This research assessed the efficiency of Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor operating under typical temperatures found in regions with temperate climate. A pilot plant constituted by three 19.2 L anaerobic reactors was operated. Sludge from an UASB reactor treating residuals from a gelatin industrial plant was introduced in each prototype. The initial biological load in each reactor was 0.11 kg CODkg TVS-1.d-1. The reactors treated a synthetic wastewater formed by glucose, acetate, micro and macronutrients, with COD concentration compatible with urban sewage. Reactor’s operation was divided in two phases. In the first, start-up, reactors operated at 35°C. In the second phase, temperatures within reactors were 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C. During the start-up and acclimatizing period, COD removal efficiencies were high, around 90%. In the second phase, it was observed that organic matter removal was slightly affected by temperature. Generally, there was a decrease in COD efficiency with temperature reduction (95,7, 91,0, 94,2, 90,6 and 87,2% removal for 35, 30, 25, 20, and 15°C, respectively). However, soluble COD removal was unaffected by temperature, an observation confirmed by statistical analysis. Methane gas volume, calculated by COD mass balances and bioenergetics, was similar. Electric power shortages occurred in some small periods during the experiments. As a consequence, the reactors endured unintentional 5°C and 10°C temperature shocks. Reactors that suffered 5°C shocks recovered very well as soon as they returned to their initial operational temperature. However, the reactor that had a 10°C temperature reduction didn’t recover to its initial efficiency upon return to the original operating temperature. Organic matter removal and biogas production dropped significantly, with a corresponding increase in the volatile organic acids concentration in the reactor effluent. In parallel with the laboratory experiments, it was monitored a full scale UASB reactor operating in Caxias do Sul, a city characterized by cold winters. For the full scale reactor, it was not possible to verify the effect of temperature on efficiency. This was due to the interference of variables other than temperature on the quality of the effluent. The COD removals obtained in the prototype reactors were significantly higher than those measured at the full scale reactor. It has to be considered that the prototypes operated under controlled temperature and constants concentrations and flowrates. On the contrary, the full scale reactor received complex substrates (domestic wastewater), with variations in concentrations, flowrates and temperatures. The results of the research suggest that is feasible to operate UASB reactors in regions where temperature varies significantly around the year, with cold winters and warm summers. Although the experiment showed a small decrease in organic matter removal with temperature, the efficiencies were still high to warrant the application of UASB at lower temperatures. In full scale reactors, a careful operation of the reactor will probably compensate for a small decrease in organic matter removal due to lower temperatures. ...