PERFORMANCES OF A FULL-SCALE NOVEL MULTIPLATE ANAEROBIC REACTOR TREATING CHEESE WHEY EFFLUENT

A 450-m(3) multiplate anaerobic reactor (MPAR) has been started-up in April 1992 for treating wastewater (whey permeate and domestic wastewa ter) at the Nutrinor (Lactel) cheese factory in Chambord (Quebec, Cana da). The MPAR consists of four superimposed sections. The liquid flows upwards from one section to the next, while the gas is collected belo w each plate and evacuated through side-outlets. The wastewater is con currently distributed at the bottom of the first, second, and third se ctions, as 50%, 33%, and 17% of the total influent stream, respectivel y. Granular anaerobic sludge at an initial concentration of 30 kg of v olatile suspended solids (VSS) per cubic meter of reactor liquid volum e was used to inoculate the reactor. Under normal operation of the fac tory, the chemical oxygen demand (GOD) concentration of the influent r anged from 20 to 37 kg COD m(-3) The reactor organic loading rate (OLR ) fluctuated between 9 and 14.7 kg COD m(-3) d(-1) for hydraulic reten tion times (HRT) maintained between 55 and 68 h. At the highest OLR, t he MPAR showed an efficiency of 98% and 92% for soluble and total COD removal, respectively; and a methane production rate averaging around 4 m(3) m(-3) d(-1) Biomass-specific activities ranged between 7 and 51 , 1.3 and 8.5, 5.3 and 12.2, 60 and 119, and 119 and 211 mmol g(-1) VS S d(-1) for glucose, propionate, acetate, formate, and hydrogen, respe ctively. Average equivalent-diameter of the granules was around 0.65 m m. The MPAR reactor generally showed a large capacity for solid retent ion with a biomass content between 32 and 37 kg VSS m(-3). (C) 1995 Jo hn Wiley and Sons, Inc.