Horizontal-baffled anaerobic reactor for treating diluted swine wastewater

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to develop a low capital cost, simply operated and effective anaerobic reactor for treating, in the tropics, highly-diluted swine wastewater containing particulate solids. A horizontal-baffled reactor with a liquid volume of 20 liters was tested at 30°C. Supernatant of settled swine wastewater with a TVS concentration under 2 g liter-1 was used as feedstock. The reactor was an effective design for increasing the SRT (15-300 days) at the low HRT (0·25-5 days) being used. Maximum TCOD removal and maximum methane production rates of 81% and 0·8 liter liter-1 day-1 at a TCOD loading rate of 2·5 and 8·5 g liter-1 day-1, respectively were observed. Operational performance was comparable with the anaerobic filter in treating the supernatant of settled swine wastewater. This reactor configuration was also simple in construction and operation compared with other existing anaerobic reactors. © 1985 Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Ltd.