Anaerobic lipid degradation through acidification and methanization.

In biological wastewater treatment high lipid concentration is known to inhibit microorganisms and cause active biomass flotation. To reduce lipid inhibition, a two-phase anaerobic system, consisting of an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) and an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, was applied to synthetic dairy wastewater. During 153 days of operation, the two-phase system showed stable performance in lipid degradation. In the ASBR, a 13% lipid removal efficiency and 10% double bond removal efficiency were maintained. In the UASB, the chemical oxygen demand (COD), lipid and volatile fatty acid (VFA) removal efficiencies were more than 80%, 70% and 95%, respectively, up to organic loading rate 6.5 g COD/L/day. There were no operational problems such as serious scum formation or sludge washout. Protein degradation occurred prior to degradation during acidogenesis.