Physicochemical study of pH, alkalinity and total acidity in a system composed of Anaerobic Baffled Reactor in series with Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor in the treatment of pig farming wastewater

Abstract

The anaerobic digestion efficiency varies according to several factors, such as: substrate carbon / nitrogen ratio, temperature, pH, alkalinity, and acidity. The main objective of this study was to describe the behavior of pH, alkalinity and total acidity of the affluent and effluent of a swine wastewater treatment system, in order to better understand the physicochemical process. The pH was measured immediately after collecting, and the methods of Jenkins et al. (1983) and Ripley et al. (1986) were used for quantifying the alkalinity, and the potentiometric method, for the acidity. The treatment system worked without large pH variation concerning the affluent and effluent of each unit, indicating good buffering conditions. The Ripley ratio (IA / PA) is characteristic for each effluent and dependent on the stage at which the reactor is working, and was determined as 1.96 for hydrolysis and acidification tank, 1.56 for reactors working on first stage (ABR), and 1.44 for reactors working on second stage (UASB).