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Water Science and Engineering, 2014, 7(2): 168-182

doi:10.3882/j.issn.1674-2370.2014.02.005

http://www.waterjournal.cn
e-mail: wse2008@vip.163.com

Effects of hydraulic retention time, temperature, and


effluent recycling on efficiency of anaerobic filter in
treating rural domestic wastewater
John Leju Celestino LADU*1, 2, Xi-wu L1
1. School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, P. R. China
2. College of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Juba, Juba 82, South Sudan
Abstract: With rural population expansion and improvement of the socio-economic standard of
living, treatment of rural domestic wastewater has rapidly become a major aspect of environmental
concern. Selection of a suitable method for treatment of rural domestic wastewater depends on its
efficiency, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness. This study investigated the effects of hydraulic
retention time (HRT), temperature, and effluent recycling on the treatment efficiency of an
anaerobic filter (AF) reactor. The first round of experimental operations was run for three months
with HRTs of one, two, and three days, temperatures of 18, 21, and 24, and no effluent
recycling. The second round of experimental operations was conducted for another three months
with HRTs of three and four days; temperatures of 30.67, 30.57, and 26.91; and three effluent
recycling ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1. The first round of operations showed removal rates of 32% to
44% for COD, 30% to 35% for TN, 32% to 36% for NH +4 -N , 19% to 23% for NO3 -N , and 12% to
22% for TP. In the second round of operations, the removal rates varied from 75% to 81% for COD,
35% to 41% for TN, 31% to 39% for NH +4 -N , 30% to 34% for NO3 -N , and 41% to 48% for TP.
The average gas production rates were 6.72 L/d and 7.26 L/d for the first and second rounds of
operations, respectively. The gas production rate increased in the second round of operations as a
result of applied effluent recycling. The best removal efficiency was obtained for an optimum HRT
of three days, a temperature of 30, and an effluent recycling ratio of 2:1. The results show that the
removal efficiency of the AF reactor was affected by HRT, temperature, and effluent recycling.
Key words: anaerobic filter (AF); rural domestic wastewater; hydraulic retention time (HRT);
effluent recycling; experimental operation

1 Introduction
Due to urbanization, changing attitudes, education, and improved socio-economic
standards of living all over China, in particular in the eastern part of China, domestic
wastewater is becoming a matter of concern. In the past, people lived in relatively small
population units, often in the countryside, and the disposal of domestic wastewater was not
devastating. However, with the expansion of rural populations, disposal and accumulation of

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51078074) and the
Key Project of the Chinese Ministry of Education (Grant No. 308010).
*Corresponding author (e-mail: johnleju@yahoo.com)
Received Mar. 1, 2013; accepted Jan. 1, 2014

