Effective Foaming Control Strategies for Anaerobic Digesters

生物反应器和污泥池中的泡沫问题严重影响了污水处理厂的运行、环境和经济。因此，发泡控制是厌氧消化器稳定高效运行的迫切需要。虽然已经做出了许多努力来缓解发泡问题，但还没有发现有效的解决方案。抑制泡沫最常见的策略是添加消泡剂。然而，消泡剂的效果在很大程度上取决于所采用的特定厌氧消化系统，适用于一个系统的消泡剂可能不适用于其他系统。因此，有必要对消化池污泥的特性、运行条件以及消泡剂的选择和添加策略进行综合研究。阿尔伯塔大学的刘扬博士与艾伯塔省首府地区废水委员会(ACRWC)合作，提议建立一个团队，为厌氧消化池开发有效的泡沫控制策略，以处理废水处理过程中产生的污泥。六个厌氧消化器，每个都有不同的泡沫处理，将被用来评估最佳的消泡策略。消泡策略将根据运行条件和污泥特性制定，以减少起泡问题并确保有效的厌氧消化。

Foaming in bioreactors and sludge tanks represents a serious problem negatively affecting the operation, environment and economy of wastewater treatment plants. Thus, foaming control is an imperative need for stable and efficient anaerobic digester operation. Although many efforts have been made to mitigate foaming issues, no effective solutions have been discovered. The most common strategy to suppress foaming is to add defoamers. However, the effectiveness of a defoamer is highly dependent on the specific anaerobic digestion system applied and a defoamer suitable for one system might not be suitable for other systems. Therefore, a comprehensive study linking digester sludge characterization, operation conditions and defoamer selection and addition strategies is necessary.In collaboration with the Alberta Capital Region Wastewater Commission (ACRWC), Dr. Yang Liu at the University of Alberta has proposed to build a team that will develop effective foaming control strategies for anaerobic digesters that treat the sludge generated during wastewater treatment. Six anaerobic digesters, each with a different foaming treatment, will be employed to evaluate the best defoaming strategy. The defoaming strategies will be developed based on operational conditions and sludge characteristics to reduce foaming issues and ensure efficient anaerobic digestion.