Consolidation of the technology UASB reactors in the state of Paraná for the treatment of sanitary sewage

Abstract

The favorable climate and lower construction and operating costs, compared to aerobic treatment systems, have made the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors one of the most used sewage treatment technologies in Latin America and Caribbean, especially in Brazil. The latter is characterized by holding the largest park of anaerobic reactors in the world. The consolidation of UASB reactors in Brazil was mainly due to the pioneering spirit of the state of Paraná in the development of research and the adoption of this technology as a tool capable of boosting the rates of sewage treatment collection in the early 1980s. Present in more than 230 sewage treatment plants throughout Paraná, the UASB reactors, also known in the state as anaerobic fluidized bed reactors, have undergone a series of adaptations over the last 40 years in order to improve the systems for removing sludge, scum, and biogas. Thus, this review article aimed to contextualize the history and importance of UASB reactors in the state of Paraná for the Brazilian sanitation sector, bringing the main aspects that occurred in the last four decades of use of this technology.