ANAEROBIC DEGRADATION KINETICS OF PARTICULATE ORGANIC-MATTER - A NEW APPROACH

The development of a reliable model of anaerobic hydrolysis is of prim ary importance for improving modeling and design of anaerobic treatmen t for wastewaters and slurries with high suspended solids concentratio n. Michaelis-Menten, substrate first order, substrate and biomass firs t order and substrate first order and biomass half order equations hav e been compared using experimental data from a series of anaerobic deg radation batch tests on cellulose particles of known size. A general k inetic equation [dS/dt=-KHASXA] which may include all the four conside red kinetics,is presented. This general equation allows for a more acc urate mathematical representation of the hydrolysis process. Analysing data from a series of batch tests, the best fit value of A was found to be in the range 0.42 to 0.64. This approach could reduce the choice of anaerobic degradation kinetics of particulate organic matter to th e calculation of the kinetic constant K-HA and of the related power co efficient A. (C) 1997 IAWQ. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.