Kinetic analysis of an anaerobic filter treating soybean wastewater

An investigation into the kinetics of the treatment of soybean wastewater in an anaerobic filter is described. The substrate loading removal rate was compared with predictions from a modified Stover–Kincannon model, the Monod model and a regression relationship. The modified Stover–Kincannon model produced the best fit with the experimental results. The modified Stover–Kincannon model could also be used to determine the reactor volume required to decrease a set influent organic concentration to a given effluent concentration, or to determine the effluent substrate concentration for a given volume of an anaerobic filter and influent organic concentration. The overall reaction order in the anaerobic filter treating soybean wastewater appeared to be close to half order. The methane production kinetics could be described by a similar relationship that used to describe the organic substrate removal kinetics of the anaerobic filter treating soybean wastewater. The kinetic relationships derived from the lab-scale experiment provided good estimates of the performance of pilot- and full-scale anaerobic filters packed with the same media and treating the same wastewater in terms of the effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations and the specific methane production rates.