Abstract
Sludge disposal is a growing problem for all wastewater treatment companies, as intensifying wastewater processing to meet more stringent discharge limits leads to increased sludge production. Anaerobic digestion can reduce the overall mass of the waste sludge requiring disposal, but the end product is generally more difficult to dewater. Microbial extracellular polymer (ECP) has previously been shown to influence sludge dewaterability. This investigation examined the relationship between the quantity and composition of ECP present in sludge samples, prior to and after the digestion process, at full-scale municipal sewage treatment works. Anaerobic digestion was shown to alter the quantity of ECP present, with digested sludge containing 25% less ECP on average than raw sludge. The level of ECP that may give maximum sludge dewaterability was calculated as 21 mg ECP g-1 SS for raw sludge and 10 mg ECP g-1 SS for digested sludge. The organic composition of the ECP extracted from digested sludge contained more protein with respect to carbohydrate than that extracted from pre-digested sludge. These changes in the sludge ECP were shown to correlate with changes in sludge dewaterability.
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