Strength Wastewater Research Articles

Urban wastewater treatment at ambient conditions using microalgae-bacteria consortia in a membrane high-rate algal pond (MHRAP): The effect of hydraulic retention time and influent strength

Urban wastewater treatment at ambient conditions using microalgae-bacteria consortia in a membrane high-rate algal pond (MHRAP): The effect of hydraulic retention time and influent strength

Effective nitrogen removal from onsite wastewater using a sequencing aerated biofilm reactor

Effective nitrogen removal from onsite wastewater using a sequencing aerated biofilm reactor

Model assessment of energy recovery potential from textile wastewater by high-rate membrane activated sludge process - Benchmarking against sewage

Model assessment of energy recovery potential from textile wastewater by high-rate membrane activated sludge process - Benchmarking against sewage

Start Up And Operation Of A UASB Rector With Molasses As A Preferred Substrate – A Case Study

Anaerobic digestion followed by aerobic treatment has gained wide acceptability for many of the wastewater treatment. Several novel bio-reactors have been developed. All these reactors pose a problem of shock loading, when the high COD organic industrial waste is fed in to the reactor. Further, the normal substrates like glucose, sewage, citric acid may result in addition of a large volume of the substrate solution for a given organic loading. Both these problems are solved by adopting molasses, a typical by-product from the sugar industry. Among the bio-reactors to treat high strength waste waters, the Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor (UASBR), has received wide popularity for the treatment of domestic waste waters as well as for a variety of industrial wastewaters. This paper is to present a cogent and a clear picture of the startup and steady state operation of an UASB Reactor with molasses as the initial startup substrate for the development of well settleable sludge granules, the major feature of an UASB Reactor. The UASB reactor was fabricated in transparent Plexiglas. The reactor had a working volume of 9.75 liters with provision of ports for input, output, collection of samples, and collection of gas. Inside the settler, a gas-liquid-solid separation system using a glass funnel and a gas pressurizing plexiglass tube was provided. The aim was to granulate the sludge and acclimatizing it completely to take high organic loading. The feed was supplemented with a fixed COD: N: P ratio by adding urea for nitrogen and KH2PO4 for phosphorous. The HRT was fixed to be 8 hours. The reactor temperature was maintained at 35 ± 20oC. In about 55 days, the buttery seed sludge got granulated at an OLR of 8 g COD/l.day. The SEM of the granules exhibited a mixed morphology on the surface of the granules while filamentous Methanothrix proliferation could be clearly seen in the interior of the granule. Methanoceata and Methanothrix are the two dominant species found in the granules.

Performance analysis of three pilot-scale multi-compartment anaerobic baffled reactors treating domestic wastewater at psychrophilic temperatures in Colorado.

A transition from inefficient aerobic wastewater treatment methods to sustainable approaches is needed. Anaerobic bioreactors are a viable solution as they consume less energy, reduce biosolid production, and provide a source of renewable methane-rich biogas. A barrier to widespread implementation of anaerobic technologies is the lack of design guidance, especially in colder climates. This study bridges this knowledge gap by deriving design principles from three long-running pilot-scale anaerobic baffled reactors (ABRs) operating under psychrophilic conditions. The ABRs removed an average of 56% and 80% chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended solids, respectively, with a methane yield of 0.21L CH4 /g CODrem . Methane production may be improved with increased influent sCOD concentrations and decreased sulfate concentrations. Results suggest that ABRs can treat a range of wastewater strengths accompanied by useable methane production. Despite sharing location, temperature, and HRT, the ABRs displayed distinct performances, highlighting the significance of influent wastewater characteristics. PRACTITIONER POINTS: ABRs achieved 56% and 80% removal efficiencies for COD and suspended solids. Average biogas was 63% methane, and methane yield was 0.21 L CH4 /g CODrem . Volumetric methane production was positively correlated with the influent sCOD/sulfate ratio and negatively correlated with influent sulfate loading.

