Influence of stressed loading on start-up and granulation on UASB treating food processing wastewater

Abstract

Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) process has been proven by many industrial applications to be effective and efficient since it was developed in 1980s. It has been successfully applied to a wide variety of industrial wastewaters offering high organic removal, low sludge production, energy recovery in the form of biogas in addition to low energy consumption. However, major drawbacks of the UASB processes are the long start-up period and the slow development of active biogranules using digester sludge as seed sludge. Several studies have been conducted attempting to accelerate the startup process and granulation. Stress-loading operating condition is one of the ways to accelerate the start-up and granulation.