STUDIES ON UASB PLANT AT KANPUR

Abstract

In developing countries like India, river quality is deteriorated to a large extent by untreated wastewater. On site treatment of wastes from point sources has to be necessarily practiced. Many high rate anaerobic treatment facilities such as upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, anaerobic filter, anaerobic fluidized bed reactor, anaerobic fixed film process, have been developed to remove pollutional load from waste streams. A 5 mld UASB plant was started in April 1989 in Kanpur under the Indo-Dutch co-operation programme to treat municipal (domestic including tannery) wastewater. Another 36 mld UASB plant is under erection stage at the same site. In the present presentation treatment efficiency of 5 mld UASB plant has been evaluated. The anaerobic flocculant sludge has also been characterized. The sludge toxicity has been assessed by speciating copper, chromium, nickel, lead, and zinc in dry cakes of the sludge as well as in liquid sludge. The organic load of the waste water has been found to be effectively removed. Chromium in sludges is around ten times more than copper, nickel and lead. A large fraction of chromium however, is in the residue.