Induced sludge bed anaerobic reactor

An induced sludge blanket anaerobic reactor, comprising:

• a vessel;
• an inlet coupled to the vessel, the inlet introducing wastewater into the vessel;
• an outlet coupled to the vessel, the outlet directing wastewater to the outside of the vessel;
• a septum positioned within the vessel to maintain solid particles below the septum;
• a sludge blanket control mechanism coupled to the vessel, the sludge control mechanism forcing solids down to a bottom zone of the vessel beneath the septum or alternatively above the septum for removal from the vessel.

A method of controlling a sludge bed in an anaerobic reactor, comprising:

• providing a vessel to hold wastewater;
• providing an inlet coupled to the vessel, the inlet introducing wastewater into the vessel;
• providing an outlet coupled to the vessel, the outlet directing wastewater to the outside of the vessel;
• providing a septum positioned within the vessel;
• the septum assisting to maintain solid particles in a lower zone of the vessel below the septum.

A method of processing wastewater through anaerobic digestion, comprising:

• providing a vessel to hold wastewater;
• providing a septum to hold solids within the wastewater in a lower zone of the vessel;
• providing a sludge blanket control mechanism to move solids relative to the septum to control the amount of solids retained within the vessel;
• forming a plurality of gradients within the vessel to separate various bacteria formed in the vessel for anaerobic digestion.