Anaerobic treatment in a sludge bed system compared with a filter system

Abstract

In parallel experiments, an anaerobic filter filled with a high-porosity (0.96) plastic material and an anaerobic sludge bed reactor equipped with a specially designed sludge separation system were investigated. The main purpose was to study the sludge bed reactor and to compare the results with those obtained using a well designed anaerobic filter. The experiments are described and the results discussed indicating that the sludge bed reactor should be an economically attractive alternative to the anaerobic filter.