Poplar P-RC APMP Effluent with Anaerobic Treatment: An Efficient Three-Stage Anaerobic Reactor
Laibao Ding,
Qingwen Tian,
Ran Yang,
Jinwei Zhu,
Qi Guo,
Fuping Liu,
Sophia Zheng,
Guigan Fang
Affiliations
Laibao Ding
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material Jiangsu Province, Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resource Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, China
Qingwen Tian
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material Jiangsu Province, Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resource Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, China
Ran Yang
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material Jiangsu Province, Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resource Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, China
Jinwei Zhu
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material Jiangsu Province, Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resource Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, China
Qi Guo
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material Jiangsu Province, Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resource Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, China
Fuping Liu
Nalco Water Australia Pty Ltd., Whyalla, SA 5600, Australia
Sophia Zheng
Cellulose Lab Inc., Fredericton, NB E3B5A3, Canada
Guigan Fang
Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Biomass Energy and Material Jiangsu Province, Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resource Jiangsu Province, Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering of Forest Products, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, National Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Nanjing 210042, China
Anaerobic wastewater treatment technology has been intensively and extensively investigated in the industry and scientific research. Inspired by the advantages of multi-stage and multi-phase anaerobic reactor technology (SMPA) in recent years, a three-stage anaerobic reactor (3S-AR) was designed and applied to treat poplar chemical–mechanical pulp wastewater, and various operation parameters, including the volume loading rate (VLR), hydraulic retention time (HRT), ascending velocity, reflux ratio, pH and temperature of the 3S-AR, were optimized to evaluate the reactor’s removal efficiency for poplar wastewater. The properties of anaerobic granular sludge and the composition of wastewater were also characterized to assess microorganism growth and pollutant migration. Results show that the COD removal rate was over 75% with a volume loading rate range of 15–25 gCOD/(L·d) in the 3S-AR; the hydraulic retention time was also found to be an important factor affecting the performance of the 3S-AR reactor. The volume loading rate and degradation efficiency of the 3S-AR reactor are higher than those of the up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. Microorganism separation can be achieved in the 3S-AR, which is conducive to the growth and methanogenesis activity of bacteria, thereby leading to enhanced removal and buffering efficiency. After treatment in the 3S-AR, the main pollutants of poplar wastewater were benzene aromatic acids and long-chain esters, which do no biodegrade easily; in contrast, most of the fatty acid substances with small molecules were completely degraded.
