title: Performance and characteristics of an anaerobic baffled reactor.
abstract: The performance and the characteristics of a laboratory scale anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) were investigated using synthetic wastewater. The experimental results showed that among different volatile fatty acids (VFAs), acetate was the main intermediate of acidogenic degradation of glucose. The VFA concentration decreased longitudinally down the reactor. The analysis of the biogas composition revealed that methane concentration increased steadily from compartment 1 to 5, while hydrogen content decreased in the first compartments. There was no detectable hydrogen in the last two compartments. The methane-producing activity of anaerobic sludge in different compartments depended on the substrate, which suggests that the proper anaerobic consortium in each separate compartment was developed according to the substrate(s) availability and the specific environmental conditions. The ABR has the potential to provide a higher efficiency at higher loading rates and be applicable for extreme environmental conditions and inhibitory compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Technology, Institute of Nuclear Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China. wangjl@tsinghua.edu.cn
authors.forename: Jianlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yongheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000378:metabolism*; D019149:Bioreactors; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006859:Hydrogen; D007700:Kinetics; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D012722:Sewage; D006859:Hydrogen; D005947:Glucose; D008697:Methane; D010100:Oxygen