Characteristics of dissolved organic matter formed in aerobic and anaerobic digestion of excess activated sludge

Abstract

The characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) formed in aerobic and anaerobic digestion of excess activated sludge (EAS) was investigated for three total solid (TS) concentrations (1.2, 2.3 and 5.2%) and three temperatures (5, 20 and 35 °C). The results on the overall concentration of DOM evaluated by TOC showed significantly higher values in anaerobic than aerobic digestion (2.8–6.9 times for TS 1.2–5.2% at 20 °C). Data analysis with a first-order sequential reaction model revealed that higher occurrence of DOM in anaerobic digestion was a result of comparatively faster hydrolysis (1.3–5.5 times for TS 1.2–5.2% at 20 °C; 1.4–49.3 times for temperatures 5–35 °C with TS 1.2%) and slower degradation (0.3–1.0 times for TS 1.2–5.2% at 20 °C; 0.5–8.3 times for temperatures 5–35 °C with TS 1.2%).In aerobic digestion, more humic substances were formed; while, in anaerobic digestion, proteins and aromatic amino acids were the major constituents. For both digestions, except for a few exceptions, proteins and humic substances increased as the TS concentration increased; and increasing the temperature led to a decrease in the content of proteins formed in both aerobic and anaerobic digestion, and an increase in the content of humic substances in the aerobic digestion. The UV-absorbing DOM constituents were highly heterogeneous, and were comparatively larger in anaerobic digestion; and did not change significantly with the TS concentrations and temperatures.