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Challenges in UASB reactor system design: A Review

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Paper no. < 3145295> APCChE 2015 Congress incorporating Chemeca 2015
27 Sept – 01 Oct 2015, Melbourne, Victoria

Challenges in UASB reactor system design: A Review

1 2
Veena Bobade , Amol T. Lomte
1
School of Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, RMIT University, 3001, Melbourne,
Australia.
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, BVDUCOE, Pune, India.
*
Corresponding author. Email: s3536815@student.rmit.edu.au

Abstract
Tropical countries such as India have a lot of scope for anaerobic wastewater treatment due to the fact
0
that for most part of the year temperature remains above 20 C. This led to growing interest in
developing new or modifying existing anaerobic wastewater treatment technologies. Having a lot of
advantages such as less energy and very small sludge formation as compared to conventional
wastewater treatment methods, anaerobic treatment is the obvious choice nowadays. A simple septic
tank method is being used from ancient times. Since then there have been significant advances in
reactor design. These include anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB), anaerobic fixed bed, sequencing batch
reactor (SBR), up flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), expanded granular sludge blanket (EGSB),
etc. Among these UASB technology is the most widely used trend in recent years. UASB offers a
continuous operation with large loading rates in short retention times. Gas generated in the form of
methane can be used for energy generation. This paper reviews all the designs of UASB reactor and
their suitability for application in tropical and subtropical regions. An attempt has been made to resolve
most of the existing challenges in design as well as operation of UASB by reviewing recent work in this
area.
Keywords: challenges, design, performance enhancement, UASB reactor.

1. Introduction
Developing countries like India have shown a huge rise in its infrastructure development this
decade. This implies a significant increase in small as well as large scale industries. Water has
always been the source for such developments since ancient times. All the major cities and
industries have always thrived near natural sources of water. This produces a large amount of
wastewater which cannot be used for any other purpose. In the early years, when industrial
development was comparatively less, wastewater was directly disposed in the surrounding. With a
huge industrial and urban development today, direct disposal of wastewater without any treatment
is causing environmental as well as health hazards. This has resulted in contamination of land,
water resources and air. To prevent this, government has imposed consent limits for the quality of
wastewater being released. This varies depending on the type of industry. Due to this, the
importance of water treatments methods has increased a lot. A typical consent limits defined by
Maharashtra pollution control board (MPCB) India, under Section 26 of Water (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Act 1974, is illustrated in table 1.
There are two basic types of water treatment methods, aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic treatment
involves degradation of wastewater into sludge using oxygen from air whereas anaerobic
treatment involves degradation wastewater without using any oxygen to produce methane, carbon
dioxide and a little amount of sludge. Anaerobic treatment has a lot of advantages over aerobic
treatment which is shown in table 2.
 Table 1: Wastewater consent limits
Sr.
Parameter Unit MPCB consent limits
No.
1 pH - 5.5 to 9.0
2 Total suspended solids mg/l 100

3 COD mg/l 250

4 BOD at 3 days 27 C
0
mg/l 100

5 Oil & grease mg/l 10

6 Total metal mg/l 10

0
0
Should not exceed 5 C
7 Temperature C above ambient temperature.

Table 2: Advantages of anaerobic over aerobic process

Sr.
Parameter Aerobic Anaerobic
No.
1 Organic removal efficiency High High
2 Organic loading rate Moderate High

