Sludge Solubilization Research Articles

Potential and optimization of two-phase anaerobic digestion of oil refinery waste activated sludge and microbial community study

Oil refinery waste activated sludge produced from oil wastewater biological treatment is a major industrial sludge. Two-phase anaerobic digestion of oil refinery waste activated sludge was studied for the first time. Thermal pretreatment under 170 °C is effective on sludge solubilization. At the optimum hydrolytic-acidogenic condition which was pH of 6.5, temperature of 55 °C and HRT of 2 days, 2754 mg/L volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were produced and acetic acid and butyric acid were the key components. Comparative studies of single-phase and two-phase anaerobic digestion in terms of organic removal, biogas production and methane concentration were conducted. The cumulative methane production and soluble COD (SCOD) removal efficiency in the two-phase system were 228 mL/g COD added and 77.8%, respectively, which were 1.6 and 2.1 times higher than those in single-phase anaerobic digestion. Such improved performance is attributed to intensification of dominant microbial population in separated reactors. Caloramator, Ureibacillus, Dechloromonas, Petrobacter, and T78 played important roles in hydrolytic-acidification and oil-organics degradation. Syntrophic bacteria in the family Porphyromonadaceae and the genus Anaerobranca provide acetate for methanogen. The results demonstrated the potential and operating condition of two-phase anaerobic digestion in treatment of oil refinery waste activated sludge.

A swirling jet-induced cavitation to increase activated sludge solubilisation and aerobic sludge biodegradability

In this work, a modified swirling jet induced hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has been used for the pre-treatment of excess sludge. In order to both improve the HC treatment efficiencies and reduce the energy consumption, the effectiveness of the HC reactor on sludge disintegration and on aerobic biodegradability has been investigated at different operating conditions and parameters, such as temperature, inlet pressure, sludge total solid (TS) content and reactor geometry. The inlet pressure was related to the flow velocity and pressure drop. The best results in terms of sludge solubilisation were achieved after 2h of HC treatment, treating a 50.0gTSL−1 and using the three heads Ecowirl system, at 35.0°C and 4.0bar. Chemical and respirometric tests proved that sludge solubilisation and aerobic biodegradability can be efficiently enhanced through HC pre-treatment technique.At the optimum operating conditions, the specific supplied energy has been varied from 3276 to 12,780kJkgTS−1 in the HC treatment, by increasing the treatment time from 2 to 8 h, respectively. Low endogenous decay rates (bH) were measured on the excess sludge at low specific supplied energy, revealing that only an alteration in floc structure was responsible for the sludge solubilisation. On the contrary, higher bH values were measured at higher specific supplied energy, indicating that the sludge solubilisation was related to a decreasing biomass viability, as consequence of dead cells and/or disrupted cells (cell lysis).

Energy balance performance of municipal wastewater treatment systems considering sludge anaerobic biodegradability and biogas utilisation routes

The energy balance of a municipal wastewater treatment (WWT) system was evaluated considering the influence of excess biological sludge anaerobic biodegradability (BDAn) and of biogas utilisation as either fuel for co-generation of heat and power (CHP) or for vehicle transport. Sludge thermal pre-treatment prior to anaerobic digestion and high-rate carbon removal were considered as modifications of a reference municipal WWT system to impact the sludge BDAn. Both thermal pre-treatment and a high-rate process with a short sludge retention time (SRT=1–3d) led to ∼30% higher sludge BDAn than that of untreated sludge from a low-rate WWT system with long SRT (>8d), which enhanced methane yields and energy production correspondingly. An efficient separation (40% of CODin) of primary solids promoted biogas production by capturing a significant part of the incoming COD, and lowered aeration energy demands for carbon oxidation due to lower loads of particulate organics into the biological treatment. Thermal pre-treatment can most effectively increase the biodegradability of sludge originating from a low-rate WWT system with a long SRT. Sludge solubilization alone as an indicator of increase biodegradability by a pre-treatment is inadequate for sludge types with inherently high biodegradability. A WWT system with primary separation, sludge pre-treatment, and CHP from biogas can be a net electricity producer and self-sufficient in thermal energy, provided the thermal energy from CHP is available for the pre-treatment. With other types of energy carriers as inputs and outputs, the WWT performance also needs evaluation with respect to the energy economic and environmental value.

