Table 1.
Summary of the reactor trial.
| Phase | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 | Phase 5 | Phase 6 | Phase 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRT (h) | 36 | 30 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| Influent total COD (kg/m3) | 2.2 ± 0.6 | 1.7 ± 0.8 | 2.1 ± 0.8 | 2.1 ± 0.6 | 2.1 ± 1.0 | 2.5 ± 0.6 | 2.7 ± 0.9 |
| Effluent total COD (kg/m3) | 0.7 ± 0.2 | 0.7 ± 0.3 | 0.5 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 0.2 | 0.9 ± 0.5 | 1.3 ± 0.9 | 1.1 ± 0.2 |
| Total COD Removal (%) | 70.7 ± 14.2 | 52.9 ± 24.4 | 70 ± 14.2 | 67.8 ± 12.3 | 55.1 ± 14.4 | 49.3 ± 23.5 | 52.5 ± 14.3 |
| Influent soluble COD (kg/m3) | 519 ± 38 | 578 ± 305 | 1024 ± 560 | 936 ± 398 | 1117 ± 539 | 1400 ± 409 | 1725 ± 677 |
| Effluent soluble COD (kg/m3) | 0.07 ± 0.01 | 0.1 ± 0.08 | 0.1 ± 0.04 | 0.1 ± 0.10 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.5 ± 0.7 | 0.5 ± 0.3 |
| Soluble COD Removal (%) | 82.2 ± 10.1 | 74.3 ± 23.1 | 83.6 ± 15.7 | 84.3 ± 7.4 | 82.4 ± 14.8 | 70.9 ± 29.6 | 83.2 ± 13.2 |
| Loading rate (kg/m3.day) | 1.5 ± 0.4 | 1.3 ± 0.6 | 2.1 ± 0.8 | 2.7 ± 0.8 | 3.9 ± 0.2 | 6.7 ± 1.5 | 10.6 ± 3.7 |
| pH | 7.5 ± 0.3 | 8.0 ± 0.7 | 7.6 ± 0.3 | 7.6 ± 0.2 | 7.8 ± 0.6 | 8.2 ± 0.7 | 8.1 ±.5 |
| Average methane content (%) | 83.2 ± 3.3 | 85.5 ± 6.1 | 85.4 ± 8.9 | 83.1 ± 5.6 | 80.1 ± 5.8 | 73.3 ± 29.5 | 89.6 ± 3.2 |