Section Five
BIOLOGICAL:
HIGH STRENGTH WASTES
18    PILOT TREATABILITY TESTING OF FOOD
PROCESSING WASTEWATERS USING THE
ANAFLUX™ ANAEROBIC FLUIDIZED-BED REACTOR
Ravinder Menon, Principal Engineer
Industrial Systems Group, Infilco Degremont, Inc.
Richmond, Virginia 23294
Claude Delporte, Research Engineer
Degremont SA, 78290 Croissy-sur-Seine, France
Douglas S. Johnstone, Regional Manager
Infilco Degremont, Inc., Scotch Plains, New Jersey 07076
ABSTRACT
This chapter reports on the pilot testing conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using the
ANAFLUX anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor technology toward treating high-strength wastewaters generated in a food processing plant. The reactor's ability to accommodate variations in
influent hydraulic and organic loading as well as the time required to achieve and sustain optimum volumetric loading rates were examined.
INTRODUCTION
A food processing plant in northern New Jersey (Plant F) produces canned fruits in syrup,
jams, jellies, canned vegetables, and condiments. Wastewater (WW) is generated primarily from
the various washing and rinsing operations performed on foodstuff and equipment.
Plant F has an existing wastewater treatment system consisting of screening, anaerobic pretreatment, followed by an aerobic activated sludge process. The anaerobic step consists of a
packed-bed filter, installed in 1989. Changes in the product-mix and manufacturing practices
have resulted in changes in the wastewater quantity and quality from the plant. The wastewater
plant is consequently not able to handle the pollution load from the plant adequately at all times.
Only a portion of the plant WW is sent to the anaerobic phase, the rest being bypassed to the aerobic step. Plant F is interested in investigating new technology in this area, which could treat the
wastewaters produced at a greater efficiency.
The ANAFLUX anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor is a relatively novel concept in anaerobic
treatment. The reactor uses mineral support media for bacterial attachment. The media is kept in
a fluidized state by an upflow velocity of the forward feed plus recycle. Plant F was interested in
a pilot test program to study the feasibility of using this technology for treating the wastewaters
generated.
The objectives of the pilot study were threefold:
• To verify the feasibility of treatment using the ANAFLUX reactor
• To evaluate the reactor's ability to accommodate variations in influent characteristics
• To develop full-scale sizing parameters, in order to generate a proposal for a new
ANAFLUX reactor system.
52nd Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1997, Ann Arbor Press. Chelsea. Michigan 48118. Printed in
U.S.A.
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