3 Sludge production High Low

4 Nutrient requirement High Low

5 Energy requirement High Low

6 Bioenergy and nutrient recovery No Yes

In general, aerobic process is suitable for the treatment of low strength wastewaters whereas
anaerobic process is suitable for the treatment of high strength wastewaters. Following are some
of the benefits and drawbacks of anaerobic wastewater treatment over conventional aerobic
methods as given by Lettinga et al [1].
Benefits:
1. Very low production of excess sludge.
2. Low nutrients are required for bacterial culture.
3. No energy requirements in the form of aeration.
4. Methane is produced which can be used as a fuel.
5. This process can frequently handle high loads.
6. Anaerobic sludge can be preserved without any feed for months before causing any
serious deterioration.
7. Nitrogen is retained in the water which can be beneficial for the purpose of irrigation.
Drawbacks:
1. Anaerobic bacteria particularly methanogens are very susceptible to inhibition by a large
number of compounds.
2. The start-up of the process is slow which can be avoided by using adapted seed sludge.
3. This process requires an adequate post treatment for the removal of remaining BOD,
nitrogen and odorous compounds.
McCarty (1982) noted that anaerobic treatment technologies are in practice from as early as 1881.
Some of the most common anaerobic reactors used in the industry are septic tanks in old times,
upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, expanded granular sludge bed reactor which is
adaptation of UASB reactor, etc [2].
2. UASB reactor
2.1 Early models
Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor commonly termed as UASB reactor was developed
in 1970 in Netherlands by Lettinga and his co-workers. UASB is a high rate reactor system
without any moving parts. It may be cylindrical or rectangular in shape. At approximately 60%
height, baffles are provided called as degassing baffles. Above the baffles is a settling zone
where a dome or funnel is inserted in inverted manner. This is used for collecting the gas
produced in the reactor. Reactor is sealed at both ends to maintain anaerobic conditions. A
typical schematics of UASB reactor is shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: Schematic of UASB reactor [3].

2.2 Challenges and Limitations

UASB reactors are widely employed for wastewaters containing high concentrations of
soluble organic matter. However there are some limiting factors. Presence of certain
components in the influent has inhibitory effect on the process. Excess of volatile fatty acids,
which lacks in alkalinity in the influent, leads to acidification of the reactor causing reactor
failure in case of high load reactors. This can be avoided by dilution of influent or by adding
alkalinity. High concentration of suspended solids reduces settleability of sludge leading to
biomass washout. For this upflow velocity needs to be monitored. All the limitations due to
influent composition can be avoided by using suitable pretreatment methods.

There are some operational limitations like delay in startup and granule formation. Startup
time decides the effectiveness and stability of UASB. This depends on characteristics of
water, operating parameters and growth of microbial population in sludge. The reactor cannot
be operated at full design organic loading rates before an acclimatization period to inoculate
the seed sludge. This can be speeded up by using pretreated sludge inoculum. The choice of
best inoculum source depends on toxicity and biodegradability test of wastewater [4,5]. Some
nutrients can also be added in order to increase the stability of the reactor. Besides all this
UASB alone cannot remove pathogens and coloring agents from the wastewater, hence
significant post treatments are suggested for further treatment.
2.3 Modifications in UASB reactor for performance enhancement
UASB reactor has come a long way since its first inception in 1970 by Lettinga and his co-
workers. Over the time, many flaws have been noticed in the design of early UASB reactor
models. For example, influent entering the reactor at side doesn’t reach all the biomass
especially at the opposite side of bottom. Later, a central sparger like assembly was
 suggested at the bottom for uniform distribution of water inside the reactor. However, special
care should be taken to prevent clogging of pores of the sparger by sludge particles.

A three phase gas-solid-separator (GSS) is the main part of UASB reactor. It separates sludge
granules from gas, allowing it to settle. Various new designs for GSS have been suggested to
optimize its function so that the upflow velocity of wastewater can be increased without
causing sludge washout. Normal GSS causes accumulation of solids in the upper part of the
reaction vessel and entrapment and loss biogas through treated effluent exit. Alternate system
proposed to prevent this is made up of three deflector plates attached to a central axle,
0
alternately positioned 1.5 cm from one another inclined at 30 . Influent wastewater moving up
will make a spiral movement, retaining the solids and separating the gas produced [6].
Another design suggests the inner tube type GSS. It consists of three inner tubes of conical
shape through which gas bubbles pass creating a down flow stream on the outside which
enhance the settling of sludge particles. Downstream is formed due to the density difference
between inside and outside liquids. This type of arrangement rapidly separates sludge
particles from rising gas bubbles, preventing formation of scum layer in the gas collection
compartment [7].

