Performance Evaluation of Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor [CSTR]

Different studies have showed that an anaerobic treatment with the production of biogas appears to be most assuring method for the treatment of distillery spent wash. Distillery industries are one of the most highly polluting industries, generating very high strength wastewater (spent wash) which effect seriously on environment. At the time of production of alcohol, very large amount of wastewater produced. Particularly 8-15 lit of spent wash was generated on production of 1 lit of alcohol. Under various organic loading rates, ideal conditions for highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and maximum biogas generation was to be found for OLR of 0.10 COD kg /d to 0.11 COD kg /d. Maximum COD removal efficiency was to be found around 73% for OLR of 9.166 kg COD/m3 /d when hydraulic retention time (HRT) decreased from 15 to 14 days. These performance evaluation figures are very important while operating the anaerobic bio digesters for the treatment of distillery spent wash. Anaerobic digestion (CSTR) can be very effective for treatment of distillery spent wash, but post-methanation spent wash still contains very high organic concentration which needs to be treated further to qualify for safe and acceptable pollution control limits for disposal.