Cultivation of anaerobic granular sludge in UASB reactors with aerobic activated sludge as seed

Abstract

Methanogenic bacteria of 108 g SS-1 in the activated sludges from an aeration tank treating sewage and from a secondary sedimentation tank of an activated sludge plant treating textile dyeing wastewater were enumerated by the Most Probable Number (MPN) technique. By using the two activated sludges as the seed material, anaerobic granular sludges were obtained at 35°C in two lab-UASB reactors having volumes of 29 and 481, and treating a glucose molasses solution of 1000-3500 mg COD 1-1 and citrate wastewater of 20,000-36,000 mg COD 1-1 respectively. The characteristics of granulation using the activated sludge as the seed were similar to those using digested sewage sludge as the seed. It is shown that activated sludge is readily available seed material for an anaerobic reactor. The growth of methanogenic bacteria in the activated sludge can be attributed to the existence of some anaerobic nuclei in the activated sludge flocs. The factors for the cultivation of granular sludge by using the activated sludge are also discussed. © 1987.