Mitigation of diffuse CH4 and H2S emissions from the liquid phase of UASB-based sewage treatment plants: challenges, techniques, and perspectives.

Abstract

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors are considered to be a sustainable and well-established technology for sewage treatment in warm climate countries. However, gases dissolved in the effluent of these reactors, CH4 and H2S in some instances, are a major drawback. These dissolved gases can be emitted into the atmosphere downstream of the anaerobic reactors, resulting in odour nuisance and, in the case of H2S, corrosion, while in the case of CH4, increasing greenhouse gas emissions with a significant loss of potentially recoverable energy. In this sense, this study aims to provide a critical review of the recent efforts to control CH4 and H2S dissolved in UASB reactor effluents, with a focus on the different available techniques. Different desorption techniques have been tested for the removal/recovery of dissolved CH4 and H2S: diffused aeration, simplified desorption chamber, packed desorption chamber, closed downflow hanging sponge reactor, membrane contactor, and vacuum desorption chamber. Other recent publications addressing the oxidation of these compounds in biological posttreatments with simultaneous nitrification/denitrification of ammonia were also discussed. Additionally, the rationale of CH4 recovery was determined by energy balance and carbon footprint approaches, and the H2S removal was examined by modelling its emission and atmospheric dispersion.