domestic sewage products rapidly became one of the major aspects of environmental concern,
due to the pollution of water sources, soil, and air, and, consequently, adverse impacts on the
total environment. Hence, to cope with these alarming threats, an efficient, simple,
cost-effective, and feasible means of anaerobic domestic wastewater treatment is
highly recommended.
Many advanced anaerobic treatment reactors have been invented to tackle the challenges
faced in efficient treatment of domestic wastewater. Among the reactors are the anaerobic
filter (AF) reactor (Ladu et al. 2012; Chernicharo and Machado 1998; Bodik et al. 2000, 2003),
the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor (Heertjes and Van Der Meer 1978;
Lettinga and Vinken 1980; Lettinga et al. 1983), the hybrid reactor (Elmitwalli et al. 2002a,
2002b; Chernicharo and Nascimento 2001), the anaerobic baffled reactor (Langenhoff and
Stuckey 2000; Bodik et al. 2003), the anaerobic migrating blanket reactor (Angenent and Sung
2001), and the expanded granular sludge bed reactor (Van der Last and Lettinga 1992;
Seghezzo 1997).
Anaerobic processes have been used in the treatment of wastewater and sludge for more
than 100 years (Martina 2008). Despite the application of these processes since the 19th
century, anaerobic wastewater treatment has been considered to be inefficient and unstable.
However, as a result of escalating energy prices during the 1970s and improvement in
environmental education, the anaerobic treatment process has gained momentum, and more
stable and efficient high-rate anaerobic systems have been developed, including AF, UASB,
and the fluidized bed reactor (Gijzen 2002). The anaerobic method is now considered to be the
best method for the treatment of rural domestic wastewater. Treatment of wastewater by the
anaerobic process is considered sustainable (Lettinga 1996; Hammes et al. 2000) and
appropriate for on-site wastewater treatment (Zeeman and Lettinga 1999) because of its
simplicity and cost effectiveness, and the fact that it requires only a small space for operation.
Among the anaerobic processes, the AF process has gained popularity and has been
applied in various rural domestic wastewater treatment schemes since it was first developed by
Young and McCarty (1969). An AF reactor is chiefly a column or tower packed with support
filter material for the growth of biomass. Its process is simple, it has a low running cost, and it
does not require complex professional management. Furthermore, the process has the
advantage of producing methane gas, a high-calorie fuel gas (Chernicharo 2007).
Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the performance of AF reactors,
including the influence of operating characteristics and packing media (Manariotis and
Grigoropoulos 2006), in treating domestic or low-strength wastewater. The effect of HRT,
temperature, and effluent recycling on pollutant removal performance of the AF reactor has
been examined by several researchers (Elmitwalli et al. 2002b; Bodik et al. 2000; Yu et al.
2002). Important parameters affecting the performance of the AF reactor are the operating
HRT (Chuan 2007) and temperature. When the temperature is high, the conversion rates of
organic matter in the anaerobic process are also high (Luostarinen et al. 2007), and at the same
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time, low temperature leads to low gas production in upflow reactors and insufficient mixing.
Generally, the efficiency of the anaerobic treatment process is temperature-dependent (Bogte
et al. 1993; Van Haandel and Lettinga 1994). When the temperature is low, more organic
matter usually remains un-degraded as a result of slow hydrolysis of volatile solids at a given
HRT (Seghezzo 2004). Other studies show that, at low temperatures, longer HRTs are needed
because of the lower rate of hydrolysis in AF reactors (Van der Last and Lettinga 1992).
Effluent recycling has been widely used in anaerobic treatment (Sam-Soon et al. 1991).
However, the effects of HRT, temperature, and effluent recycling on the removal efficiencies
of anaerobic filters in treating rural domestic wastewater have been contentious. Thus, the aim
of this study was to examine the effect of these factors (HRT, temperature, and effluent recycling)
on the overall performance of the AF reactor in treating rural domestic wastewater at the Taihu
Lake Environmental Engineering Research Center of Southeast University, Wuxi, China.

2 Materials and methods


2.1 Experimental setup
The experimental system was comprised of a regulating tank (influent tank), two
submersible pumps, and an AF bioreactor system. A schematic diagram of the experimental
setup is shown in Fig. 1. The AF reactor system was composed of four columns made of
polyvinyl chloride (PVC), with a total capacity of 300 L. The first three columns were
typically operated as an anaerobic zone and the fourth column contained an anoxic zone. The
first two columns aimed mainly at the removal of physical solids in order to provide good
processing conditions for the functioning of the third column. Usually, the second and third
columns were optimized for volatile fatty acid (VFA) removal (Wang 1994). The AF reactors
were connected in a series. The anaerobic columns had an internal diameter of 0.2 m and a
height of 3 m, and the anoxic column had a diameter of 0.2 m and a height of 2 m. The
columns was filled with non-woven fabric filter material with a length of 2.5 m, width of 50
mm, surface area of 150 m2/m3, and porosity of 97%. The AF reactors had an effective
volume of 90 L for each anaerobic column and 60 L for the anoxic column. The influents were

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of experiment

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pumped from the same feed tank to the bottom of the columns with the help of a pump
(BT100-2J). Sampling ports were located at different heights to help in extraction of samples
for experimental tests and analysis.
The flow rates were 300 L/d, 150 L/d, 100 L/d, and 75 L/d corresponding to HRTs of one
day, two days, three days, and four days, respectively. The concentrations of suspended solids
(SS), volatile suspended solids (VSS), and grey matter were 3 156 mg/L, 1 799 mg/L, and
1 357 mg/L, respectively, and the concentration ratio of VSS to SS was 0.5. The first three
months of the experimental operation were conducted with HRTs of one, two, and three days,
resulting in organic loading rates (OLRs) for COD of 0.19, 0.11, and 0.07 kg/(m3d),
respectively, without effluent recycling. After assessing the response of the reactor
performance to those experimental factors and conditions in the first round of operations, the
reactor was then operated with HRTs of three and four days, resulting in OLRs for COD of
0.08 and 0.06 kg/(m3d) respectively, and operated with effluent recycling in the second round
of operations. In this second round of experimental operations, effluent from the anoxic
column was collected in the oxic column, some of it was pumped using a pump to the influent
port of the reactor column, and some of it was pumped as effluent. The recycling ratio r can be
defined as the ratio of the returned flow rate Qr to that of the main influent flow rate Q0 , as
shown in Eq. (1):
Q
(1)
r= r
Q0
Three effluent recycling ratios, 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1, were used for the reactor. The total duration
for these experimental operations was six months.

