The potential anaerobic-aerobic treatment of increased strength wastewater as a result of the use of food waste disposal units (FWDs)

Anaerobic treatment of increased strength wastewater (WW) as a result of the use of food waste disposal units is considered to be an economically viable intervention. This is because of its potential methane generation and the production of reduced amount of sludge at low capital and operational costs. However, the anaerobic treatment performance in cold areas (<20oC) is considered to be inefficient, necessitating an additional aerobic biological step to ensure the removal of residual carbon and nutrients. This paper using the GPS-X Hydromantis simulator assesses the potential integration of anaerobic-aerobic treatment processes for enabling the successful treatment of increased strength WW at low temperatures, using the upflow anaerobic sludge bed high-rate bioreactor. Findings demonstrate that while low temperatures can be a limiting factor to the performance of anaerobic treatment of increased strength WW, the benefits offered by this process over those of the conventional aerobic treatment processes can still be in support of its uptake. Gaining an improved insight into how anaerobic-treatment limitations can be solved from a social, economic and environmental perspective is critical in determining the potential opportunities and threats that this intervention can create. Further research developments should focus on exploring the potential of new technologies and interventions to retain the full value of food waste and of WW generated, either in the same or separated pathways.