Performance of integrated anaerobic/aerobic sequencing batch reactor treating poultry slaughterhouse wastewater

- A novel bioreactor configuration (IAASBR) is developed for treating PSW.
- The proposed bioreactor (IAASB) fulfilled most of poultry industries' requirements.
- IAASBR configuration enhanced the sludge settle-ability for aerobic SBR.
- This system produces the high-quality effluents within Malaysian standards.
- In this system, the FOG inhibition effect has been successfully eliminated.

The present study investigates the performance of a new configuration laboratory-scale bioreactor comprising of two regimes (anaerobic & aerobic) in one reactor with physical separation and it is known as integrated anaerobic/aerobic sequencing batch reactor (IAASBR). The IAASBR is designed for treating high-strength wastewater such as poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) along with the simultaneous removal of organic carbon and ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N). The IAASBR exhibits that the average removal efficiency of total COD (TCOD), soluble COD (SCOD), NH3-N, fat, oil & grease (FOG), and total suspended solids (TSS) were (97% ± 2%), (95% ± 3%), (98% ± 1.3%), (90% ± 11%), and (96% ± 3%) respectively. The laboratory comparison test revealed that IAASBR configuration has enhanced the sludge settle-ability for aerobic SBR more than the conventional SBR or settling tank. Furthermore, IAASBR could tolerate the shock loading occurrence, handle organic loading rate (OLR) up to 4.5 kg (TCOD) m−3 d−1 and produce a high-quality effluent complying with Malaysian standards of industrial's effluents.

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