Performance Evaluation of Industrial Brewery Wastewater Biologic Treatment in an UASB Reactor Using Activated Sludge in Republic of Congo

Abstract

The brewing industry generates large amounts of wastewater which are released into surface water after treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of the anaerobic treatment of brewery wastewaters in a UASB bioreactor containing activated sludge. After six-weeks operation, 30 samples were taken. Physicochemical analyzes were carried out on activated sludge (T, pH, VFA) and raw and treated waters (T, pH, AT, CAT, TSS, and COD). These analyzes showed that the conditions of the environment were favorable to an optimal growth of the bacteria:  temperatures and pH were mostly mesophilic. the ionization of VFA was continuous and their concentration increased at the exit of the bioreactor thus revealing a significant conversion of organic materials by bacteria. The average values ​​of the physicochemical parameters of the raw and treated wastewaters respectively increased from 31.5°C to 35°C for the temperature, from 8.9 to 7.5 for the pH, to 5.54 mg/l at 0 for AT, from 12.35 mg/l to 3.45 mg/l for TAC, from 234.08 mg/l to 129.61 mg/l for TSS and from 1637 mg/l to 282, 46 mg/l for COD. The effectiveness of the treatment allowed a COD reduction ranging from 70 to 94%.