Author(s)

Luciano S. Rodrigues, Israel J. Silva, Paulo R. Oliveira, Ana C. A. Pinto, Camila A. Lima

Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

This paper presents the influence of the ratio IA/PA and concentration of volatile acids (TVA) in the operational stability of a UASB reactor treating swine waste water. The treatment system in real scale was constituted of decanter, followed by the UASB reactor with volume of 7.4 m³ and 11.5 m³, respectively. It has been observed a large oscillation of the ratio IA/IP in the UASB reactor with an average value of 0.39, and average efficiency of removal of BOD and COD of 79.8 and 79.3%, respectively, at the start, dropping to 0.12 in the continuity of the experiment, including during overload, in which the removal efficiencies of COD and BOD reached values below 10%. The TVA average values were 913 mg·L^-1 in the UASB reactor, increasing considerably in the overload period, reaching values higher than 4500 mg·L^-1, indicating an accumulation of volatile acids and reduced efficiency of the UASB reactor in removal of organic matter. We conclude that the monitoring of the values of the ratio IA/PA and TVA is very useful instruments and easy to determine in the monitoring of the UASB reactor, enabling to predict possible instabilities in the reactor, allowing corrective actions in a timely manner.

Operational Stability, Pig Manure, Anaerobic Digestion

Rodrigues, L. , Silva, I. , Oliveira, P. , Pinto, A. and Lima, C. (2014) Influence of the Ratio IA/PA and Volatile Acids in the Monitoring of UASB Reactor in the Treating of Swine Waste Water. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 6, 526-531. doi: 10.4236/jwarp.2014.65051.