2.2 Estimation of parameters


2.2.1 Volumetric hydraulic load
The amount of wastewater applied daily to the reactor, per unit of volume, is termed the
volumetric hydraulic load ( L , m3/(m3d)) (Martina 2008):
Q
(2)
L=
V
where Q is the flow rate (m3/d), and V is the total volume of the reactor (m3). The hydraulic
retention time ( ), given in days, is expressed as
1
=
(3)
L
which gives
V
=
(4)
Q
2.2.2 Volumetric organic load
The volumetric organic load (VOL) is the amount of organic matter applied daily to the
reactor, per unit of volume (Martina 2008):

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QSi
(5)
V
where LO is the volumetric organic load for COD (kg/(m3d)), and Si is the influent
substrate concentration (kg/m3).
For domestic wastewater characterized by low organic matter concentrations, the VOL
value to be applied usually ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 kg/(m3d) (Chernicharo 2007).
2.2.3 Removal efficiency of reactor
The removal of COD in the AF system refers to the difference between the influent
concentration ( Cinf ) of COD and the effluent concentration ( Ceff ) of COD. Thus, the removal
rate ( Rr ) of COD is expressed by the following equation:
C Ceff
100%
Rr = inf
(6)
Cinf
LO =

This equation can also be used to calculate the efficiency of the reactors in regards to
other nutrients.
2.2.4 Kinetics parameters of anaerobic reactor for anaerobic digestion process
The substrate concentration surrounding the microorganisms is crucial to evaluating
kinetics parameters based on Monod-type kinetic models (Govindaradjane and Sundararajan
2013). Different researchers have stressed the salience of the total OLR in assessing process
performance as well as effluent substrate concentration. In view of the fact that anaerobic
microorganisms, especially methanogens, are sensitive to their environment, it is more
important to consider the amount of substrate per microorganism per unit period than the
effluent concentration. The total OLR ( Lx ) takes into account both the flow rate and the
concentration of the waste, and is then defined as
SQ
S
(7)
Lx = i = i
X aV X a
where X a is the active biomass concentration in the reactor.
The relationship between the substrate utilization rate (R) and Lx becomes
kX a Lx
R=
= qX a
K L + Lx

(8)

where k is the maximum specific substrate utilization rate, K L is the organic loading rate at
R = k 2 , and q is the specific substrate utilization rate.
A mass balance on the substrate can be written around the entire system as follows:
dS
(9)
V = QSi RV QSe
dt net
dS
where is the net change of the substrate, and Se is the substrate concentration in
dt net
the effluent.
At steady state, Eq. (9) can be combined with Eq. (8) as follows:

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S e = Si

kSi
K L + Lx

(10)

Similarly, a mass balance for the biomass gives the following expression:
dX
(11)

V = YRV K d X dV QX e
dt net
dX
where
is the net change in rate of biomass, Y is the yield coefficient, X d is the

dt net
active biomass concentration in the influent, X e is the biomass concentration in the effluent,
and K d is the microbial decay coefficient over time.
At steady state, Eqs. (7) and (8) are substituted for the substrate removal rate in Eq. (11)
to solve for Xa:
X a = Si kY K d Si K L X e

( K L X e + K d Si Si kY )

4 K d K L X e Si

2 K d K L

(12)

Eqs. (10) and (12) can be used to obtain the kinetic parameters k, K L , K d , and Y.

