PRODUCING METHANE FROM ORGANIC INDUSTRIAL WASTE USING A FIXED BED ANAEROBIC REACTOR

A pilot-scale research program was undertaken to investigate the capability of an upflowing anaerobic fixed bed (UAFB) process to generate methane from wastewater from a beet sugar plant. The experiments were to develop data for the design and operation of full-scale units, and were carried out on three fixed bed PVC reactors, which were filled with standard industrial packings of plastic media. The effective volume of each reactor was approximately 60 liters.The reactors were inoculated with cultures from operating anaerobic fermentation systems. After an acclimation period, the molasses feedstock was introduced, with a later rise in loading. The results indicated that processing beet sugar molasses in this manner is technically feasible and could be economically attractive.