Model-based comparison of biological wastewater and sludge treatment combinations for nutrient removal, sludge and biogas production

Model-based comparison of biological wastewater and sludge treatment combinations for nutrient removal, sludge and biogas production

Determination of physico-chemical characteristics of waste coconut water

The study was conducted to analyze the Physico-chemical characteristics of Waste Coconut Water for Anaerobic digestion. Experiments were conducted at soil testing laboratory of Regional Agriculture Research Station, Pattambi. Standard procedures of American Public Health Association were followed to determine the total solids (TS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and pH of waste coconut water.The waste coconut water samples were analyzed for different physico-chemical characteristics and the results were found to be a medium strength waste water with TS, BOD and pH values in the ranges of 34729-44399 mg·L- 1, 28725-29230 mg·L-1 and 3.24-4.77, respectively.

A low-cost optofluidic platform for the colorimetric assessment of bacterial activity in domestic wastewater.

Optofluidic chips represent a cost-effective platform for the development of miniaturized devices to perform biochemical reactions at a microscale. The dye reduction-based electron-transfer activity monitoring (DREAM) assay is a colorimetric approach that has been adopted for the rapid assessment of bacterial activity in bioreactors used in bioremediation and industrial biotechnology. A three-layered PMMA-based optofluidic chip having laser-machined microchannels coupled with a detection system comprising an LED source and a photodiode interfaced with a microcontroller for automation constituted the experimental setup. Data acquisition was executed using a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) that enabled real-time monitoring of bacterial activity. A performance comparison study was performed to assess the viability of replacing expensive spectrophotometers with an inexpensive photodiode for optoelectronic automation. Bacterial activity across different growth phases of a bacterial culture, initiated using untreated domestic wastewater, was assessed by the detector on the basis of voltage readings corresponding to the rate of decrease in the blue color intensity. The highest activity observed corresponded to the log phase of the growth curve. The optimal time for measurement of bacterial activity within the log phase of the growth curve was identified using different dilutions of untreated domestic wastewater. Furthermore, the device showed comparable sensitivities for samples from different time points in a bacterial growth curve and for different dilutions of untreated domestic wastewater samples. The device also demonstrated a linear response in the assessment of bacterial activity as a function of the change in strength of untreated domestic wastewater. This is the first report on colorimetric assessment of bacterial activity using a low-cost photodiode-based device at the microscale constructed using off-the-shelf components.

Extraction elements of ytterbium(III) in metallic ore wastewater with combination of PAN microtube ultrafilter device and organic P-204

Rare-earth metallic ore in Siping city had produced wastewater containing ytterbium, which has caused certain environmental pollution. In view of the low removal efficiency of ytterbium in wastewater, we developed a novel PAN microtube ultrafilter device with organic P-204 system (UF-OP). The UF-OP had organic P-204 system containing wastewater part with buffer solution acetic acid and enrichment part with nitric acid solution and organic P-204[Di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid] dissolved in gasoline. Many factors of ytterbium(III) extraction using UF-OP need to explore. The effects of hydrodynamic properties and UF system parameters on the UF-OP process for ytterbium(III) extraction were also studied. The experimental results show that the best extraction conditions of ytterbium(III) were obtained as that nitric acid concentration was 4.00 mol/L, organic P-204 concentration was 0.150 mol/L, and O/W was 0.5 in the enrichment part, and pH value was 4.80 in the wastewater part. Ionic strength of metallic ore wastewater had no obvious effect on ytterbium(III) extraction. When cinit of ytterbium(III) concentration was 1.48 × 10−4 mol/L, the extraction percentage of ytterbium(III) was up to 94.8% in 160 min. The study results would provide theoretical and technical support for the treatment of wastewater containing ytterbium in metallic ore.

Nomograms as a graphical model to predict biogas at municipal wastewater treatment plant using fuzzy indices

AbstractThe strength of municipal wastewater and sludge considering their potential for biogasification can be expressed in terms of multiple parameter comprehensive indices (MPCI), namely, Wastewater Comprehensive Index (WWCI) and Sludge Comprehensive Index (SCI), respectively. Both of these indices can be calculated using fuzzy multiple criteria decisions making (FMCDM). Simple linear equations are established to express the relation between these indices, suspended solids concentration and biogas. The linear equation is developed to predict biogas from multiple parameter comprehensive indices, which indicate the linear relation between strength of wastewater, sludge and biogas. Nomogram was developed to get immediate quantification of biogas by linear scaling of suspended solid concentration and multiple parameter comprehensive indices (MPCI). Using a linear equation obtained from regression analysis; a suitable scale was developed to construct the nomogram. The biogas was found 96% precise with reference to measured one when estimated using nomograms. A single parameter, that is, suspended solids concentration will be monitored at municipal wastewater treatment plant, by digital device; to save chemicals, time, power and human resource. While taking efforts toward smart cities; digitalization and resource conservation will be creditable.

