ABSTRACT
The common biological treatment processes are composting, anaerobic decomposition, and fermentation. The reduced cell yield in anaerobic waste treatment may represent a considerable advantage over aerobic waste treatment since there is much less waste solids which need to be disposed. The anaerobic contact reactor has been successfully used to treat high Biochemical Oxygen Demand industrial wastes; for example, those generated in meat packing operations. In this anaerobic treatment process, raw wastes are mixed with recycled sludge solids and digested in a completely mixed reactor. The upflow anaerobic sludge-blanket reactor is well suited for the treatment of high strength wastes generated in brewing and certain food industries. The production of methane can be enhanced by controlling the types of waste accepted and the placement of the waste, recycling leachate onto the landfill to supply moisture, neutralizing the inhibitory effects of organic acids, and adding old aerobically degraded refuse to increase the population of slow-growing microbes.
