Abstract
The effects of media specific surface area, porosity, and pore size on the performance of upflow anaerobic packed-bed reactors (APBRs) were examined in the laboratory. The results showed that, the APBR containing media of the lowest surface area but the largest pore size and porosity, demonstrated the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of 90% and 73% at loading rates of 8 and 16 g COD/L.day, respectively. An increase of over 40% in specific area in an APBR had not improved the removal efficiency, instead it produced 16% lower in COD removal efficiency at loading rate of 16 g COD/L.d. A study on the effects of effluent recycle indicates that the APBR having the largest pore size and porosity benefited from the recirculation. The reactor exhibited an increase in overall COD removal efficiency of 8% and a substantial decrease in effluent COD concentration of 30%. The results suggest that media pore size and porosity play a more significant role than media specific surface area in the performance of upflow APBRs.
Published Version
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