F. Fdz-polanco et al., Anaerobic treatment of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) wastewater from lab to full scale, WATER SCI T, 40(8), 1999, pp. 229-236
In the last decade Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) production is growing.
The wastewater of the "Catalana de Polimers" factory in Barcelona (Spain) h
as two main streams of similar flow rate, esterification (COD=30,000 mg/l)
and textile (COD=4000 mg/l). Tn order to assess the anaerobic treatment via
bility, discontinuous and continuous experiments were carried out. Disconti
nuous biodegradability tests indicated that anaerobic biodegradability was
90 and 75% for esterification and textile wastewater. The textile stream re
vealed some tendency to foam formation and inhibitory effects. Nutrients, m
icronutrients and alkali limitations and dosage were determined.
A continuous lab-scale UASB reactor was able to treat a mixture of 50% (v)
esterification/textile wastewater with stable behaviour at organic loading
rate larger than 12 g COD/l.d (0.3 g COD/g VSS.d) with COD removal efficien
cy greater than 90%. The start-up period was very short and the recuperatio
n after overloading accidents was quite fast, in spite of the wash-out of s
olids. From the laboratory information an industrial treatment plant was de
signed and built, during the start-up period COD removal efficiencies large
r than 90% and organic loading rate of 0.6 kg COD/kg VSS.d (5 kg COD/m(3).d
) have been reached. (C) 1999 IAWQ Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All r
ights reserved.