<![CDATA[Wastewater from the palm oil production process contains high levels of organic matter, so the appropriate treatment to remove organic matter is anaerobic processing. At PT XYZ, several types of reactors are used in the anaerobic process, including Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB), Expanded Granular Sludge Blanket (EGSB), Internal Circulation (IC) Tank, dan Super Internal Circulation Tank. The bacteria used are generally granular in shape, which settle more quickly, but in field conditions, the bacteria used for UASB are sludge powdering, which tends to wash out. This can reduce the efficiency of wastewater treatment. The purpose of this study is to analyze the formation of granular sludge from sludge powdering in UASB reactors. The method used was experimental using a beaker glass reactor operated for 6 weeks. The principle of coagulation flocculation was used with the addition of 0.3 g/L/hr of urea as nutrients for bacteria and FeCl3 as a binding agent. The stages of this study included sampling, reactor operation, observation & treatment, and data analysis. The results showed that the UASB reactor did not form granular sludge, because the sludge produced was in the form of fine flocs. The addition of FeCl3 and urea caused the pH value of the reactor to fluctuate and tend to be alkaline, resulting in conditions that were not optimal for the activity of granular-forming bacteria. Therefore, granular sludge was not obtained from the experiment using UASB sludge powdering with a glass beaker reactor.]]>
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