A comparative study of the anaerobic baffled reactor and an integrated anaerobic baffled reactor and microbial electrolysis cell for treatment of petrochemical wastewater

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the treatment of petrochemical wastewater with an integrated anaerobic baffled reactor and microbial electrolysis cell (ABR-MEC) and anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR). For this purpose, the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and applied voltage on the performance of ABR-MEC reactor were investigated in four phases. Regarding the results, the maximum COD removal efficiency in the ABR-MEC reactor was higher than that in ABR reactor, i.e. 96.5 versus 66.7. Also, the maximum of yield CH4 in ABR-MEC reactor was 1.4-fold than ABR reactor. The results show that the applied voltages can increase the removal of chemical oxygen demand, methane production, accelerate the conversion of volatile fatty acids and maintain the appropriate pH range for methanogen growth.