Does normalization of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations by Pepper Mild Mottle Virus improve correlations and lead time between wastewater surveillance and clinical data in Alberta (Canada): comparing twelve SARS-CoV-2 normalization approaches

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) data normalization is an analyte measurement correction that addresses variations resulting from dilution of fecal discharge by non-sanitary sewage, stormwater or groundwater infiltration. No consensus exists on what WBS normalization parameters result in the strongest correlations and lead time between SARS-CoV-2 WBS data and COVID-19 cases. This study compared flow, population size and biomarker normalization impacts on the correlations and lead times for ten communities in twelve sewersheds in Alberta (Canada) between September 2020 and October 2021 (n = 1024) to determine if normalization by Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV) provides any advantages compared to other normalization parameters (e.g., flow, reported and dynamic population sizes, BOD, TSS, NH3, TP). PMMoV concentrations (GC/mL) corresponded with plant influent flows and were highest in the urban centres. SARS-CoV-2 target genes E, N1 and N2 were all negatively associated with wastewater influent pH, while PMMoV was positively associated with temperature. Pooled data analysis showed that normalization increased ρ-values by almost 0.1 and was highest for ammonia, TKN and TP followed by PMMoV. Normalization by other parameters weakened associations. None of the differences were statistically significant. Site-specific correlations showed that normalization of SARS-CoV-2 data by PMMoV only improved correlations significantly in two of the twelve systems; neither were large sewersheds or combined sewer systems. In five systems, normalization by traditional wastewater strength parameters and dynamic population estimates improved correlations. Lead time ranged between 1 and 4 days in both pooled and site-specific comparisons. We recommend that WBS researchers and health departments: a) Investigate WWTP influent properties (e.g., pH) in the WBS planning phase and use at least two parallel approaches for normalization only if shown to provide value; b) Explore normalization by wastewater strength parameters and dynamic population size estimates further; and c) Evaluate purchasing an influent flow meter in small communities to support long-term WBS efforts and WWTP management.

Graphene oxide, kaolinite clay and PVA-derived nanocomposite aerogel as a regenerative adsorbent for wastewater treatment applications

Present work addressed the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-assisted gelatinisation of thoroughly dispersed graphene oxide (GO) and Kaolinite clay sheets into hydrogel, followed by lyophilisation to prepare the lightweight (0.024 g.cm−3) and remarkably porous (96.6%) clay-GO-PVA (CGP) composite aerogel by removing of frozen water (ice) through sublimation. The macroporous channels in CGP aerogel besides the mesoporosity of constituent materials facilitated the mass transfer (wastewater) and enhanced the accessibility of surface-active sites for dye adsorption. The CGP aerogel enriched with ample oxygen functionalities exhibited negative zeta potential (−25 mV), facilitating higher adsorption of cationic dyes than anionic ones. The excellent fitting of MB dye adsorption by Langmuir equilibrium isotherm suggested uniform dye adsorption on the surface of CGP aerogel with a maximum adsorption capacity of 535 mg.g−1. The spectroscopic analyses (XPS, FTIR, Raman) revealed charge-driven electrostatic attraction, hydrogen linkages (dipole-dipole and Yoshida), π-π, and n-π interactions between the surface-active sites of CGP aerogel and organic dyes as major adsorptive pathways. The MB dye adsorption increased with temperature and gradually declined with increasing ionic strength of simulated wastewater. The weak acidic to neutral pH range showed higher adsorption of MB dye by CGP aerogel. The size, charge, and hetero atoms of organic dyes, surface-active sites, charge, and porosity of aerogel, along with accessibility to adsorption sites through structural porosity, governed the adsorption process. The CGP aerogel showed excellent regenerability for subsequent batches and exhibited 98% MB dye removal efficiency even after seven adsorption-desorption cycles. Such porous nanocomposite aerogel shows immense potential for wastewater treatment applications to remove organic pollutants.

