title: Anaerobic treatment of sulfate-containing municipal wastewater with a fluidized bed reactor at 20 °C.
abstract: This study focuses on the anaerobic treatment of sulfate-containing municipal wastewater at 20 °C with a fluidized bed reactor. Mean influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and sulfate concentrations were 481 and 96 mg/l. The response of the COD removal efficiency to increasing organic loading rates (OLR) was investigated. Average total COD removal was 61% at OLR between 2.7 and 13.7 kg COD/(m³·d) and did not distinctly depend on the OLR. To assess the removal efficiency in more detail the COD in- and output mass flows were balanced. The results showed that only 11-12% of the input COD was recovered as gaseous methane. About 12-13% of the input COD remained in the effluent as dissolved methane. Furthermore, a distinct amount of 12-19% of the input COD remained in the reactor as settled sludge and was not further biologically degraded. Due to the reduction by sulfate-reducing bacteria, 13-14% of the input COD was degraded. Further adverse impacts of the influent sulfate on the anaerobic treatment process are discussed as well.
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität Darmstadt, Institute IWAR, Franziska-Braun-Str. 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany E-mail: b.dueppenbecker@iwar.tu-darmstadt.de.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Düppenbecker
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität Darmstadt, Institute IWAR, Franziska-Braun-Str. 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany E-mail: b.dueppenbecker@iwar.tu-darmstadt.de.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cornel
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D019149:Bioreactors; D005740:Gases; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology; D013431:Sulfates; D013461:Sulfur Oxides; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D008697:Methane; D012722:Sewage; D013431:Sulfates; D013461:Sulfur Oxides; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical