Anaerobic reactor

An anaerobic reactor including a tank defining a closed chamber for receiving a body of liquid, a gas outlet above the liquid level in the tank, liquid inlet means disposed in a lower region of the tank and through which wastewater to be trated can be introduced into the tank, and treated water outlet means in an upper region of the tank including a series of launders disposed at the surface of said body of liquid in the tank,

• wherein the improvement comprises a gas separator having an inlet coupled to said treated water outlet means and respective outlets for gas separated from said liquid and treated effluent, said gas separator including an internal baffle defining a primary weir over which liquid flows, the gas separator being arranged so that said primary weir defines the level of said body of liquid in the tank and said weir being adjustable in height so that said level can be selectively raised to flush scum collected on the surface of said body into the launders for collection in said gas separator, and wherein said separator includes blow down means for removing accumulated scum.

An anaerobic reactor including a tank defining a closed chamber for receiving a body of liquid, a gas outlet above the liquid level in the tank, liquid inlet means disposed in a lower region of the tank and through which wastewater to be treated can be introduced into the tank, and treated water outlet means in an upper region of the tank;

• wherein the improvement comprises said tank including a sludge sump in a lower wall of the tank and wherein the reactor further comprises a sludge thickener separate from said tank and including a thickener tank having a thickened sludge outlet in a lower region thereof, a sludge inlet coupled to said sludge sump and to said thickener tank at a level below the level the level of said body of liquid, means controlling flow of sludge from said sump to said thickener tank, a treated effluent outlet from said thickener tank, and mixer means within said thickener tank for thickening sludge delivered to said tank.