Performance of a UASB Effluent Treatment Plant Treating Malt Ingredient Manufacturing Wastewater

Abstract

Anaerobic Digestion has gained popularity in recent years due to its significant contribution towards achieving waste management and renewable energy targets. One particular technology that has been widely used in the treatment of high strength organic wastewaters across a wide range of industries is upflow anaerobic sludge blankets (UASBs). A malt ingredients manufacturing factory has successfully applied this technology as a cost effective way to treat their high strength effluent, however unlike other industries there is a lack of research regarding the wastewater characterisation or UASB performance at either lab or full scale. This paper aims to address this gap in knowledge and provide information on both the wastewater composition and on the ability of a full-scale mesophilic UASB to treat it over a period of 638 days. Analysis of the wastewater revealed that the manufacture of malt ingredients produces a high strength effluent, which fits within the realms of previously documented wastewaters despite not sharing a similar characterisation profile. Mesophilic UASB has been show to be an effective and robust technology option for the treatment of this type of wastewater displaying steady operational performance even when conditions were in excess of the design limit. Due to the robust operational performance of the plant the main factor limiting total methane production was shown to be the organic loading rate.