Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) Technology for Energy Recovery: a Review on State-Of-The-Art and Recent Technological Advances
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bioengineering Review Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) Technology for Energy Recovery: A Review on State-of-the-Art and Recent Technological Advances Matia Mainardis * , Marco Buttazzoni and Daniele Goi Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy; [email protected] (M.B.); [email protected] (D.G.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 23 March 2020; Accepted: 8 May 2020; Published: 10 May 2020 Abstract: Up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor belongs to high-rate systems, able to perform anaerobic reaction at reduced hydraulic retention time, if compared to traditional digesters. In this review, the most recent advances in UASB reactor applications are critically summarized and discussed, with outline on the most critical aspects for further possible future developments. Beside traditional anaerobic treatment of soluble and biodegradable substrates, research is actually focusing on the treatment of refractory and slowly degradable matrices, thanks to an improved understanding of microbial community composition and reactor hydrodynamics, together with utilization of powerful modeling tools. Innovative approaches include the use of UASB reactor for nitrogen removal, as well as for hydrogen and volatile fatty acid production. Co-digestion of complementary substrates available in the same territory is being extensively studied to increase biogas yield and provide smooth continuous operations in a circular economy perspective. Particular importance is being given to decentralized treatment, able to provide electricity and heat to local users with possible integration with other renewable energies. Proper pre-treatment application increases biogas yield, while a successive post-treatment is needed to meet required effluent standards, also from a toxicological perspective. An increased full-scale application of UASB technology is desirable to achieve circular economy and sustainability scopes, with efficient biogas exploitation, fulfilling renewable energy targets and green-house gases emission reduction, in particular in tropical countries, where limited reactor heating is required. Keywords: UASB; co-digestion; biogas; high-rate anaerobic digestion; energy recovery; granular sludge; renewable energy; decentralized wastewater treatment; two-stage anaerobic digestion; Anammox 1. Introduction Nowadays, the over dependence on fossil fuels poses global risks, such as resources depletion and increasing climate change, due to the net increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere [1]. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the most promising technologies, breaking complex organic substrates into biogas [2] that is substantially composed of a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. AD, being 100% renewable, is an effective and environmental-friendly waste and wastewater management technique and can be considered as one of the most important renewable energy sources, due to CH4 generation during the digestion process [3]. However, biogas generation from different streams, together with utilization in energy applications, is still somewhat challenging due to complex waste physicochemical properties, affecting biomass metabolic pathways and methane yield [2]. AD requires less energy than other thermochemical methods, such as gasification and pyrolysis, due to the low operating temperature [4], and consequently AD application throughout the world has Bioengineering 2020, 7, 43; doi:10.3390/bioengineering7020043 www.mdpi.com/journal/bioengineering Bioengineering 2020, 7, 43 2 of 29 Bioengineeringcontinuously 2020 increased, 7, x FOR inPEER the REVIEW last decades. Beside highly biodegradable streams, advances in research2 of 30 allowed to apply AD also to lignocellulosic substrates, characterized by slow hydrolysis kinetics, such researchas macroalgal allowed biomass to apply [5], AD switchgrass also to lignocellulosic [6] and yard wastesubstrates, [7], widening characterized the spectrum by slow ofhydrolysis suitable kinetics,matrices such for biogas as macroalgal production. biomass Proper [5], pre-treatmentswitchgrass [6] application and yard waste before [7], AD widening or creating the aspectrum mixture of suitable complementary matrices substratesfor biogas canproduction. significantly Proper increase pre-treatment process eapplicationfficiency and before consequently AD or creating biogas a yieldmixture [4]. of Apart complementary from large-scale substrates plants, can AD significantly can be applied increase also to process small-to-medium efficiency enterprisesand consequently (SMEs), biogascontributing yield to[4]. local Apart