2.3 Wastewater used for experiment


The type of wastewater used for this study was characterized by low strength. The
influent was collected from a sewage manhole at the Taihu Lake Environmental Engineering
Research Center of Southeast University, Wuxi, China, and then pumped into a storage tank as
influent to the AF system. The AF reactors were inoculated with sludge obtained from a
municipal sewage treatment plant in Wuxi. The reactors were operated continuously for 20
days as the start-up period until the performance was stable (acclimatized). The effluent
samples of every reactor were collected at the sampling ports of the reactors in separate bottles
every two days and stored in a refrigerator at 5 before experimental tests in the laboratory.
The pH value, temperature, and gas production rate were recorded daily. The composition of
the raw domestic wastewater used in this study is shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Composition of study raw domestic wastewater
Item

Minimum

COD concentration TN concentration NH +4 -N concentration


(mg/L)
(mg/L)
(mg/L)

130.64

25.21

24.28

NO3 -N concentration
(mg/L)
0.12

TP concentration
pH value
(mg/L)
1.61

7.5

Maximum

398.21

39.35

33.54

5.79

4.21

7.9

Average

209.69

30.32

28.56

2.41

4.26

7.7

2.4 Analytical procedures


The experimental test was carried for a period of six months (April, May, June, July,
August, and September, 2012). All the analyses were carried out in accordance with the
Chinese standard methods in Determination of Municipal Sludge in Wastewater Treatment
Plant (CJ/T 2212005). The samples were filtered through a 0.45-m membrane filter before
experimental analysis. The influent and effluent COD, TN, NH +4 -N , NO3 -N , and TP
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concentrations were measured according to the standard methods recommended by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (Clescerl et al. 1998). Temperature and pH values were
measured with a dissolved oxygen meter and pH meter, respectively. The gas production rate
was measured with a wet gas meter. The flow rate was controlled by a valve and incessantly
regulated with the help of a pump.

3 Results and discussion


3.1 COD removal
The average concentrations of COD in the influent and effluent of the AF system were, in
the first round of experimental operations, 203.07 mg/L and 123.53 mg/L, respectively, and, in
the second round of experimental operations, 234.03 mg/L and 50.33 mg/L, respectively. The
results provided in Tables 2 and 3 show the effects of the HRT, OLR, temperature, and effluent
recycling on the removal of COD.
Table 2 Influent and effluent COD concentrations and removal efficiencies in first round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
OLR for COD
(kg/(m3d))

Cinf

Ceff

(mg/L)

(mg/L)

Effluent
recycling ratio

Removal
efficiency (%)

0.07

211.69

117.93

NR

44

0.11

210.23

126.15

NR

40

0.19

187.29

126.52

NR

32

Temperature
()

HRT (d)

April

18.06

May

21.49

June

24.15

Month

Note: NR means there is no effluent recycling.

Table 3 Influent and effluent COD concentrations and removal efficiencies in second round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
OLR for COD
(kg/(m3d))

Cinf

Ceff

(mg/L)

(mg/L)

Effluent
recycling ratio

Removal
efficiency (%)

0.05

208.16

40.00

1:1

81

30.57

0.08

241.50

60.42

1:2

75

26.91

0.08

252.43

50.58

2:1

80

Temperature
( )

HRT (d)

July

30.67

August
September

Month

The COD removal efficiency throughout the treatment process in the first round of
experimental operations was between 32% to 44% under the conditions of HRTs of three days,
two days, and one day; OLRs for COD of 0.07 to 0.19 kg/(m3d); temperatures ranging from
18 to 24; and without effluent recycling.
The experimental results show that HRT, temperature, OLR, and effluent recycling have a
significant influence on COD removal. In the first round of experimental operations, reducing
HRTs from three to two days, and then to one day increases OLR and thus affects the
efficiency, resulting in COD removal rates of 44%, 40%, and 32%, respectively. That is, when
the HRT decreases, the COD removal rates also decrease, and this was found to be
independent of the influent concentrations.
In the second round of experimental operations, an increase in HRT and temperature and

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the use of recycling led to improved efficiency of the reactor, in the range from 75% to 81%
(Table 3). The maximum COD removal rate was 81%, which corresponds to an influent COD
of 208.16 mg/L at a HRT of four days. The removal efficiency obtained coincided with the
study conducted by Barbosa and SantAnna (1989), which achieved a COD removal efficiency
of 74% when treating municipal wastewater at temperatures between 18 and 28, and also
coincided with a study by Yu and Fang (2002), which obtained a COD removal efficiency of
89.2% without recycling and a COD removal efficiency of 92.5% with recycling. A study by
Foresti (2001) showed that, at an average temperature of 25 and an HRT value lower than
six hours, there was no significant difference in the anaerobic system performance at other
temperatures and HRTs.
Comparison of the two rounds of operations shows that the COD removal efficiency of
the anaerobic reactor increased with an increase in HRT and effluent recycling, and decreased
with an increase in OLR, and an increase in temperature always resulted in improved removal
efficiency. This agreed with the findings of Lettinga et al. (1981), who reported a COD
removal rate of 65% at high temperatures in a UASB reactor, which decreased to a removal
rate of 55% when the temperature was reduced to between 13 and 17.

