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Technical and economic feasibility of gradual concentric chambers reactor (GCC) for sewage treatment in developing countries
Mendoza, L.; Carballa, M.; Sitorus, B.; Pieters, J. & Verstraete, W.
Abstract
A major challenge in developing countries concerning
domestic wastewaters is to decrease their treatment costs. In the present study, a new cost-effective reactor
called gradual concentric chambers (GCC) was designed and evaluated at lab-scale. The effluent quality
of the GCC reactor was compared with that of an
upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor. Both
reactors showed organic matter removal efficiencies of
90%; however, the elimination of nitrogen was higher in
the GCC reactor. The amount of biogas recovered in the
GCC and the UASB systems was 50% and 75% of the
theoretical amount expected, respectively, and both
reactors showed a slightly higher methane production
when the feed was supplemented with an additive based
on vitamins and minerals. Overall, the economical
analysis, the simplicity of design and the performance
results revealed that the GCC technology can be of
particular interest for sewage treatment in developing
countries.
Keywords
developing countries, mesophilic, nutrients removal, reactor design, sewage
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