The flowsheet of the industrial plant used in this work
is shown in Fig. 1. The plant comprises a 14 m3
stirred
feeding tank, where the submerged feeding pumps are
located, and a set of two reactors coupled in series, a
12 m3
AF reactor anda 28 m3
sequential batch reactor
(SBR).
Raw wastewaters were collectedin the 14 m3
stirred
tank, where the NaOH solution was added. This tank
allows flow equalisation of the wastewaters, pH
neutralisation and a certain degree of fat hydrolysis.
The alkaline solution is preparedin a 1 m3
tank.
The anaerobic reactor, made of stainless steel, has an
internal diameter of 2.31 m and the height of the packing
section is 3.57 m (Fig. 2). The packing material usedwas