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Handbook of Water and Used Water Purification pp 1–18Cite as

The Anaerobic Process in Used Water Purification and Sludge Treatment, Basics

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Abstract

The anaerobic process is a treatment step in which organic matter is broken down into simpler components under anaerobic conditions. The process begins with hydrolysis, followed by acidogenesis and acetogenesis. Methanogenesis is the final step in anaerobic degradation and marks the point at which the final products, CH4 and CO2, leave the process in gaseous form. Each of these steps is carried out by different groups of bacteria. Moreover, there is a symbiotic relationship between methanogenic and acetogenic bacteria, which means that both bacteria types only survive in teamwork. The whole process is an effective method of converting unstable organic matter into a more stabilized form and also results in a considerable reduction of solid matter. The nature of organic matter, pH, temperature, nutrients, and the presence of toxic compounds constitute environmental factors that influence the biological reactions. Anaerobic processes can not only be employed to treat highly loaded used water, but also solid materials such are sewage sludge, organic farm waste, municipal solid waste, green/botanical waste, organic industrial and commercial waste, etc. Anaerobic digesters are usually used to treat solid materials, whereas UASB reactors are utilized for treating used water.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Anaerobic digestion

ADBA:

Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association

CaCO3:

Calcium carbonate

CH4:

Methane

CO2:

Carbon dioxide

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

DS:

Dry solids

EBA:

European Biogas Association

H2:

Hydrogen

HRT:

Hydraulic retention time

NH3:

Ammonia

NH4-N:

Ammonium nitrogen

ORP:

Oxidation-reduction potential

PE:

Population equivalent

SRT:

Solid retention time

UASB:

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket

VFA:

Volatile fatty acids

VS:

Volatile solids

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Technology, Novi Sad University, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Bogdanka Radetic

  2. Civil Engineering and Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria

    Bogdanka Radetic

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  1. Bogdanka Radetic
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Correspondence to Bogdanka Radetic .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Director Technology, Research & Developm, VA TECH WABAG GmbH Director Technology, Research & Developm, Vienna, Wien, Austria

    Josef Lahnsteiner

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Radetic, B. (2020). The Anaerobic Process in Used Water Purification and Sludge Treatment, Basics. In: Lahnsteiner, J. (eds) Handbook of Water and Used Water Purification. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66382-1_94-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66382-1_94-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66382-1

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