The anaerobic contact process is a type of
anaerobic digester. Here a set of reactors are created in series, where
biomass
Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms biom ...
is separated and returned to the complete mixture. This recycled material is pumped up into the bottom of the first reactor, an upflow reactor. The upflow anaerobic process is a large reactor which allows the waste to flow up from the bottom and separates the waste into 3 zones. At the very top is the
biogas
Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. I ...
zone where the gas is collected. Bacteria digest waste in the lowest portion of the upflow reactor; the
bioreactor
A bioreactor refers to any manufactured device or system that supports a biologically active environment. In one case, a bioreactor is a vessel in which a chemical process is carried out which involves organisms or biochemically active substances ...
zone. In between these two stages is the clarifier zone where which exports the stabilised waste.
[Owen, William F. (1982) Energy in Wastewater Treatment. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.]
See also
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Anaerobic digester types
References
Anaerobic digester types
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