공기주입과 영가철을 이용한 하수슬러지 가용화 연구

공기주입과 영가철을 이용한 하수슬러지 가용화 연구

Fenton mediated ultrasonic disintegration of sludge biomass: Biodegradability studies, energetic assessment, and its economic viability

Mechanical disintegration of sludge through ultrasonication demands high energy and cost. Therefore, in the present study, a comprehensive investigation was performed to analyze the potential of a novel method, fenton mediated sonic disintegration (FSD). In FSD process, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of sludge was first removed via fenton treatment. It was subsequently disintegrated via ultrasonication. Energetic assessment and economic analysis were then performed using net energy and cost gain (spent) as key factor to evaluate the practical viability of the FSD process. FSD was found to be superior over sonic disintegration based on its higher sludge solubilization (34.4% vs. 23.2%) and methane production potential (0.3gCOD/gCOD vs. 0.2gCOD/gCOD). Both energy analysis and cost assessment of the present study revealed that FSD could reduce the energy demand of ultrasonication considerably with a positive net profit of about 44.93USD/Ton of sludge.

Enhancing anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge by the combined use of NaOH and Mg(OH)2: Performance evaluation and mechanism study

In this study, the combination treatment of NaOH and Mg(OH)2 was applied to anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) for simultaneously enhancement of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production, nutrients removal and sludge dewaterability. The maximum VFAs production (461mg COD/g VSS) was obtained at the NaOH/Mg(OH)2 ratio of 75:25, which was much higher than that of the blank or sole NaOH. Moreover, nutrients removal and sludge dewaterability were improved by the combined using of NaOH and Mg(OH)2. Mechanism investigations revealed that the presence of Mg(OH)2 could maintain alkaline environment, which contributed to inhibit the activity of methanogens. Also, the bridging between Mg2+ and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) plays an important role in the solubilization and dewatering of sludge. High-throughput sequencing analysis demonstrated that the abundance of bacteria involved in sludge hydrolysis and VFAs accumulation was greatly enriched with the mixtures of NaOH and Mg(OH)2.

Classification and Effects of Sludge Disintegration Technologies Integrated Into Sludge Handling Units: An Overview

The sludge disintegration technologies integrated into sludge handling units are pretreatment processes that reduce the sludge mass or to improve the sludge characteristics. The sludge disintegration technologies developed to reduce excess sludge are classified as mechanical disintegration, thermal disintegration, chemical or thermo‐chemical disintegration, and biological disintegration. The integration of lab/pilot/full‐scale applications of these technologies into sludge handling units have been shown to significantly minimize sludge. The sludge disintegration technologies are considered to be environmentally safe because these technologies produce no environmentally harmful additional waste. Therefore, sludge minimization has received steadily increasing attention in the last few decades. Here, an overview is presented of the most widely known sludge disintegration technologies that can be integrated into sludge handling units for sludge minimization. The latest applications of sludge disintegration technologies that have been reported in the literature are comprehensively evaluated in terms of sludge solubilization, dewaterability, pathogen removal, and sludge digestibility.

Platinum complex oxide electrode catalyst for the solubilization of sewage sludge

Platinum complex oxide electrode catalyst for the solubilization of sewage sludge

Conventional heating vs. microwave sludge pretreatment comparison under identical heating/cooling profiles for thermophilic advanced anaerobic digestion

This research evaluates whether there is any advantage of selecting one of the thermal methods of sludge pretreatment, conventional heating (CH) and microwave hydrolysis (MW), over another to enhance municipal sludge disintegration and performance of thermophilic anaerobic digestion (AD). For this purpose, a custom-built CH system simulating MW hydrolysis under identical heating and cooling profiles was used. The effects of three main pretreatment parameters including pretreatment method (CH and MW), heating ramp rate (3, 6 and 11°C/min) and final temperature (80, 120 and 160°C) on sludge solubilization and performance of thermophilic batch AD were evaluated. The effects of CH and MW hydrolysis were observed to be similar for sludge disintegration and digester performance (p-value>0.05), while the effects of final temperature and heating ramp rate were proven to be different (p-value<0.05). According to the results, it is essential to apply MW and CH pretreatments under identical experimental condition for an unbiased comparison which supports the findings of the author’s earlier study under mesophilic condition. Failing to address this issue explains the significant inconsistency observed among the findings of the previous CH vs. MW comparison studies that were unable to implement identical thermal profiles (between CH and MW) during sludge pretreatment. In comparison with mesophilic AD, thermophilic AD revealed lower biodegradation rate constant at the highest pretreatment temperature tested (160°C), suggesting its higher sensitivity to the inhibitory effects of thermal pretreatment at the elevated temperatures.

