A model for anaerobic ponds combining settling and biological processes

This work presents an approach to an anaerobic pond model by combining the stoichiometry of the hydrolysis and acidogenic processes of the main constituents of wastewater, i.e. carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, grouped as a ‘combined substrate’ with a previously published settling model (see ‘Suspended solids settling and half removal time in stabilization ponds (Tunisia)’ by Effebi et al. (2011)). This approach includes biomass production. Coupling the kinetics and stoichiometry of the previous processes with the usual methanogenic model, we developed an anaerobic pond model. This paper gives the stoichiometry of the different chemical reactions that occur during the degradation of a conventional influent (corresponding to what we define as a ‘combined substrate’) of domestic wastewater and the model's first results.