Aerobic and Anaerobic

Reactor Configurations

Biochemical Environment
Aerobic Conditions: Oxygen is used as
electron acceptor
Anoxic Conditions: Nitrate is the electron
acceptor
Anaerobic Conditions: absence of oxygen
and nitrate and organic compounds are
converted to biomass, CO2, CH4 and H2S.
Organic matter + H2O
CH4 + CO2 + NH3
+ H2S+ new cell

Why anaerobic Treatment

Process stability
Produced Methane can be used to produce energy
Produced amount of excess sludge is about 10 % of

aerobic treatment. Hence, reduction of waste disposal

cost
Low nutrient requirement (BOD/N/P is 100/5/1 for
aerobic; 700/5/1 for anaerobic mo.s
No air supplementation, so lower operational cost
No off-gas air pollution
Biodegradation of aerobic non-biodegradable
Seasonal treatment is appropriate

Possible disadvantages of anaerobic

Treatment
long startup
Alkalinity should be sufficient
Under mesophilic conditions, optimum temperature
is 35 C
Nitrification not possible
Low kinetic rates at low temperature
If COD < 1000 mg/L anaerobic treatment is not
practical economically
Effluent from anaerobic treatment is generally not
acceptable for direct discharge and aerobic
polishing step is needed.

wastewater

Waste ?

Aerobic
Bioreactor

Equilization
basin

Anaerobic
Bioreactor

Anaerobic Reactor Configuratios

Anaerobic Contact Stabilization:
CSTR with cell recyle under anaerobic conditions.
Well-mixed reactor
suspended growth
Before settling tank a gas separator is used to make
settling easier
Advantages:
Simple and inexpensive
Disadvantages:
System is not stable for shock loading and toxic
compounds
Settling is problem

Anaerobic Filters
Attached growth systems
In this type of reactor, waste enters in the
bottom and flows through the rocks or plastic
media used for biomass immobilization.
Recirculation is used to dilute any toxic
compound in the influent.
The main limitations of reactor : accumulation
of solids in the packing material (plugging).
So, wastes containing high amount of
suspended solids are not suitable for A.F
channeling
cost of packing material

Table.1. Some Studies on the treatment of industrial

wastewaters using A.F.

Type of
Tempr.
wastewater (C)

Organic
HRT (h)
Loading
Rate
(kg/m3.d)

Removal
efficiency

Sugar
industry

35-37

12-36

55%

Distillery
wastes

35

15

72

90

Chemical
process

37

12-15

22-30

80-90

leachate

37

0.2-0.7

30-40 d

90-96

Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

(UASB)

This type of reactor was developed to avoid the main problems of

the anaerobic filter.
Flow is in upward direction.
Biomass settles in the bottom usually in the forms of granule.
Advantages:
High biomass concentrations. Hence high organic loading rates can be
applied.
so excellent COD removals due to high biomass concentrations.
Compared to Anaerobic filter, wastewaters with higher suspended solid
concentrations can be applied.
Disadvantages:
Sludge granulation is complex and not fully understood process
Biomass escape at the effluent at higher loading rates hybrit reactors are
used to avoid this problem)

Fluidized and Expended Bed Reactors

gas
Effluent

ORP, pH
probes

Recirculation
pump

High Recycle ratios are used to

keep the particles in suspension

Water-jacketed
glass reactor
carrier

wastewater

In these systems microorganisms

grow on small inert particles
such as fine sand or activated
carbon

Glass
bead
s

The rate of liquid flow and the

resulting degree of expansion of
the bed (10-25%) determine
whether the reactor is a fluidized
or an expanded (less expansion)
bed reactor

limitation: high and uniform

upflow so high pumping cost

Table 2. Some treatability studies using UASB

Type of
Influent
wastewat COD
er

OLR
Temperat HRT (h)
(kg/m3/d) ure C

% COD
removal
Efficienc
y

Beer
industry

4.5-7

20-24

75-80

Agricultu 11 000
ral waste

2-5

30

48

70-65

Slaughter 2000hause
3500

30

19

85

Paper
industry

1000

49

75

Sugar
industry

400060000

20-25

28-32

92-95

10001500

Aerobic Treatment Systems

Activated sludge Process (CSTR with/wo
cell recycle)
Contact Stabilization
Oxidation Ditch
Sequencing batch reactor (SBR)
Extended Aeration
Step feed

Contact stabilization
wastewater

mixing

Contact Basin

Secondary
clarifier

Stabilization Tank
Air

Sludge waste

Fill

SBR
No settling tank, no sludge pumping

React

Aerobic/anoxic/anaerobic cycles for

nutrient removal
process flexibility for bulking

Settle
sludge

Tolerant to shock loading

No washout

Draw

Idle

Oxidation Ditch

Nitrification and denitrification is also possible

Typically operate in an extended aeration mode