3.2 TN removal
The results in Tables 4 and 5 illustrate the effects of the HRT, nitrogen volumetric loading
rate (VLR), temperature, and effluent recycling on the removal efficiency of total nitrogen
(TN) in the AF reactor. The average TN concentrations in the influent and effluent in the first
round of experimental operations were 31.11 and 20.85 mg/L, respectively, and the average
TN concentrations in the influent and effluent in the second round of experimental operations
were 30.49 mg/L and 18.97 mg/L, respectively. These results indicate insignificant TN
removal with regard to the operating conditions. This may be attributed to the low sludge
production in the AF reactor, as reported by Barbosa and SantAnna (1989).
Table 4 Influent and effluent TN concentrations and removal efficiencies in first round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
Month

Temperature
()

HRT (d)

Nitrogen VLR for TN


(kg/(m3d))

April

18.06

0.01

30.89

May

21.49

0.12

June

24.15

0.03

Cinf (mg/L) Ceff (mg/L) Effluent recycling


ratio

Removal
efficiency (%)

20.28

NR

34

31.19

20.43

NR

35

31.24

21.84

NR

30

Table 5 Influent and effluent TN concentrations and removal efficiencies in second round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
Month

Temperature
()

HRT (d)

Nitrogen VLR for TN


(kg/(m3d))

Cinf (mg/L) Ceff (mg/L) Effluent recycling


ratio

Removal
efficiency (%)

July

30.67

0.01

33.78

19.95

1:1

41

August

30.57

0.01

28.82

18.79

1:2

35

September

26.91

0.01

28.88

18.18

2:1

37

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It seems that an increase in HRT enhances the nitrification. However, there was no
significant difference in the removal efficiency of the AF reactor at different nitrogen VLRs
and temperatures, except for the operational conditions with or without effluent recycling. It
can be seen that, the higher the amount of nitrogen compounds in the influent is, the higher the
removal efficiency is. Some studies have shown that the TN removal efficiency depends on
the ratio of COD to TN concentrations (COD/TN ratio) and the shape of the reactor. About
80% of the TN removal efficiency was observed at a COD/TN ratio greater than 3.9 in a
sequencing batch reactor (SBR) (Chul and Jay 2008). A study by Han (1996) reported a TN
removal efficiency of 69.3% to 78.5% at a COD/TN ratio range of 4.5 to 5.8. In this study, a
37% to 41% of the total TN removal rate was obtained within a COD/TN ratio range of 7.2 to
7.5. The operation conditions without effluent recycling showed an average TN removal
efficiency of 33%, while the operation conditions with effluent recycling revealed an average
TN removal efficiency of 37.67%. Slight effects of temperature were observed.

3.3 NH4+-N removal


The results in Table 6 and Table 7 show the effect of HRT, temperature, and effluent
recycling on the removal efficiency of NH +4 -N . The average influent and effluent
concentrations of NH +4 -N in the first round of experimental operations were 28.21 mg/L and
18.39 mg/L (Table 6). In the second round of experimental operations they were 29.33 mg/L
and 18.73 mg/L, respectively (Table 7). The average removal efficiency for NH +4 -N with
HRTs of one, two, and three days and without effluent recycling was 34.7%, while the
average removal efficiency of the AF reactor with HRTs of four and three days and with
effluent recycling for NH +4 -N was 36%. The results revealed insignificant NH +4 -N
removal under these operating conditions. This can be attributed to inadequate sludge
production in the reactor.
Table 6 Influent and effluent NH +4 -N concentrations and removal efficiencies in first round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
Month

Temperature
()

HRT (d)

Cinf (mg/L)

Ceff (mg/L)

Effluent
recycling ratio

Removal efficiency (%)

April

18.06

27.41

18.52

NR

32

May

21.49

28.20

18.13

NR

36

June

24.15

29.01

18.52

NR

36

Table 7 Influent and effluent NH +4 -N concentrations and removal efficiencies in second round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
Temperature
()

Month

HRT (d)

Cinf (mg/L)

Ceff (mg/L)

Effluent
recycling ratio

Removal efficiency (%)