Application of thermal analysis for evaluating the digestion of microwave pre-treated sewage sludge

The effect of microwave pre-treatment (MwP) on anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge was studied by means of thermal analysis and evolved gas analysis. The effect of the pre-treatment at low energy input (<1000 kJ L−1) on sludge solubilisation was studied with the aid of response surface methodology. The pre-treatment process was subsequently studied at energies of 488–2700 kJ L−1 to evaluate the improvement in biogas production under mesophilic conditions. Organic matter modifications were studied using a Setaram TGA92 analyser at atmospheric pressure coupled to an MSC200 quadrupole mass spectrometer from Balzers. Particle size analysis was carried out using a Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyser LS 13 320 Beckmann Coulter for evaluating the effect of MwP on sludge particles. Results showed an increase in organic matter solubilisation with the increase in the energy applied. Modifications in the specific surface area of the organic matter due to the MwP resulted in increments in methane yields. However, an accumulation of complex compounds was observed in thermal profiles at the maximum energy input (2700 kJ L−1). Semi-continuous digestion experiments were evaluated using as substrate pre-treated sludge at the optimum energy value (975 kJ L−1). Results showed a significant increase in methane yield (43 %) when evaluating the process at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 25–10 days.

Comparison of ozone and thermal hydrolysis combined with anaerobic digestion for municipal and pharmaceutical waste sludge with tetracycline resistance genes

Biosolids from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) are environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes, which attract great concerns on their efficient treatments. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is widely used for sewage sludge treatment but its effectiveness is limited due to the slow hydrolysis. Ozone and thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment were employed to improve AD efficiency and reduce antibiotic-resistant genes in municipal and pharmaceutical waste sludge (MWS and PWS, respectively) in this study. Sludge solubilization achieved 15.75–25.09% and 14.85–33.92% after ozone and thermal hydrolysis, respectively. Both pre-treatments improved cumulative methane production and the enhancements were greater on PWS than MWS. Five tetracycline-resistant genes (tet(A), tet(G), tet(Q), tet(W), tet(X)) and one mobile element (intI1) were qPCR to assess pre-treatments. AD of pre-treated sludge reduced more tet genes than raw sludge for both ozonation and thermal hydrolysis in PWS and MWS. Thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment was more efficient than ozone for reduction after AD. Results of this study help support management options for reducing the spread of antibiotic resistance from biosolids.

Improvement of anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge through microwave pre-treatment

Sewage sludge generated in the activated sludge process is a polluting waste that must be treated adequately to avoid important environmental impacts. Traditional management methods, such as landfill disposal or incineration, are being ruled out due to the high content in heavy metal, pathogens, micropolluting compounds of the sewage sludge and the lack of use of resources. Anaerobic digestion could be an interesting treatment, but must be improved since the biomethanisation of sewage sludge entails low biodegradability and low methane production. A microwave pre-treatment at pilot scale is proposed to increase the organic matter solubilisation of sewage sludge and enhance the biomethanisation yield. The operational variables of microwave pre-treatment (power and specific energy applied) were optimised by analysing the physicochemical characteristics of sewage sludge (both total and soluble fraction) under different pre-treatment conditions. According to the variation in the sCOD and TN concentration, the optimal operation variables of the pre-treatment were fixed at 20,000 J/g TS and 700 W. A subsequent anaerobic digestion test was carried out with raw and pre-treated sewage sludge under different conditions (20,000 J/g TS and 700 W; 20,000 J/g TS and 400 W; and 30,000 J/g TS and 400 W). Although stability was maintained throughout the process, the enhancement in the total methane yield was not high (up to 17%). Nevertheless, very promising improvements were determined for the kinetics of the process, where the rG and the OLR increased by 43% and 39%, respectively, after carrying out a pre-treatment at 20,000 J/g TS and 700 W.

