Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

START UP, OPERATIONS AND MONITORING OF UPFLOW ANAEROBIC SLUDGE BLANKET (UASB) REACTOR FOR THE TREATMENT OF ORGANIC FRACTION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

1N. Ramesh, T. Meenambal, G. Vennila and S. Ramesh

Abstract

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management has posed one of the biggest challenges in India today. In most of Asian countries, life style changes and living habits of the people along with accelerated growth of population, lack of awareness and financial support and inadequate technology greatly influence the solid waste generation which has become an aggravating problem. In recent days, Up Flow Anaerobic sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor plays a vital role in anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of Municipal Waste (OFMSW). The HRT (Hydraulic Retention Time) is maintained as 24 hours during the startup period and the flow rate is kept as 875 mg/L using peristaltic pump. The maximum OLR (Organic Loading Rate) and SLR (Sludge loading rate) are kept as 8g COD/L day and 0.9 COD/g VSS day. The upflow velocity of UASB reactor during the start up period is maintained as 0.06 m/hr. By closely monitoring the USAB reactor , the substrate degradations is higher at initial stage and the most of the substrate is consumed by microorganism of bacteria existing nearby granular surface.