Development of two phase anaerobic reactor with membrane separation system

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of two phase anaerobic reactor with membrane separation. Starch was used as substrate. The cartridge type tilter of microfiltration (MF) membrane with pore size of 0.2 to 10 mu m was tested in this research. Acid conversion rate and methane production rate were more effective in acidogenic reactor with membrane system compared with the one with conventional settling tank. The conversion efficiency from substrate to organic acid was in the range of 34% to 50% at the loading rate of 5.0 kg COD/m(3).day. Through the all runs, the proportion of acetic acid was 40-45% and that of propionic acid was 30 - 35%. The COD reduction in the AUBF was over 90 % at the loading rate of 3.0 kg COD/m(3).day. This research may provide the basis of fundamental knowledge for anaerobic treatment and its application to industrial and livestock farming wastes.