Biological degradation of a mixture of municipal wastewater and organic garbage leachate in expanded bed anaerobic reactors and a zeolite filter.

Municipal wastewater was amended with organic garbage leachates at a concentration around 700 mgCOD(soluble)/L and fed to three different anaerobic systems to compare their performance: a down flow fluidized bed (DFFB), an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) and a zeolite-packed anaerobic filter reactor (ZPF). The DFFB and EGSB reactors were operated at HRT of 6 and 4 h and the ZPF reactor at 12 and 36 h. Organic loads rate for the DFFB reactor were 2.3+/-0.9 and 4.8+/-1.8 gCOD/L.d, with removal efficiencies around 40% and a methane productivity of 0.2+/-0.03 L/L(reactor).d. For the EGSB reactor, organic loads tested were 2.1+/-0.9 and 4.3+/-1.3 gCOD/L.d, removal efficiencies attained were of 77.6+/-12.7% and 84.4+/-4.9%, respectively at both conditions and total suspended solids were removed in 54.6+/-19.3%, while methane productivity at 4 h HRT was of 1.29+/-0.4 L/L(reactor).d. The ZPF reactor was operated at lower organic loading rates, 1.4+/-0.27 and 0.42+/-0.13 gCOD/L.d and attained removal efficiencies of 48+/-18% and 83+/-8%, respectively, reaching a methane productivity of 0.21+/-0.09 and 0.12+/-0.04 L/L(reactor).d, 83+/-8.0% of total suspended solids were retained in the reactor and as HRT was increased ammonium concentrations increased in 39%. Specific methanogenic activity in all systems was around 0.2 gCOD-CH(4)/gVSS d.