title: Influence of upflow velocity on performance and biofilm characteristics of Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactor (AFBR) in treating high-strength wastewater.
abstract: One of the key parameters in Fluidized Bed reactors is the control of biofilm thickness and configuration. The effect of upflow velocity on performance and biofilm characteristics of an Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactor was studied in treating Currant wastewater at various loading rates. The reactor used this study was made of a plexiglass column being 60 mm diameter, 140 cm height, and a volume of 3.95 L. The results demonstrated that the AFBR system is capable of handling an exceptionally high organic loading rate. At organic loading rates of 9.4 to 24.2 (kg COD m(-3)) at steady state, reactor performances with upflow velocities of 0.5, 0.75 and 1 (m min(-1)) were 89.3- 63.4, 96.9 - 79.6 and 95 - 73.4 percent, respectively. The average biomass concentration per unit volume of the AFBR (as gVSSatt L(-1) expended bed) decreased with the increase of upflow velocity in the range of 0.5-1 m min(-1) at all applied organic loading rates. The total biomass in the reactor increased with increases in the organic loading rate. The peak biomass concentration per unit volume (as gVSSatt L(-1) expended bed) was observed at the bottom part of the reactor, then it droped off slowly towards the top. The biofilm thickness increased from the bottom to the top of the reactor representing a stratification of the media in the AFBR. The bed porosity increased from the bottom to the top of the reactor.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Jalil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jaafari
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mesdaghinia
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nabizadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoseini
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamani
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Center for Solid Waste Research, Institute for Environmental Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir Hossein
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mahvi
keywords: Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactor; Biofilm characteristics; Biomass concentration; Currant wastewater; Upflow velocity