Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) technology, normally referred to as UASB reactor, is a form of
anaerobic digester that is used in the treatment of
wastewater. The UASB reactor is a
methanogenic (methane-producing) digester that evolved from the
anaerobic clarigester. A similar but variant technology to UASB is the
expanded granular sludge bed (
EGSB) digester. A diagramatic comparison of different anaerobic digesters can be found
here.UASB uses an
anaerobic process whilst forming a blanket of granular sludge and suspended in the tank. Wastewater flows upwards through the blanket and is processed by the anaerobic microorganisms. The upward flow combined with the settling action of
gravity suspends the blanket with the aid of
flocculants. The blanket begins to reach maturity at around 3 months. Small sludge granules begin to form whose surface area is covered in aggregations of bacteria. In the absence of any support matrix, the flow conditions creates a selective environment in which only those microorganisms, capable of attaching to each other, survive and proliferate. Eventually the aggregates form into dense compact biofilms referred to as "granules" . A picture of anaerobic sludge granules can be found
here.
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