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High rate anaerobic digestion of a petrochemical wastewater using biomass support particles

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Abstract

Anaerobic digestion of wastewater from a dimethyl terephthalate plant was studied in continuously stirred tank reactors with plastic net biomass support particles (BSP) at a level of 20% (v/v). The experimental results showed that the BSP system could treat the wastewater at a hydraulic retention time as low as 1.5 d, organic loading as high as 20 kg COD/m3/d and at acidic feed pH as low as 4.5 with 95% COD reduction and biogas production of about 8l/l/d, while the control system without support particles could not treat the wastewater above a 5-d hydraulic retention time, 5 kg COD/m3/d organic loading and a feed pH of 6.0. Thus, augmentation of BSP upgraded the performance of the conventional suspended growth system to an equivalent level to advanced reactors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Sciences and Applied Biology Division, Research Centre, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, Baroda, 391 346, Gujarat, India

    C. Ramakrishna & J.D. Desai

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  1. C. Ramakrishna
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  2. J.D. Desai
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Ramakrishna, C., Desai, J. High rate anaerobic digestion of a petrochemical wastewater using biomass support particles. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 13, 329–334 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018543326169

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