Overloading responses of a glucose-fed anaerobic fluidized bed reactor

Abstract

The responses of a glucose-fed anaerobic fluidized bed (AFB) reactor towards single- and multiple-pulse overloadings are evaluated. Under the conditions tested (i.e., pulse magnitude: 3-fold, pulse frequencies: 1 and 3; and pulse durations: up to 60 h), the AFB reactor is capable of sustaining good total organic carbon (TOC) removal (i.e., >89%) during overloading periods and achieving quick recoveries (i.e., <1 week) without displaying any detrimental symptoms. This performance is a result of using porous media particles for biomass retention, which enhances the process stability by minimizing excessive washout of bacterial cells during overloading periods when biogas production intensifies. The completely mixed conditions maintained in the liquid phase also help to mitigate the overloading impacts. However, the experimental data suggest that the glucose-fed AFB reactor is more susceptible towards multiple-pulse overloadings.