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Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment Process
Anaerobic wastewater treatment involves the biological processing of industrial wastewater with high organic content in an oxygen-free environment. This method leverages bacteria to primarily convert the organic substrate into carbon dioxide and methane. The process unfolds across four distinct degradation phases. The first phase, hydrolysis, involves the conversion of water-insoluble substances like cellulose, proteins, and nucleic acids into soluble monomers through exo-enzymes. During the second phase, acidification, various microorganisms further break down these monomers into alcohols, organic acids, carbon, and hydrogen. In the third phase, known as the acetogenic phase, the acids and alcohols produced earlier are transformed into acetic acid by acetogenic bacteria while releasing hydrogen. The final phase, methanogenesis, sees the conversion of formic and acetic acids into methane and carbon dioxide. This sequential degradation renders the wastewater treatment highly effective in reducing organic load.In anaerobic wastewater treatment, organically highly-loaded industrial wastewater is treated biologically in an oxygen-free environment. The bacteria degrade the substrate largely into CO2 and methane due to the lack of oxygen. The anaerobic degradation is divided into four degradation phases.
Phase I, hydrolysis phase:
Here the water-insoluble substances such as cellulose, proteins and nucleic acids are separated by exo-enzymes into water-soluble monomers.
Phase II, acidification phase:
Due to different microorganisms, a further degradation takes place, called acidification. This results in alcohols, organic acids, carbon and hydrogen.
Phase III, acetogenic phase:
The digestion products of the second phase, acids and alcohols, are reacted with the acetogenic bacteria to form acetic acid with the elimination of hydrogen.
Phase IV, methanogen phase:
The remaining degradation products of formic and acetic acid are converted here into methane and carbon dioxide.