High-rate anaerobic digestion for wastewater treatment

Anaerobic digestion is the process of bacteria breaking down organic material in an environment without oxygen. They convert organic components (COD) to biogas and biomass; CH₄ + CO₂ + digestate, a nutrient-rich substance. Anaerobic digestion can be used for wastewater and for sludges. For both, Paques offers efficient, robust, compact and economically favorable alternatives to traditional low-rate anaerobic digesters.

By treating effluent through high-rate anaerobic digestion, almost every industry can decrease costs and meet tighter discharge limits. The BIOPAQ^®IC is proven to be the number one technology for anaerobic wastewater treatment, recognized worldwide as the most efficient way to clean industrial wastewater and produce biogas at the same time. Daily, 25.8 million kg of organic pollution is treated with over 1500 anaerobic BIOPAQ^® installations of Paques worldwide. These installations produce an amount of biogas equal to the natural gas requirements of 2.8 million households in the Netherlands, reducing 11.2 Mt CO₂ per year.

The method of anaerobic digestion to produce biogas is quickly gaining popularity among industrial, scientific and governmental parties. Paques offers effective high rate systems for waste waters with mostly soluble substrates (UASB, UASB+, IC, ICX, RISE) and high rate systems for waste streams with high solids or fat content (such as biogas from sludge) (AFR, CBD). Recovered biogas can be utilized as a fuel for power generation, steam production and biomethane for injection into the grid. It is a renewable energy source, and to limit global warming, thus favored against fossil fuels. The high-rate BIOPAQ^® systems are efficient and economical in producing biogas from waste waters and biogas from sludges.

Anaerobic digestion is highly effective for COD removal, particularly in treating high-strength industrial wastewaters. It biologically breaks down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, converting it into biogas. This process reduces the COD load (Chemical Oxygen Demand), minimizing potential pollution. Additionally, COD removal via anaerobic digestion generates renewable energy in the form of methane, offering both environmental and economic benefits by reducing energy costs and dependency on fossil fuels.

The effectiveness in COD removal, coupled with energy production, makes high-rate anaerobic treatment a favorable method for industrial wastewater treatment. Further advantages of anaerobic digestion are the low sludge production, and compactness of the installations. Anaerobic treatment is therefore an ecologic as well as economic method to comply with discharge limits and generate renewable energy.

Paques Technologies offers highly efficient systems for anaerobic digestion that are tailored for treating complex industrial wastewaters and gas desulfurization. Since 1981, Paques deeply specializes in high-rate anaerobic digestion systems to produce biogas and recover resources from wastewater. Paques’ biological – thus inherently sustainable – systems allow commercial industries and public water management companies worldwide to convert wastewater into valuable resources, such as biogas, reusable water and reclaimed materials.