Study of Biogas Generation in Treatment of Distillery Wastewater by UASB Method

Abstract

Distillery industry represents an important segment of the world economy is amongst the highly polluting industries. One of the most important environmental problems faced is management of distillery wastewater. Industrial processes create a variety of wastewater pollutants; which are difficult and costly to treat. The production and characteristics of spent wash (SW) are highly variable and dependent on feed stocks and various aspects of the ethanol production process. The spent wash is acidic (pH 3.94 - 4.50) dark brown, chemical oxygen demand (COD) (i.e., 80,000– 100,000 mg/l) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) (i.e., 30,000–50,000mg/l)[1]. If it is discharged to water-receiving bodies without treatment, it may damage the aquatic system. Apart from causing water pollution, unpleasant odor of effluent spreads several kilometers around the distillery. The untreated/partially treated effluent if discharged in the land makes it infertile. Environmental issues have become one of the important factors controlling the growth of distillery industries. Therefore, it is very necessary to investigate the efficient and cost-effective processes to treat SW. The study investigates the effectiveness and energy conservation potential of an Up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating distillery’s spent wash