A method and an apparatus for maintaining a stable microbial community in a combined anaerobic-aerobic waste processing system. The system comprises cycling of waste activated sludge between reactors, thereby ensuring a healthy microbial community and an efficient waste decomposition.

Sludge, for example primary sludge or waste activated sludge or both from a wastewater treatment plant, is pre-treated prior to anaerobic digestion. The pre-treatment includes an optional mechanical treatment to reduce the viscosity of the sludge and a biological hydrolysis treatment. The biological hydrolysis treatment may be performed in a series of reactors some of which are maintained at a temperature in the range of 50 to 70° C. The reactors provide a combined residence time in the range of 0.5 to 6 days. Optionally, measurements of the pH of the sludge during or after biological hydrolysis, or the production of biogas from a downstream anaerobic digester, may be considered in adjusting the temperature of one or more of the biological hydrolysis reactors.

A batch reactor includes a first portion, a second portion, a first drainage tank, a second drainage tank, and a first flow control mechanism. The first portion includes a first chamber, a second chamber, and a third chamber in fluid communication with one another configured for a flow of at least one biomaterial therethrough. The second portion includes a first chamber and a second chamber in fluid communication with one another configured for a flow of the least one biomaterial therethrough. The first drainage chamber is in fluid communication with the first and second chambers. The second drainage chamber is in fluid communication with the third chamber of the first portion and the second chamber of the second portion. The first flow control mechanism is disposed between the third chamber of the first portion and the first chamber of the second portion.

An anaerobic digestion system may include a material grinding/pulping portion, a hydrolysis portion arranged downstream of the grinding portion, a multiple chamber anaerobic reactor arranged downstream from the hydrolysis portion and including a gas collection and reintroduction system, a collection system for collecting digestate and gas from the anaerobic reactor.

A process for enriching phosphorus and recovering vivianite by a biofilm method includes the following steps: 1) an aerobic phosphorus absorption stage; 2) an anaerobic phosphorus release stage; 3) a cyclic enrichment stage; 4) a seed crystal forming stage; and 5) a crystal forming stage. Phosphorus is enriched by the biofilm method and recovered with vivianite as a recovery product, which solves the problem of phosphorus removal from municipal sewage and improves the economic value; by preparing high dissolved oxygen at the aerobic stage, a high-concentration phosphorus recovery solution can be obtained with a relatively low carbon-phosphorus ratio and relatively high enrichment times, and the consumption of carbon sources can be reduced; since the oxidation-reduction potential is controlled to be less than −100 mv by the biofilm method at the anaerobic phosphorus release stage, the oxidation-reduction potential does not need to be adjusted again during the recovery of vivianite,

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a system and method using a subterranean biological reactor. Embodiments may include a pre-reactor storage unit configured to receive a feedstock including a slurry of biologically derived material and at least one pump configured to pump the effluent from the pre-reactor storage unit. The system may include at least one wellbore containing a subterranean biological reactor configured to receive the effluent from the pre-reactor storage unit. At least a portion of the subterranean biological reactor may be configured to perform anaerobic digestion upon the effluent to generate a biogas.

A system for treating organic feedstock, particularly livestock or poultry wastewater. The system employs combined anaerobic and aerobic digestion for converting the wastewater into safe water, fertilizer, and energy, wherein sequencing batch reactors (i.e. ASBR and SBR) are used for the digestion process.

Disclosed is a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for sewage treatment. The SBR is applicable to an energy-producing sewage treatment system. The SBR includes a treatment tank and a hybrid bacterial strain screening tank. The treatment tank removes ammonium contained in supernatant liquid using anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria. The hybrid bacterial strain screening tank screen anammox bacteria granules out by passing the supernatant liquid discharged from the treatment tank through the hybrid bacterial strain screening tank. The SBR generates biogas using the anammox bacteria and reduces the nitrogen content in the supernatant liquid. The SBR can separate the anammox bacteria granules with high separation efficiency, thereby shortening sewage treatment time and recycling activated sludge, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the amount of waste sludge.

A method for the efficient operation of a waste treatment apparatus comprising an anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactors (SBR). The method comprises the synchronized transfer of waste between the reactors, for preventing unsafe buildup of pressure in the anaerobic reactor and reaching unsafe levels.

The invention relates to a waste water treatment plant including at least a multi-step water treatment reactor arranged for receiving influent waste water, for carrying out at least a biological step and a sedimentation step and for providing effluent pure water, by means of an effluent weir. The wastewater treatment plant further includes means for increasing the sedimentation velocity, and means for hindering floating elements to get into the effluent weir.