Performance Evaluation of Modified Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (MABR) Treating High Strength Wastewater

In this study, a modified anaerobic baffled reactor (MABR) with an up-flow sludge bed and a down-flow sludge bed alternating in series was evaluated. The reaction flow channel of the MABR was lengthened and the mass transfer was strengthened. A kinetic model of the MABR was established based on relevant experimental results and mathematical derivation. In MABR, anaerobic microorganisms directly use reduced organics containing carbon as hydrogen receptors without additional carbon sources through metabolism, which degrades organics and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Simultaneously, the generated carbon dioxide can be recycled for high efficiency, energy saving, and economic viability. The maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate (10.0 g·L −1 ·d −1 ) was obtained when the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 17 h. Overall, these results suggest that the MABR could boost COD treatment performance and present a stable COD removal performance with lower carbon dioxide emissions. Graphical Abstract