Influence factor of Pr(III) recovery kinetics from rare-earth simulant wastewater by PAN microtubule hyperfiltration reactor

Abstract PAN microtubule hyperfiltration reactor (PMHR) with organic phosphate system containing simulant wastewater section with buffer solution acetic acid and enrichment section with nitric acid solution and organic phosphate C16H35O4P (Di (6-methylheptyl) phosphate) dissolved in benzin, has been studied for the praseodymium (III)[expressed as Pr(III) or Pr3+] recovery in the rare-earth simulant wastewater. Many factors of Pr(III) recovery using PMHR need to explore, including hydrogen ion concentration (or pH), cinit of Pr(III) and different ionic strength of rare-earth simulant mine wastewater, volume ratio of C16H35O4P with benzin and nitric acid solution (O/W), nitric acid concentration, C16H35O4P concentration, different acid solution of enrichment section on Pr(III) recovery with PMHR were investigated. The experimental results show that the best recovery conditions of Pr(III) were obtained as that nitric acid concentration was 4.00 mol/L, C16H35O4P concentration was 0.200 mol/L, and O/W was 0.6 in the enrichment section, and pH value was 4.90 in the wastewater section. Ionic strength of rare-earth simulant mine wastewater had no obvious effect on Pr(III) recovery. When cinit of Pr(III) concentration was 1.67 × 10−4 mol/L, the recovery percentage of Pr(III) was up to 94.7% in 160 min. The kinetic equations were developed, and diffusion coefficient in the microtubule reactor and thickness of diffusion layer between the wastewater section and the microtubule pipe wall were obtained by linear slope method. They were 4.16 × 10−6 m2/s and 4.65 μm, respectively. PMHR, owing to a large number of C16H35O4P was used in the enrichment section, can renewal the losing carrier of microtubule reactor. As a result, the recovery percentage of Pr(III) was increased, the stability of PMHR system was enhanced, and the life span of the PMHR system was extended.

Modeling infection from SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations: promise, limitations, and future directions.

Estimating total infection levels, including unreported and asymptomatic infections, is important for understanding community disease transmission. Wastewater can provide a pooled community sample to estimate total infections that is independent of case reporting biases toward individuals with moderate to severe symptoms and by test-seeking behavior and access. We derive three mechanistic models for estimating community infection levels from wastewater measurements based on a description of the processes that generate SARS-CoV-2 RNA signals in wastewater and accounting for the fecal strength of wastewater through endogenous microbial markers, daily flow, and per-capita wastewater generation estimates. The models are illustrated through two case studies of wastewater data collected during 2020-2021 in Virginia Beach, VA, and Santa Clara County, CA. Median simulated infection levels generally were higher than reported cases, but at times, were lower, suggesting a discrepancy between the reported cases and wastewater data, or inaccurate modeling results. Daily simulated infection estimates showed large ranges, in part due to dependence on highly variable clinical viral fecal shedding data. Overall, the wastewater-based mechanistic models are useful for normalization of wastewater measurements and for understanding wastewater-based surveillance data for public health decision-making but are currently limited by lack of robust SARS-CoV-2 fecal shedding data.

Modelling of a novel near zero energy for a wastewater treatment plant with OXY-Biogas power cycle

