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The effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.

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Main Author: Fleming, Warren Francis
Other Authors: Burger, Andries Jacobus
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2024
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access_status_str Open Access
author Fleming, Warren Francis
author2 Burger, Andries Jacobus
author_browse Burger, Andries Jacobus
Fleming, Warren Francis
author_facet Burger, Andries Jacobus
Fleming, Warren Francis
author_sort Fleming, Warren Francis
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130552
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:42:31.964Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2024
publishDateRange 2024
publishDateSort 2024
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
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source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130552 The effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater Fleming, Warren Francis Burger, Andries Jacobus Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Wineries -- Environmental engineering Sewage -- Purification -- Anaerobic treatment Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors Hydraulic residence time Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Wineries produce wastewater throughout the year, although peak production is experienced during harvest and bottling periods. Winery wastewater (WWW) also varies in strength and composition throughout the year, with COD concentrations ranging from 400 mg/ℓ to 50 000 mg/ℓ. Major components of the COD in WWW include monosaccharides, ethanol, and acetic acid. Wineries seeking to mitigate their demand for fresh irrigation water while adhering to legal wastewater treatment standards are presented with various treatment options. Among these, anaerobic wastewater treatment provides an environmentally friendly and effective option. However, anaerobic wastewater treatment systems can be expensive to implement and operate. They are often complex to control, operate best at elevated temperatures, and can be extremely sensitive to environmental conditions and wastewater compositions, generally making them inaccessible to small-scale wineries. The upflow anaerobic filter (AF) is an implementation of high-rate anaerobic wastewater treatment that makes use of packing media within the digester to foster biofilm development. Upflow AFs are able to operate over a larger range of flow conditions to comparable upflow anaerobic sludge blankets (UASB) and require smaller digester volumes than suspended sludge continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) counterparts. Therefore, this research focused on the evaluation of an uncomplicated packed bed anaerobic system for the potential treatment of winery effluent, with only pH and upflow control while operating at ambient temperatures (set-point temperature of 22 °C). The experimental AF was a 3 m tall PVC column, with a diameter of 110 mm. It had a working volume of 25.7 ℓ and was packed with 25 mm plastic pall rings. A synthetic WWW (5 213 ± 376 mgCOD/ℓ) was used as typical feed to the AF. The pH of the solution entering the column was controlled at 7.2, while two hydraulic flow parameters were controlled, viz the hydraulic residence time (HRT) of fresh feed in the system and the upflow velocity through the column. These hydraulic parameters were manipulated by a fresh feed pump and a recirculation pump, respectively. The system pH, temperature, and biogas production rate were monitored through a bespoke Arduino data logging system. The biogas was produced at rates between 0.7 mℓ/min and 2.8 mℓ/min, with yields between 0.3 mℓ/mgCODconsumed and 1.1 mℓ/mgCODconsumed, and methane concentrations ranging between 46% and 72% (gas readings taken at ambient temperature and pressure). The system showed unstable and poor performance when operating at too low upflow velocities. Although, it consistently reduced the COD of the feed by more than 55% when operating at upflow velocities between 30 – 48 m/day and HRTs between 24 – 60 hours. The highest COD reduction of 69.5% was at an upflow velocity of 31 m/day and 42 hours HRT. In other words, when treating a synthetic winery effluent with ca 5 000 mg/ℓ COD, this simple system can comfortably reduce the COD levels to around 1 900 mg/ℓ. Since the system was able to operate acceptably at ambient temperatures over various hydrodynamic conditions (showing resilience to changes in selected operating parameters), it could perhaps be considered as a viable anaerobic treatment method for small-scale and boutique wineries. The Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1 (ADM1) was applied – with selected regressed parameters – to predict the COD reduction in a system of similar process design, but at different COD feed concentrations. https://scholar.sun.ac.za iii The final calibrated model was regressed against experimental data at and HRT of 42 hours and upflow velocity of 39 m/day. Assuming CSTR conditions, the calibrated model showed good effluent COD predictions (errors below 5.6%) of the optimal experimental conditions and offers a reasonable means of predicting the performance of the system. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Masters 2024-03-05T08:18:43Z 2024-04-26T21:46:00Z 2024-03-05T08:18:43Z 2024-04-26T21:46:00Z 2024-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130552 en_ZA en_ZA Stellenbosch University xvi, 191 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Wineries -- Environmental engineering
Sewage -- Purification -- Anaerobic treatment
Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors
Hydraulic residence time
Fleming, Warren Francis
The effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater
title The effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater
title_full The effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater
title_fullStr The effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater
title_full_unstemmed The effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater
title_short The effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater
title_sort effect of hydraulic conditions on the performance of an upflow anaerobic filter at ambient temperatures treating synthetic winery wastewater
topic Wineries -- Environmental engineering
Sewage -- Purification -- Anaerobic treatment
Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors
Hydraulic residence time
url https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130552
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