Um sistema de tratamento de esgotos sanitários por reator UASB seguido de RSB foi operado durante 27 semanas objetivando-se verificar seu desempenho na remoção de matéria orgânica carbônácea, nitrogênio amoniacal e fósforo. O reator UASB, com 145 litros foi operado com tempo de detenção hidráulica médio de 8 horas durante todo o experimento. O reator RSB, de 106 litros, foi operado com tempos de ciclio de 24, 12 e 6 horas, em seis etapas distintas. Os tempos de ciclo no RSB variaram de 24, 12, 6, 24, 24 e 24 para as etapas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 e 6 respectivamente. As últimas três etapas foram caracterizadas pela adição de cloreto férrico, respectivamente. O sistema UASB/RSB apresentou eficiência média de remoção de DQO de 92% nas etapas 1, 2, 5, e 6. Na etapa 3, com tempo de ciclo de 6 horas e na etapa 4, quando o RSB recebeu 50mg/L de cloreto férrico, a eficiência média de remoção de DQO foi de 83%. Quando FeCl₃ foi adicionado no afluente do reator UASB, obteve-se excelente desempenho na remoção de fósforo, cujas concentrações afluentes foram da ordem de 1,0 mg/L e 4,0 mg/L para a adição de 200 e 100 mg/L de cloreto férrico, respectivamente.

The performance evaluation of a pilot scale system composed by a UASB reactor followed by an SBR reactor treating domestic sewage is presented. The UASB reactor with 145 L of volume, was operated with an average hydraulic detention period of 8 hours. The SBR reactor had a volume of 106 litters being operated with cyclic time of 24, 12, and 6 hours. These different operational conditions characterized three stages of the work from a total of six stages. The three last stages were the addition of 50, 100, and 200 mg/L of ferric chloride in the aerobic, anaerobic, and anaerobic reactors, respectively. In the three last stages the UASB reactor worked with an average hydraulic detention time of 8 hours and the aerobic reactor worked with a cyclic time of 24 hours. After 27 weeks of continuous operation, the UASB/SBR system produced very good results in terms of COD removal. The average results of the COD removal were of 92% to the first, second, fifth, and sixth stages, having a reduction to 83% on the average to the stages where the SBR received 50 mg/L of ferric chloride and in which it worked with a six hour cyclic period. The addition of ferric chloride in the anaerobic reactor had great efficiency in the phosphorus removal. It was reached absolute values of until 1 mg/L of PO₄^3- in the aflluent of the system, promoting an average effluent of 4 mg/L of PO₄^3- with the addition 200 mg/L of FCl₃. The UASB/SBR system can become a very promising alternative for domestic sewerage treatment in Brazil, since the system can be projected with shorter times of hydraulic detention times, resulting in a low cost compact installation. Furthermore, excellent results can be gotten to the ammonium and phosphorus removal.