Performance and bioparticle growth of anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) fed with low-strength domestic sewage

We investigated the performance of a 15.3 L capacity anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) toward the treatment of low-strength domestic wastewater. The start-up period of the ABR was finished within approximately 130 days at a temperature below 25°C. The average COD_Cr in the effluent was 165 mg·L^-1, and the corresponding COD_Cr removal efficiency of the ABR was 52.3%. During the third stage (from day 130 to day 233) of ABR operation, the average COD_Cr in the effluent reached 71 mg·L^-1, which meets the secondary discharge requirement of the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard (GB 18918-2002, China). Moreover, partial microbial separation was observed along the five ABR compartments through scanning electron microscopic images. The geometric mean diameter of bioparticles in the five compartments increased from 0.050 mm to 0.111, 0.107, 0.104, 0.110, and 0.103 mm during the start-up stage. After operation for 179 days, the corresponding diameters further increased to 0.376, 0.225, 0.253, 0.239, and 0.288 mm, respectively. The fractal dimensions of the bioparticles indicated that these particles have smoother surfaces and more compact structures during ABR operation. Morphological analysis of the bioparticle sections demonstrated that the bioparticles have a pore volume of 30%–55%. The highest porosity was observed for the bioparticles in the second ABR compartment, whereas the lowest fractal dimension of bioparticle section was observed in the fifth compartment.