A UASB reactor coupled with others of same or different types have shown promising
increase in the overall efficiency. Usually, UASB reactor is often followed by another post
treatment method but many have employed the pretreatment methods as well. The reactor
itself can also be used as a single stage or double stage reactor [8]. The DAF-UASB i.e.
dissolved air flotation and UASB system when combined showed higher biodegradability of
the fractions as compared to the raw waste where treated effluent can be discharged into
sewers [3].
2.4 Advantages
Like all the other high rate anaerobic reactors UASB too handles high flow rates of wastewater
with very less retention time as compared to others. The unique feature of UASB reactor is
Gas-liquid-solid (GLS) separator. This acts as a three phase separator where gas is collected
at the top, liquid is withdrawn from the side at the top and solids in the form of granules are
settled down at the bottom. Settling of solids downward and at the same time, formation of gas
bubbles moving upward maintains the suspension zone within the reactor. This enhances the
contact between microorganisms and wastewater molecules. Due to granulation in UASB
reactor, the solids and hydraulic retention times can be manipulated independently and
effectively, reducing the treatment times from days to hours [9].

Another advantage of UASB reactor includes no need of temperature control as heat is

released during methanogenesis. This heat is sufficient to maintain mesophilic conditions
inside the reactor. This is applicable in tropical regions only where room temperatures are
0
always above 20 C. Once fed or inoculated, it does not need any nutrients to be provided.
However addition of nutrients may increase performance of the reactor. As a very little amount
of sludge is produced, it can be withdrawn after a much longer period of time while a small
portion may be recirculated.

The cost involved in the operation and maintenance of UASB plants is less than 1% of capital
cost per year. It has also been estimated that the annual operation and maintenance cost of
the UASB plant is approximately 30% of the aerobic process plants [10].
3. Applications of UASB reactor
Due to simple and cost effective design, UASB reactor has a lot of domestic as well as industrial
applications. Some of them are explained below.
3.1. Domestic Wastewater Treatment
For more than 150 years, septic tanks have been widely used for onsite anaerobic
pretreatment of sewage. A significant development was achieved in the last two decades by
applying upward flow and introducing GLS separator device at the top which resulted in UASB
septic tank system. The UASB septic tank was firstly investigated at Dutch and Indonesian
ambient conditions by Lettinga and his co-workers [11,12,13].

Full scale UASB reactors for domestic wastewater treatment are now operational in India,
Columbia and Brazil. These reactors are operated at HRTs in the range of 5-19 hours. The
removal efficiencies of total COD, BOD and TSS achieved are in the range of 51-74%, 53-80%
and 46-80% respectively [14,15,16]. In Kanpur, India two large scale UASB plants have been
implemented within the Kanpur-Mirzapur project [17].

3.2. Sugar industry Wastewater Treatment

Sugarcane industry plays a vital role in social economics of rural agriculture based areas.
Effluent generated in sugar mills when disposed directly causes pollution of surface or ground
water. If this effluent is directly released for irrigation, it affects the soil fertility, plant growth and
seed germination. It also affects soil micro flora [11]. Hence treatment of sugar industry
effluent attains a high significance.

Sugar industry effluents have high organic concentration hence they are very suitable to be
used as a substrate in UASB reactor [18]. High concentration of carbohydrates corresponds to
readily fermentative sugars. It also contains nitrogen and phosphorous essential for cultivation
of microorganisms. Diluted sugar wastewater acts as a substrate for acidogenic process after
it is made available for methanogenesis. Two separate reactors for acidogenesis and
methanogenesis can be used in series to optimize the gas production where hydrogen can be
collected at first reactor and methane at second. After several operations it was concluded that
UASB design can treat sugar industry wastewater efficiently up to an OLR of 16000 mg
COD/L.d. with COD removal efficiency of 89% at HRT as low as 6 hours where biogas
containing more than 75% methane can be produced at the rate of 4.66 L/L. d [19].

3.3. Dairy Wastewater Treatment

Dairy industry is the most important industry in day to day life in India. After the white revolution
majorly contributed by Amul, there has been a substantial increase in production as well as
consumption of dairy products all over India. However dairy wastewater is the most polluting in
nature among the food industry. It contains liquid waste from dairy processing as well as
water used for cleaning and washing operations. Chemical basis of chemicals used for
cleaning and washing operations decides the acidic or basic nature of effluents [20]. A typical
0
dairy wastewater has a temperature range between 17 and 32 C with average COD of 2500
-1
mgL approximately [21]. It also varies according to type of equipment, unit process used and
product obtained [22].