• A novel integrated energy system has been developed and modelled by integrating activated sludge process, anaerobic digestion, oxyfuel combustion and a Rankine cycle. • Energetical self-sufficiency ratio of wastewater treatment has been found to be 132.4%. • A nearly zero emission WWTP has been achieved using oxy-fuel combustion. • Effects of several parameters of both WWTP and power systems have been investigated. • Integration assessment of the proposed model to all activated sludge based WWTP in the US has been performed. With the increase of population in the world, there have been tremendous increases in energy and water consumption which has made the Water Energy Nexus (WEN) an important consideration in the past several years. Moreover, energy consumption increased by a factor nine in the last century, and there is a close connection between water and electricity production – electricity production is one of the main sources of CO 2 emissions in the world. In order to conserve water, energy, and CO 2 emissions, a novel multigeneration net zero energy wastewater treatment plant has been modelled and developed by integrating an oxy-biogas power cycle with a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The proposed system is a combination of an activated sludge, anaerobic digester, oxy-biogas power cycle, and a Rankine cycle. The final product of the activated sludge is used to feed the power cycles in order to produce energy. The produced CO 2 from the combustion chamber has been recycled and combusted in the combustion chamber with the biogas and pure oxygen. Several parametric studies have been conducted to investigate their effects on the thermodynamic efficiencies and self-sufficiency ratio. While wastewater strength, effluent biochemical oxygen demand, and dissolved oxygen concentration have been varied in the WWTP, turbine inlet temperature, combustion pressure, and CO 2 return ratio have been chosen as the decision variables for the power cycle since they play key roles in both power requirement for wastewater treatment and power production from the oxy-biogas turbine cycle. The strength of untreated domestic wastewater has been found to be the most important factor among the decision variables. In addition, combustion pressure has shown to play a significant role, with the maximum self-sufficiency ratio and efficiencies occurring with combustion pressures in the range of 15 to 20 bars. Overall exergy efficiencies varied from 19.38% to 32.59%, and self-sufficiency ratios changed from 82.29 to 132.4%. Moreover, more than 95% of the CO 2 has been captured and recycled in the combustion chamber. This work is the first study which evaluated the integration of an oxy-biogas combustion model not only to produce power but also a nearly zero emission free WWTP. Furthermore, a fundamental analysis of energy and CO 2 saving for each state in the US have been calculated using the proposed system. It was found that, if the system outlined in this study was utilized in all activated sludge based WWTPs in the US, a total energy and CO 2 e emission savings of 10,409 GWh/yr and 3,553 kilotons/yr, could be obtained, representing 0.28% and 0.24% of the total electricity supply and annual CO2e emissions from electricity production. This study suggests that an energetically self-sufficient WWTP with near zero emission is plausible.

Advanced oxidation process: a sustainable technology for treating refractory organic compounds present in industrial wastewater.

The world faces tremendous challenges and environmental crises due to the rising strength of wastewater. The conventional technologies fail to achieve the quality water that can be reused after treatment means "zero effluent" discharge of the industrial effluent. Therefore, now the key challenge is to develop improved technologies which will have no contribution to secondary pollution and at the same time more efficient for the socio-economic growth of the environment. Sustainable technologies are needed for wastewater treatment, reducing footprint by recycling, reusing, and recovering resources. Advanced oxidation process (AOP) is one of the sustainable emerging technologies for treating refractory organic contaminants present in different industrial wastewaters like textile, paper and pulp, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and refineries. This critical review emerges details of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), mentioning all possible permutations and combinations of components like ozone, UV, the catalyst used in the process. Non-conventional AOP systems, microwave, ultrasound, and plasma pulse assisted are the future of the oxidation process. This review aims to enlighten the role of AOPs for the mineralization of refractory organic contaminants (ROC) to readily biodegradable organics that cannot be either possible by conventional treatment. The integrated AOPs can improve the biodegradability of recalcitrant organic compounds and reduce the toxicity of wastewater, making them suitable for further biological treatment.

Complete removal of heavy metals with simultaneous efficient treatment of etching terminal wastewater using scaled-up microbial electrolysis cells

• Etching terminal wastewater is efficiently treated in MECs of different scales. • MECs performance scales almost with the reactor volume. • Electrode potentials in scaled-up MECs (40 L) are resilient to wastewater strength. • Switch from low to high strengths wastewater alters microbial community composition. The treatment of actual low and high strengths etching terminal wastewater (ETW) from plating and electronic industry meeting national discharge standards is demonstrated in laboratory scale (1 L) and in scaled-up (40 L) microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). Both cylindrical single-chamber MECs achieved complete removal of heavy metals and efficient treatment of organics using either low strength ETW at an hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 5 d, or high strength wastewater at HRTs of 7 d (1 L) or 9 d (40 L). The removal rate of organics and heavy metals increased by 36-fold and scaled almost with the reactor volume ratio of 40. Electrode potentials in the scaled-up MECs (40 L) were resilient to the wastewater strength. Bacterial communities on both anodes and cathodes of the 1 L and the 40 L reactors experienced a selective shock and a significant community change after switching from low to high strengths wastewater, although reactor performance was effectively maintained. This study demonstrates complete removal of multiple heavy metals with simultaneous efficient wastewater treatment in MECs of different scales meeting China national discharge standards and provides a plausible approach for simultaneous removal of value-added products (e.g., heavy metals) and efficient treatment of practical etching terminal wastewater.

