A process including an anaerobic acidogenic reactor followed by a yeast rea
ctor in series is proposed to treat highly concentrated effluents of the fo
od industry. Candida utilis was selected and operated in batch or in a cont
inuous stirred tank reactor with acetic acid or propionic acid or butyric a
cid or a mixture of these acids as the main carbon source while the pH was
maintained at 3.5 to minimize bacterial contamination. The yeast growth kin
etics was inhibited by the substrate when its concentration was higher than
a critical value. A significant uncoupling between growth and substrate ut
ilization was observed in the batch reactor and the transient state of the
perfectly mixed reactor could not be predicted from batch data. If the cont
inuous reactor was conveniently operated, the 97% TOC abatement obtained wa
s independent of inlet concentration and space time provided that the space
time was higher than the washout value. Such large loading rates as 30 kg
TOC m(-3) day could then be treated. Sludge production was of the same orde
r of magnitude as in a conventional activated sludge reactor. The solids we
re easily flocculated and settled after neutralising the suspension. The sa
me overall abatement was obtained with a pilot reactor treating on line the
effluent of an acidogenic reactor fed with beet molasses. The organic acid
s were completely oxidised and the TOC abatement depended on the conversion
of the initial compounds in acids. However, the liquid-solids separation r
equired then a flocculation step with chitosan at low concentration. (C) 20
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