Application of anaerobic sequencing batch reactor ASBR for treatment of wastewater from meat industry

The meat industry is a branch of the food sector, which significantly af-fects the degradation of the environment. Consuming large amounts of water consequently, also produces significant quantities of wastewater which is charac-terized by a high organic content and high concentration of suspended solids, inorganic salts and nutrients. The study attempted to determine the possibility of using ASBR for biogas production and treatment of wastewater from the meat industry. Anaerobic sludge concentration was on level of 20 g/dm³. Organic load-ing rates (OLR) were 1.25 kg COD/m³·d and sludge loading 0.06 kg COD/kg_vss·d. During operation of ASBR there are four phases (filling - 0.5 h, the reaction - 22.5 h, sedimentation - 0.5 h and decantation - 0.5 h). The treatment wastewater were kept in ASBR for 24 hour (time of entire cycle). The research was conduct-ed until the repeatable cycles. The repeatable cycles were extracted after three work cycles of ASBR. During methane fermentation process a considerable degree of removal of organic pollutants from raw wastewater was obtained: COD (73.3%), BOD₅ (71.4%) and TOC (83.2%). The concentration of COD and BOD₅ was respectively 435 mg/dm³ and 443 mg/dm³. The value of TOC reached level of 136 mg/dm³. Generated biogas in the methane fermentation process of wastewater from meat industry plant was characterized by high me-thane content (80.9% vol.). Processes in ASBR contributed to reduction of the number of bacteria (66.6% of mesophilic bacteria and 70.9% of psychrophilic bacteria).