Start-Up of an Anaerobic Moving Bed–Biofilm Reactor and Transition to Brewery Wastewater Treatment.

Two 4-L anaerobic moving bed–biofilm reactors (AMBBR) with different quantities of cubic media (25 and 35% by volume) were examined. Reactors were fed synthetic protein-based feed and both were shown to be capable of treating up to 20 kg/m³ day of chemical oxygen demand (COD), achieving 80% COD removal. Beyond that load the performance began to decrease. The maximum biogas production observed was 9.25 m³ CH4/m³ day at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 20 kg COD/m³ day. The methane composition varied between 60 and 70%. Averaged methane yields of 0.36 ± 0.07 m³ CH4/kg COD removed and specific removal rates from 0.4 to 20 kg COD/m³ day were achieved. At the maximum OLR above 20 kg COD/m³ day, the specific surface area activity was calculated as 98 and 75 g COD/m² day in the 25 and 35% reactors, respectively. Kinetic tests performed at the maximum OLR revealed that free-floating suspended biomass contributed to no more than 2.5% of the total removal. The reactors were also capable of treating brewery wastewater, reliably attaining 80% COD removal with methane yields of 0.36 ± 0.06 and 0.39 ± 0.03 m³ CH4/kg COD from the 35 and 25% reactors, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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