Anaerobic Treatment of Industrial Effluents: An Overview of Applications

Anaerobic treatment is an energy generating process, in contrast to aerobic systems that generally demand a high energy input for aeration purposes. It is a technically simple and relatively inexpensive technology which consumes less energy, space and produces less excess sludge in comparison to the conventional aerobic treatment technologies. Net energy production from biogas makes the anaerobic treatment technology an attractive option over other treatment methods. Increasing industrialization trend in the worldwide has resulted in the generation of industrial effluents in large quantities with high organic content, which if treated appropriately, can result in a significant source of energy. Anaerobic digestion seems to be the most suitable option for the treatment of high strength organic effluents. Anaerobic technology has improved significantly in the last few decades with the applications of differently configured high rate treatment processes, especially for the treatment of industrial wastewaters. High organic loading rates can be achieved at smaller footprints by using high rate anaerobic reactors for the treatment of industrial effluents. This chapter intends to bring together the knowledge obtained from different applications of the anaerobic technology for treatment of various types of industrial wastewaters. The first part of the chapter covers brief essential information on the fundamentals of anaerobic technology. The remainder of this chapter focuses on various anaerobic reactor configurations and operating conditions used for the treatment applications of different industrial wastewaters. Examples of applications that reflect the state-of-the-art in the treatment of industrial effluents by high rate anaerobic reactors are also provided.