Granule-based Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Bed (UASB) Reactors are one of the attractive technologies for effective biological purification of wastewater. However, Granulation is a complex process and its mechanism is not fully understood yet. The scientific investigations concentrate more on the study of microbiological, chemical, and biological aspects and only few information concerning the influence of hydrodynamic stress on granule properties is available.
Thus, in this research, we will study the effect of hydrodynamic shear rate on the granule’s physical, chemical, and biological characteristics through numerical simulation of liquid-gas-solid three-phase flow, and in situ optical techniques will be applied to experimentally validate the simulation results. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) will be employed to visualize the velocity fields of fluid and granules.