

Wastewater
type Range Typical Range Typical

COD nearly
1.0-3.0 1.5 6-10 8
100% soluble
COD partially
1.0-1.25 1.0 3-7 6
soluble
Domestic
0.8-1.0 0.7 3-5 5
wastewater

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Q. Determine the following for a UASB treatment process used
to treat a sugar beet wastewater, with the characteristics
given below, to achieve 90% COD removal:
a. Reactor process volume
b. Process HRT
c. Reactor dimensions
d. Reactor SRT
e. Daily sludge production rate in kg VSS/d
f. Excess sludge waste volume in m3/d
g. CH4 gas production rate m3/d
h. Total gas production rate m3/d
i. Energy available from CH4 production in kJ/d
j. Alkalinity requirement 16
Wastewater characteristics:

Item Unit Value

Flow rate m3/d 500
COD g/m3 12,000
TSS g/m3 600
nbVSS g/m3 500
Alkalinity g CaCO3/m3 500
Temperature C 25

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Design parameters and assumptions are:
1. YH = 0.08 g VSS/g COD
2. bH = 0.03 g VSS/g VSS.d
3. fd = 0.10 g VSS cell debris/g VSS biomass decay
4. Percent CH4 in gas phase = 65%
5. Height of reactor process volume = 8 m
6. Height of clear zone above the sludge blanket = 0.5 m
7. Height for gas-solids separator = 2.5 m
8. Reactor length:width ratio = 2.0
9. Maximum reactor upflow velocity = 1.0 m/h
10. Ave. solids conc. in process volume = 30 kg VSS/m3
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Based on data from the treatment of sugar beet wastewater in
other UASB facilities, 90% COD removal at 25C, can be
achieved with a design organic loading rate of 8.0 kg COD/m 3d.
The wastewater is mainly soluble containing carbohydrate
compounds, and a granular sludge is expected. Assume an
effluent VSS concentration of 120g/m3.

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 For Upflow Anaerobic Packed-Bed Reactors
Typical: Width or diameter = 2 to 8 m, Height = 3 to 13 m
Table Process operating conditions and performance for
upflow attached growth anaerobic reactors
OLR HRT Recycle
Temp. kg COD/m3.d D ratio %
Wastewater Packing
C R/Q
Guar gum Pall 37 7.7 1.2 5.0 61
rings
Chemical Pall 37 12-15 0.9-1.3 5.0 80-90
processing rings
Domestic Tubular 37 0.2-0.7 25-37 0 90-96
Landfill Cross- 35 1.5-2.5 2.0-3.0 0.25 89
leachate flow
Food Cross- 30 4-6 1.8-2.5 0 90
canning flow
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 Figure Pall rings

Figure Filter media

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Q. A brewery wastewater with a flow of 1000 m3/d and COD
(mainly soluble) of 4000 mg/L is to be treated at 30 C in an
upflow attached growth anaerobic reactor, which contains
cross-flow plastic packing, with the aim of 90% COD
removal. Assume that the attached growth SRT is 30 days.
Determine:

(a) the reactor volume (m3) and dimensions (m),

(b) the methane gas production rate (m3/d), and

(c) the effluent TSS concentration (mg/L)

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Thank you

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Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the devils; and the Devil
(Satan) is to his Lord ungrateful.

(Al-Quran, Chapter 17, Verse 27)

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