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Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Continuously-stirred Anaerobic Digester to Convert Organic Wastes into Biogas: System Setup and Basic Operation
Published on: July 13, 2012
A dynamically controlled anaerobic/aerobic granular sludge reactor efficiently treats brewery/bottling wastewater
Flinn De Vleeschauwer1, Michel Caluwé1, Thomas Dobbeleers1
1Research Group BioWAVE, Biochemical Wastewater Valorisation and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Abstract:
This study investigated the application of a dynamic control strategy in an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor treating real variable brewery/bottling wastewater. For 482 days, the anaerobic and aerobic reaction steps in a lab-scale AGS system were controlled dynamically. A pH-based control was used for the anaerobic step, and an oxygen uptake rate (OUR) based control for the aerobic step. Additionally, the effect of an elongated aerobic step, and the effect of the removal of the suspended solids from the influent, on AGS formation were also investigated. In comparison to a static operation, the dynamic operation resulted in similar reactor performance, related to effluent quality and the anaerobic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) uptake efficiency, while the organic loading rate was significantly higher. The removal of suspended solids from the influent by chemical coagulation with FeCl3 turned hybrid floccular-granular sludge into fully granular sludge. The granulation coincided with a significant increase in the abundance of the glycogen-accumulating Candidatus Competibacter and an increase in the content of gel-forming EPS to respectively around 14% and 30%. In conclusion, this study showed the successful application of a dynamic control strategy based on common and low-cost sensors for AGS treatment of industrial wastewater.
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