energy from and large-scale environmental plants, sustainability, AD can be ifapplied the produced also to organicsmall-to-medium substrates enterpriseshave a suitable (SMEs), methane contributing potential to (typically local energy evaluated and environmental by means of Biochemicalsustainability, Methane if the produced Potential (BMP)organic tests) substrates [8]. An have increased a suitable biogas methane production potential helps (typically to augment evaluated renewable by energymeans productionof Biochemical and penetrationMethane Potential in the fossil (BMP) fuel tests) market, [8]. asAn sustained increased by biogas European production Union (EU)helps sustainable to augment development renewable programsenergy production [9]. and penetration in the fossil fuel market, as sustained by European Union (EU) sustainableHigh-rate development anaerobic digesters,programs in[9]. particular, received great attention in recent years, due to their highHigh-rate loading capacity anaerobic and digesters, low sludge in particular, production received [10]. High-rate great attention reactors, in recent by uncoupling years, due biomass to their highretention loading (expressed capacity as and solid low retention sludge time, production SRT) and [10]. liquid High-rate retention reactors, (hydraulic by uncoupling retention time, biomass HRT), retentionallow to significantly(expressed as reduce solid theretention required time, reactor SRT)volume, and liquid if compared retention to(hydraulic traditional retention systems time, [11]. AmongHRT), allow this to wide significantly category, reduce up-flow the anaerobic required sludgereactor blanketvolume, (UASB) if compared reactor to istraditional the most systems widely [11].applied Among system this worldwide wide category, [10]. up-flow UASB reactor anaerobic was developedsludge blanket in the (UASB) 1970s inreactor the Netherlands is the most widely and its appliedapplication system rapidly worldwide increased, [10]. due UASB to its reactor excellent was reported developed performances in the 1970s on in ditheff erentNetherlands biodegradable and its wastewaterapplication rapidly streams increased, [12]. The key due feature to its excellent of a UASB reported reactor performances is the granular on sludge, different that biodegradable retains highly wastewateractive biomass streams with [12]. excellent The key settling feature abilities of a UASB in the reactor reactor is [11 the], showinggranular asludge, very low that sludge retains volume highly activeindex (SVI),biomass consequently with excellent improving settling alsoabilities sludge-e in theffl reactoruent separation. [11], showing a very low sludge volume indexA (SVI), simplified consequently scheme ofimproving a UASB reactoralso sludge-effluent is reported in separation. Figure1. Wastewater enters at the bottom of theA reactorsimplified and scheme flows upwardsof a UASB through reactor is a reported so-called in “sludge Figure blanket”,1. Wastewater consisting enters ofat the a granular bottom ofsludge the reactor bed [13 ].and UASB flows configuration upwards through enables a an so-called extremely “sludge efficient blanket”, mixing betweenconsisting the of biomass a granular and sludgethe wastewater, bed [13]. UASB leading configuration to a rapid anaerobic enables an decomposition extremely efficient [13]. Themixing operation between of the a UASB biomass reactor and thefundamentally wastewater, revolves leading onto itsa rapid granular anaerobic sludge decomposition bed, that gets expanded [13]. The asoperation the wastewater of a UASB is made reactor to fundamentallyflow vertically upwardsrevolves on through its granular it [14]. sludge The microflora bed, that attachedgets expanded to the as sludge the wastewater particles removes is made the to pollutantsflow vertically contained upwards in wastewater, through it thus[14]. biofilmThe microflora quality and attached the intimacy to the sludge of sludge-wastewater particles removes contact the pollutantsare among contained the key factors in wastewater, governing thus UASB biofilm reactor quality success and the [14 intimacy]. The generated of sludge-wastewater biogas facilitates contact the aremixing among and the the key contact factors between governing sludge UASB and wastewater, reactor success and the[14]. three The phasegenerated gas-liquid-solid biogas facilitates separator, the mixinglocated and in the the uppercontact part between of the sludge reactor, and allows wastewater, to extract and biogas,the three separating phase gas-liquid-solid it from liquid separator, effluent locatedand residual in thesludge upper particlespart of the [13 reactor,]. Typical allows geometrical to extract and biogas, operating separating characteristics it from liquid of UASB effluent reactor and residualinclude asludge height particles to diameter [13]. ratioTypical