Upflow Ananerobic Sludge Blanket

Upflow Ananerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB)

The UASB is a wastewater treatment system that uses microorganisms to biologically degrade pollutants. The advantages of this system include the ability to keep large amount of the biomass intended for degradation and the production of biogas.

Structure of the UASB reactor

A typical UASB reactor consists of the following compartments: the sludge bed, the fluidized zone, the separator and the settling zone. Wastewater enters from an opening (influent) at the bottom of the reactor and leaves via another opening (effluent) at the top. The sludge bed contains granular sludge that is formed from diverse microorganisms. Within this granular sludge, organic compounds are degraded. The final products of UASB degradation processes include gases such as CO2, CH4 and H2S; these gases are collectively known as biogas. The biogas is separated from the water at the separator and they exit via another separate opening (gas outlet). [1]