An alternative A-stage process - Investigating the novel alternating activated adsorption (AAA) system for carbon management under different wastewater strengths

The interest in the A-stage of the adsorption/bio-oxidation (A/B) process has considerably increased due to its capacity of carbon redirection to the solids stream. Induced by its flexible and compact design, the Alternating Activated Adsorption (AAA) was recently implemented in full-scale as an alternative A-stage system. However, the literature on such a system is scarce. In this article for the first time, the performance of the novel AAA system is evaluated. Two lab-scale AAA systems were operated as a primary settler replacement (AAA-1) or to complement the primary settler (AAA-2). Systems were assessed in terms of process control, effluent quality and carbon diversion. As settling and aeration are performed in the same reactor, AAA maintained high MLSS (2121±293mg/L for AAA-1 and 806±116mg/L for AAA-2) compared to the literature at such a very low aerobic SRT (<6h). Regardless wastewater strength, AAA attains low oxidation (16-17%) owing to the oxygen supply pattern and short aerobic SRT. Moreover, AAA-1 showed high COD removal efficiency for soluble (67±8%) and particulates (62±14%) as well as COD redirection (47±7%). In addition, it is demonstrated that the simultaneous bottom feeding and top discharging regime adds unique capacity for particulates capture in AAA. On the other hand, low particulates removal and total carbon redirection were observed in the AAA-2. Yet, the overall removal efficiencies are comparable with the literature. It can be concluded that, with further optimizations, AAA system has the potential to outcompete other A-stage systems. As such, sludge settleability is found to be challenging when treating low strength wastewater.

Kesan Penyusupan dan Aliran Masuk terhadap Kekuatan Air Sisa Kumbahan Perbandaran

Inflows and infiltrations are a common phenomenon in the sewerage system in our country. This is due to weather factors and high rainfall distribution in Malaysia. Therefore, infiltration rates are also expected to be high through manholes. The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of infiltration and inflow on wastewater strength from municipal areas with a population of 1000 PE. Modeling using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) software is used to determine the rate of infiltration and inflow of rainwater into sewers as well as the rate of decay of pollutant loads such as Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Ammonia (NH3) in a sewer system involving 17 manholes. The results in this modeling are the infiltration rate for each catchment area and the decay rate of the total pollutant load. As for the infiltration rate, the catchment area is divided into three, namely S1, S2 and S3, where S1 contains the lowest amount of infiltration compared to S2 and S3 which is 1.27 mm/h for 10%, 1.36 mm/h for 15% and 1.45 mm/h for 20%. In addition, the total pollutant load produced for the 12 hours of simulation conducted for COD is 160-180 kg with a total decay occurring around 0.10-0.29% while Ammonia produces a pollutant load of 140-160 kg with a consistent decay rate and does not give substantial reduction to Ammonia. The results show that the infiltration that occurs does not affect the velocity of wastewater but affects the strength of wastewater which can cause the concentration of wastewater to decrease.

Hydrodynamic Evaluation of Five Influent Distribution Systems in a Cylindrical UASB Reactor Using CFD Simulations

UASB reactors are a promising option for environmentally friendly wastewater treatment due to their reduced carbon footprint and their capacity to treat a variety of wastewater strengths, among other recognized advantages over alternative wastewater treatment systems. The Influent Distribution System (IDS) is a critical structure for generating granules in a UASB reactor since it provides the required flow hydrodynamics for their formation. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficiency of five IDS configurations to generate ideal granulation conditions using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The IDS configurations were as follows: (C1) single radial inflow, (C2) upward axial inflow, (C3) downward distributed axial inflow, and two novel configurations in the form of (C4) double opposite radial inflow and (C5) downward tangential inflow. The hydrodynamic response of configuration C1 was validated in a physical model with dynamic Froude similitude. The granulation measurement was velocity-based in the reactor reaction zone using steady-state CFD simulations. The novel IDS configuration C4 was the one that resulted in the highest granulation volume, with up to 45.5% of the potential granulation volume of the UASB reactor, in contrast to the IDS C2 that obtained the lowest granulation with only 10.8%. Results confirm that the IDS directly impacts the hydrodynamics of the reactor and that model-based design can be used to ascertain IDS configurations that better promote granulation in UASB reactors.