Riboflavin boosts fermentative valeric acid generation from waste activated sludge

Abstract

Fermentative valeric acid production is a promising way to recycle valuable resources from waste activated sludge (WAS). This study investigated the feasibility of using riboflavin (RF) to enhance volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production, especially valeric acid production from WAS coupled with solid reduction. The results indicated that RF (0.5 mM) promoted the VFAs production by up to 41.0%. Valeric acid accounted for the most abundance within the VFAs components. When RF dosages were 0.05 to 5.0 mM in the WAS fermentation systems, the chemical oxygen demand fractions of valeric acid to the total VFAs were 41.0% to 62.8%, which were much higher than those using other chemical supplements. Moreover, RF enhanced the reduction of mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS). When RF dosage was 0.2 mM, MLVSS reduction achieved a maximum at 47.4%, compared to that in the RF-free control (33.9% reduction). Riboflavin in this study was considered as a feasible chemical to enhance the fermentative valeric acid generation coupled to MLVSS reduction, realizing the reduction of solids and the reutilization of valuable resources from WAS.