Design parameters from a pilot anaerobic reactor treating maltering and slaughterhouse effluents

A 4 m(3) reactor was built in order to determine the anaerobic treatment de sign parameters for different effluents. This reactor can be easily transpo rted and assembled. Besides, a wide range of parameters can be tested, whic h allow treating different kind of effluents. In the present work, the pilo t reactor was used to treat slaughterhouse and malting effluents. With the first one, recycling was applied using an intermittent regime. The high up- flow velocities during the recycling time improved the hydrolysis of the pa rticulate material. Soluble COD removal values were around 67% and the part iculate material removal was 63%.. Fed with malting wastewater, COD removal efficiencies were 85% and the organic loads reached were between 0.6 and 0 .8 kgCOD/kgVSS.d. In this experience, granulation was observed at week 16, at the same time settlement conditions were improved and settlement velocit ies of 8.5 m/h were observed.