Effect of nitrite addition on the two-phase anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge: Optimization of the acidogenic phase and influence mechanisms

Abstract

To simultaneously achieve biological denitrification and bio-energy recovery from sludge, the effects of nitrite on the two-phase anaerobic digestion (AD) of waste activated sludge were explored. Herein, effects of nitrite on the acidogenic phase are optimized, and the corresponding influence mechanisms are investigated. The experimental results show that the optimal nitrite treatment conditions for improving the acidogenic phase are an initial pH of 8.0, a nitrite addition concentration of 500 mg NO2−-N·L−1, and a fermentation time of six days. By comparing the effects of nitrite and nitrate on the acidogenic phase, it was found that it was the nitrite, not the nitrate, that significantly enhanced the sludge organic solubilization, hydrolysis, and acidification, which are primarily attributed to the redox property of nitrite. Based on an analysis of different forms of soluble nitrogen concentrations, there was no obvious accumulation of nitrite or nitrate during the acidogenic phase. An analysis of the methane production and the volatile solid (VS) degradation during the two-phase AD revealed that the nitrite improved the methane production from the methanogenic phase and enhanced the VS degradation of sludge during the entire two-phase AD process. These findings could provide references for simultaneously treating nitrite-rich wastewater and improving anaerobic sludge digestion via two-phase system.