Traditionally dairy effluent is treated by anaerobic and facultative ponds where associated
costs are relatively low. However, these treatments are relatively less efficient with large land
requirements and uncontrollable actions [23]. Therefore, anaerobic treatment with production
of methane as byproduct i.e. UASB is considered. Unlike its other applications, UASB has
limiting success in treating dairy effluents. This is because of long hydrolysis time of organic
material which later accumulates within the sludge blanket due to entrainment or adsorption.
This results in dilution of biomass, poor contact and impaired sludge settling capacity [22]. To
avoid this pretreatment method such as dissolved air floatation (DAF) is used to separate fat
[*25]. Contact reactors can also be used for pretreatment methods [24].
 3.4. Distillery Wastewater Treatment
Composition of distillery wastewater depends upon the raw material used. In most of the cases,
cane molasses is used as a raw material. The raw molasses wastewater is typically moderately
acidic with very high total chemical oxygen demand. It contains high concentration of mineral
salts and has a bad smell and dark brown color. This dark color is very hazardous to aquatic
life as it hinders photosynthesis by blocking sunlight. It also contains high concentration of
nutrients in the form of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium [25].

0
Alcohol distillery effluent is thermophilic (55 C) in nature. It has large concentration of phenolic
compounds which are poorly biodegradable and toxic. Conventionally these are treated by
adjusting their temperature to mesophilic anaerobic process. But thermophilic sludge has much
higher mehanogenic activity than mesophilic sludge which results in higher methane
production. UASB is the only anaerobic reactor capable of thermophilic treatment. The HRT
can be shortened by increasing volumetric organic loading rates.

3.5. Slaughterhouse Wastewater Treatment

Slaughterhouses in India generate large amount of wastewater. Consumption of water per
animal varies with type of animal and the process employed. Most of this water is discarded as
wastewater containing high amounts of biodegradable organic matter. The soluble fraction
varies from 40% to 60%. Colloidal and suspended matter is in the form of fats, proteins and
cellulose which has a very poor biodegradability. Nitrate and sulfate are also present in
considerable quantities in slaughterhouse wastewater. These have inhibitory effects on
methanogenesis [26].

For successful operation of UASB, an effective pretreatment like DAF can be used to remove
fats and suspended solids. Also the upflow velocity needs to be maintained to avoid sludge
-1
washout. According to Lettinga, upflow velocity of 0.5 to 0.7 mh gives the best results for
UASB [6].

4. Scope of UASB reactor technology

In the developing countries more emphasis is given to remove organic pollutants and pathogens
to some extent only. Here low cost technologies such as UASB reactor are more favorable as
compared to other conventional technologies used in developed countries. Generation of energy
in the form of methane is also a bonus. Besides this, the fact that anaerobic sludge can be
sustained for a long time without any feed really helps when there is very less or no continuous
supply of wastewater in summer season.

Recent studies have shown that UASB can be incorporated with other systems aerobic as well as
anaerobic. This means there is no need to discard the previous plant entirely. Methane generated
can also be used for lighting the streets as well.
5. Conclusions
Though UASB technology has far more advantages over other conventional wastewater treatment
technologies, to meet the strict environmental norms a suitable pretreatment or post treatment or
both need to be applied. Also efficient techniques need to be developed to recover essential
nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous, etc. from the treated effluent. Higher loading rates can be
used to treat large amount of domestic wastewaters in the entire major cities.
 Based on the low capital and operational cost, it can be concluded that UASB in combination with
adequate post treatment option still offers a best proposition compared to other treatment systems
in India. Most of the developing countries have warm tropical and subtropical climates which will
give better performance of UASB systems.

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Presenting author biography

Veena Bobade is the PhD student in the School of Chemical Engineering of RMIT University. She
has completed her honours in master of technology with Distinction from Bharati Vidyapeeth
Deemed University, India. She has a total 8 years of Industry and academic experience and she is
author / co-author of 5 papers.
.

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