Project

Anaerobic course Mexico

International course – Design, operation and maintenance of anaerobic upflow reactors

A four-day international course on the design, operation and maintenance of anaerobic upflow reactors was held in Merida, Mexico. It was organised by José Collí Misset from the Mexican company CITRA Consultores, who invited LeAF to come to Mexico. Jules van Lier and Iemke Bisschops went to Merida as lecturers. The course was held in Spanish and was attended by around 20 participants, mainly from Mexico, but also from Colombia and Costa Rica.

Many different topics were discussed, ranging from biochemical and microbial background information on anaerobic digestion processes to practical examples of operation and problem solving. Reactor technology, design and start-up were also important aspects, and a practical design exercise was included. The focus was on industrial wastewater treatment (with special attention for the food industry), but elements specific to domestic sewage treatment were included as well. The participants were very enthusiastic and nice to work with, and because they were from quite a broad range of professional backgrounds, topics were analysed with different views.

On the last course day, the company DAICOS facilitated a field visit to different anaerobic treatment systems in Merida they designed. It was good to see that anaerobic treatment is on the increase in Mexico, also for the treatment of domestic sewage.





Contactperson:

iemke.bisschops@wur.nl