State-of-the-art of anaerobic digestion technology for industrial wastewater treatment

Anaerobic digestion is the most suitable option for the treatment of high s trength organic effluents. The presence of biodegradable components in the effluents coupled with the advantages of anaerobic process over other treat ment methods makes it an attractive option. This paper reviews the suitabil ity and the status of development of anaerobic reactors for the digestion o f selected organic effluents from sugar and distillery, pulp and paper, sla ughterhouse and daily units. In addition, modifications in the existing rea ctor designs for improving the efficiency of digestion has also been sugges ted. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.