The anaerobic contact process is a type of

anaerobic digester Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels. Much of the ferment ...

. Here a set of reactors are created in series, where

biomass Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...

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 gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...

zone where the gas is collected. Bacteria digest waste in the lowest portion of the upflow reactor; the

bioreactor A bioreactor is any manufactured device or system that supports a biologically active environment. In one case, a bioreactor is a vessel in which a chemical reaction, chemical process is carried out which involves organisms or biochemistry, biochem ...

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.

References

Anaerobic digester types {{waste-stub

See also

References