July

30.67

29.59

18.29

1:1

38

August

30.57

29.30

17.91

1:2

39

September

26.91

29.10

19.98

2:1

31

3.4 NO3 -N removal


The average NO3 -N concentrations in the influent and effluent were 0.55 mg/L and
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0.44 mg/L, respectively, in the first round of experimental operations (Table 8), and 4.02 mg/L
and 2.74 mg/L, respectively, in the second round of experimental operations (Table 9). The
average removal efficiency with HRTs of one, two, and three days and without effluent
recycling for NO3 -N was 21%. While the average removal efficiency of the AF reactor with
HRTs of three and four days and with effluent recycling for NO3 -N was 31.7%. This
illustrates that there was insignificant NO3 -N removal under these operating conditions.
This might be attributed to inadequate sludge production in the reactor. The results from the
comparison of the two rounds of experimental operations also revealed that NO3 -N removal
rates increase with an increase in HRT, temperature, and effluent recycling.
Table 8 Influent and effluent NO3 -N concentrations and removal efficiencies in first round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
Month

Temperature
()

HRT (d)

Cinf (mg/L)

Ceff (mg/L)

Effluent
recycling ratio

Removal efficiency
(%)

April

18.06

0.69

0.53

NR

23

May

21.49

0.58

0.47

NR

19

June

24.15

0.39

0.31

NR

21

Table 9 Influent and effluent NO3 -N concentrations and removal efficiencies in second round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
Month

Temperature
()

HRT (d)

Cinf (mg/L)

Ceff (mg/L)

Effluent
recycling ratio

Removal efficiency
(%)

July

30.67

5.20

3.43

1:1

34

August

30.57

3.27

2.30

1:2

30

September

26.91

3.59

2.48

2:1

31

3.5 TP removal
The average influent and effluent total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were, 3.72 mg/L
and 3.07 mg/L, respectively, in the first round of experimental operations (Table 10), and
5.05 mg/L and 2.86 mg/L, respectively, in the second round of experimental operations (Table 11).
Table 10 Influent and effluent TP concentrations and removal efficiencies in first round of experimental
operations and experimental conditions
Month

Temperature ()

HRT (d)

Cinf (mg/L)

Ceff (mg/L)

Effluent
recycling ratio

Removal efficiency (%)

April

18.06

4.09

3.19

NR

22

May

21.49

3.97

3.29

NR

17

June

24.15

3.10

2.73

NR

12

Table 11 Influent and effluent TP concentrations and removal efficiencies in second round of
experimental operations and experimental conditions
Month

Temperature ()

HRT (d)

Cinf (mg/L)

Ceff (mg/L)

Effluent
recycling ratio

Removal efficiency (%)

July

30.67

5.95

3.42

1:1

43

August

30.57

3.99

2.06

1:2

48

September

26.91

5.22

3.10

2:1

41

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In regards to TP, the HRT, temperature, and operation condition with or without effluent
recycling had an influence on the reactors removal efficiency. The efficiency improved with
increasing HRT, temperature, and effluent recycling. In the first round of experimental
operations, the temperature was low and there was no effluent recycling, and a 17% average
TP removal rate was obtained, whereas in the second round of experimental operations, the
temperature was high and effluent recycling was used, and a 44% average TP removal rate
was obtained. This shows that temperature and effluent recycling significantly affects the
reactors performance in TP removal but HRT has only a slight effect. The results also showed
that TP removal rates increased with an increase in COD concentration, and this result
coincided with a study by Mohammed and Abbas (2007). Giuseppe (2009) found that the
higher the recycling ratio for the anaerobic treatment process was (within a limit based on
kinetic considerations), the higher the removal efficiency of nutrients could be. This result
coincided with a study by Elmitwalli and Ralf (2007), in which an experimental test was
conducted with a UASB reactor treating grey water at HRTs between 6 and 16 hours and a
temperature of 30, and removal efficiencies of 22% to 30% for TN and 15% to 21% for TP
were obtained.

