Abstract
A continuous experiment of mesophilic anaerobic digestion of kitchen waste was performed using three types of reactors: ⑴ an automatic mixing reactor with a siphon(siphon reactor),⑵ a completely stirred reactor and ⑶ an unmixed reactor. Comparisons of performance and digestion characteristics inside the reactors show significant variations, described below. The siphon reactor performed well under a very high COD loading rate, while an increase in the COD loading rate to 10 ㎏/㎥/d triggered a significant volatile fatty acid(VFA)accumulation in the plug flow reactor. Even under a similar COD loading rate, the methane yield of the siphon reactor was at least 10% higher than that of the unmixed reactor. VFA and Organic Solids were distributed uniformly inside the siphon reactor as compared to the unmixed reactor, potentially leading to reduced precipitations and acidification.
