A strategy for enhancing anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge: Driving anodic oxidation by adding nitrate into microbial electrolysis cell

Abstract

Cathodic reduction of CO2 and anodic oxidation of organic matters are crucial to methane-producing microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) applied in anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. However, cathodic CO2 reduction is usually restrained by slow metabolism rates of H2-utilizing methanogens and low electron-capturing capacity of CO2, which consequently slows down the anodic oxidation that participates to sludge disintegration. Herein, a strategy with adding nitrate as electron acceptor to foster electronic transfer between the anode and cathode was proposed to improve anodic oxidation. Results showed that the average efficiency of anodic oxidation in the nitrate-added MEC increased by 55.9%. Accordingly, volatile suspended solid removal efficiency in the nitrate-added MEC was 21.9% higher than that of control MEC. Although the initial cumulative methane production in the nitrate-added MEC was lower than that of control MEC, the cumulative methane production in 24 days was 8.9% higher. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that anodic oxidation of MEC with nitrate accelerated the disintegration of sludge flocs and cell walls. Calculation on current signal further revealed that anodic oxidation driven by cathodic nitrate reduction was the main mechanism responsible for the improved sludge digestion.