3.6 Variation of pH values


The pH value fluctuations in the influent and effluent of the AF reactor were monitored
over time and the average pH values in the influent and effluent were 7.70 and 7.94,
respectively, during the first round of experimental operations, and 7.70 and 7.84, respectively,
during the second round of experimental operations (Tables 12 and 13).
Table 12 Influent and effluent pH values in first round of experimental operations
Month

Temperature ()

HRT (d)

Influent pH value

Effluent pH value

Effluent recycling ratio

April

18.06

7.73

7.96

NR

May

21.49

7.74

8.04

NR

June

24.15

7.65

7.82

NR

Table 13 Influent and effluent pH values in second round of experimental operations


Month

Temperature ()

HRT (d)

Influent pH value

Effluent pH value

Effluent recycling ratio

July

18.06

7.72

7.92

1:1

August

21.49

7.68

7.93

1:2

September

24.15

7.72

7.68

2:1

Monitoring of pH value in the anaerobic reactor is crucial and can be helpful in detecting
abnormalities of a system. In this study, the pH value of the treated domestic wastewater
(effluent) was in the range of 7.68 to 8.04, indicating satisfactory conditions of the reactor.
According to the literature (Stronach et al. 1986), pH values less than 6.8 or greater than 8.3
will cause souring of the reactor in the process of anaerobic digestion. The average pH value
of the influent wastewater for the two experimental operations was 7.71, which is typical for

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wastewater with a mean pH value of 7.8, slightly higher than what reported by Chuan (2007).
Several researchers have studied the effect of pH on the anaerobic treatment process (Yu and
Fang 2002; Paulo et al. 2003; Hu et al. 2005) but there does not exist ample information about
the influence of pH on AFs efficiency in treating rural domestic waste. Generally, the pH
throughout the AF effluent remained stable despite an increase in HRTs.

3.7 Gas production rate


The average gas production rate varying with time is shown in Tables 14 and 15. As the
system stabilized, the average gas production rate varied between 5.82 and 8.39 L/d in the first
round of experimental operations (Table 14) and in the range of 6.01 to 8.36 L/d in the second
round of experimental operations (Table 15).
Table 14 Gas production rate in first round of experimental operations
Month

Temperature
()

Gas production rate in different anaerobic columns (L/d)


HRT (d)
Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Total gas production


rate (L/d)

April

18.06

2.12

3.44

2.83

8.39

May

21.49

1.76

3.03

1.03

5.82

June

24.15

3.43

2.07

0.44

5.94

Table 15 Gas production rate in second round of experimental operations


Gas production rate in different anaerobic columns (L/d)

Temperature
()

HRT (d)

July

30.67

August
September

Month

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Total gas production


rate (L/d)

4.16

4.16

0.28

8.60

30.57

0.76

4.76

0.49

6.01

26.91

0.26

6.62

0.30

7.18

The gas production rate during the experimental operations was in the range of 5.82 to
8.39 L/d. In the first round of experimental operations, the average gas production rate was
6.72 L/d, and in the second round of experimental operations, the average gas production rate
was 7.26 L/d. For the first round of operations, the highest gas production rate was 8.39 L/d in
April, and the lowest was 5.82 L/d in May. The highest amount recorded was due to an
increased HRT and the fact that there was no effluent recycling, and also due to the fact that
April was the start-up season with active sludge and organic-rich compounds. Moreover, in
May, the average gas production rate dropped significantly to 5.82 L/d. This may have been a
result of a decreased HRT, where biomass has a higher propensity to be washed out from the
AF system. This finding corresponds with the results of Chuan (2007). Lew et al. (2004)
experienced a decline in the gas production rate when the temperature was low. A study by
Agrawal et al. (1997) revealed a 78% decrease in the gas production rate when the temperature
was reduced from 30 to 10. Generally, the average gas production rate increased in the
second round of experimental operations as a result of applied effluent recycling, which
coincides with the findings of Yu and Fang (2002).

John Leju Celestino LADU et al. Water Science and Engineering, Apr. 2014, Vol. 7, No. 2, 168-182

179

4 Conclusions
Rural domestic sewage and its composition vary with seasons and the natural cyclical
pattern of human activity. In this study, an experiment was carried out to treat rural domestic
sewage using AF reactors, and the effects of HRT, temperature, and effluents recycling on the
treatment efficiency of the AF reactor were investigated. The best and optimum removal
efficiency was obtained at an HRT of three days, an effluent recycling ratio of 2:1, and an
average temperature of 30. The concentrations of TN, NH +4 -N , NO3 -N , and TP were
slightly influenced by HRT, but significantly affected by temperature and the operating
conditions with or without effluent recycling. For all the experimental operations with effluent
recycling, the results obtained were better than for the experimental operations without
effluent recycling.
Thus, the application of the AF reactor in rural domestic wastewater can play a crucial
part in the development of effective and feasible concepts for wastewater management,
especially for people in rural low-income areas.

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