Characterization of sewage and design of a UASB reactor for its treatment

Abstract

Wastewater treatment is becoming ever more critical due to fading water resources, increasing wastewater disposal expenses and firmer discharge regulations that have lowered permissible contaminant levels in waste streams. The ultimate goal of wastewater management is the protection of the environment in a manner commensurate with public health and socio-economic concerns. This project is devoted for the characterization of general parameters of domestic waste water collected from the campus of NIT Rourkela, and study and design of an anaerobic treatment plant, the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor (UASB). The UASB model showed promising results in removal of BOD, heavy metals, pH, turbidity and decrease in microbe content. A laboratory scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor study was done with waste water generated from hostels in NIT Rourkela as substrate. The reactor was fed with waste water in the presence of sludge generated from the same waste water. The substrate was recirculated within the reactor to ensure a continuous steady upflow. Samples were collected from the reactor every week and were analyzed for concentration of various parameters and were plotted against time. Treated waste water found from UASB model reduces turbidity of water decreases from 57.1 to 37.6 NTU, pH of treated water increases s from 7.9 to 8.9,BOD of treated sample decreases with time from 6.6 to 1.5 mg/L, concentration of metals decreases with time as Potassium concentration decreases from 2.066 to 1.351 mg/L, Calcium concentration decreases from 2.391 to 1.075 mg/L, Zinc concentration decreases from 0.251 to 0.162 mg/L, Iron concentration decreases from 0.517 to 0.239 mg/L, Copper concentration decreases from 0.107 to 0.056 mg/L, Lead concentration decreases from 0.033 to 0.202 mg/L, Arsenic concentration decreases from 0.09 to 0.048 mg/L, magnesium concentration decreases from 6.439 to 6.145 mg/L.