Combined Electrochemical and Hypochlorite Pretreatment for Improving Solubilization and Anaerobic Digestion of Waste-Activated Sludge: Effect of Hypochlorite Dosage

The electrochemical (EC) combined with hypochlorite (ClO–) pretreatment has been proven to be effective in improving disintegration of waste-activated sludge (WAS) and enhancing anaerobic digestion recently. The ClO– dosage had a significant impact on the performance of WAS solubilization and biogas production in terms of the disintegration degree (DDCOD), release of proteins (PNs) and polysaccharides (PSs), soluble nitrogen and phosphate, and subsequent anaerobic digestion. The results showed that a higher ClO– dosage was favorable to WAS solubilization and EC–ClO– pretreatment was able to rupture the floc structure and break cells apart. According to batch anaerobic digestion tests, the optimum ClO– dosage for EC–ClO– pretreatment was 0.6% (v/v), with up to 61.1% higher methane production compared to the unpretreated sludge after mesophilic anaerobic digestion for 40 days. Model-based analysis suggested that EC–ClO– pretreatment could enhance the hydrolysis process as well as methane potential. Moreover...

Kinetics of combined thermal pretreatment and anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge from sugar and pulp industry

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of thermal pretreatment temperature (from 100°C to 200°C) and time (15–60min) on the characteristics and the anaerobic biodegradability of wasted activated sludge from sugar and pulp mills. Reaction Curve model and First-order kinetics were used to obtain a better understanding of the data from the anaerobic biodegradability tests. Sludge characteristics and methane production prior and after thermal pretreatment confirmed that temperature exerted the major influence on sludge solubilization and biodegradability. The optimal methane yield (182mlCH4/gVSFeed) and ultimate methane production rate (72.1mlCH4/gVSFeedd) was obtained at 165°C for 30min. However, the negative effects of melanoidins and Amadori compounds appeared and the rising trend of biodegradability reversed at 200°C. The growth rate of methane yield topped out at 476% at 100°C, and the maximum methane yield (range from 28.9 to 72.1mlCH4/gVSFeedd) were also observed at the first day, showing the radical kinetics improvement after pretreatment. This remarkable initial methane yield was attributed to the raising share of the rapidly biodegradable organics generated in thermal pretreatment, which were estimated with methane yield percentage of day 3. Both Reaction Curve model and First-order kinetics fitted with the experimental data well, and a Simplified Reaction Curve model without lag time provides a feasible tool to estimate methane yield of the rapidly biodegradable substrates.

Evaluation of operational parameters for biodegration of bacterially disintegrated sludge

The present investigation was undertaken to increase the efficiency of sludge solubilization using bacterial pretreatment with a thermophilic protease secreting bacteria, Bacillus licheniformis and deflocculation through ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA). About 0.4% of EDTA was used to remove the flocs from the sludge. Then, the deflocculated and bacterially pretreated sludge was subsequently followed by aerobic and anaerobic digestion. In comparison with the control, the aerobic digestion showed 43% increase in the reduction of suspended solids (SS) and 13% increase in the solubilization of chemical oxygen demand. Pretreatment of deflocculated sludge along with anaerobic digestion prompt to 34% of SS and 38% of volatile solids reduction, with an enhancement of 65% biogas production. Pretreatment of deflocculated sludge with B. licheniformis elevates less energy, which was environmentally sound when compared to other pretreatment techniques.

EFFECT OF THERMAL PRETREATMENT ON THE SOLUBILIZATION OF ORGANIC MATTERS IN A MIXTURE OF PRIMARY AND WASTE ACTIVATED SLUDGE

The increased demand for advanced techniques in anaerobic digestion over the last few years has led to the employment of various pre-treatment methods prior to anaerobic digestion to increase gas production. These pre-treatment methods alter the physical and chemical properties of sludge in order to make it more readily degradable by anaerobic digestion. Although the thermal pre-treatment presents high energy consumption, the main part of this energy to heat can be recovered from the biogas produced in the anaerobic process. In this research a mixture of primary and waste activated sludge was thermally pretreated at 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200o C in order to determine the effect of thermal pretreatment on improving the solubilization of sludge by increasing the soluble organic fraction (expressed as soluble COD and VFA). Experimental results proved that the solubilization ratio of sludge is depends on the treatment time and the applied temperature and the optimal temperature ranged between 175 and 200o C. The COD solubilization ratio (at 175o C) increased from 11.2% to 15.1% and 25.1% when the time of treatment increased from 60 min to 120 and 240 min respectively. The experimental data could be fitted to obtain an empirical model (Known as the enzyme-kinetic equation) relating the COD solubilization ratio of sludge and VFA concentration to the applied temperature and the heating time.

EFFECT OF THERMAL PRETREATMENT ON THE SOLUBILIZATION OF ORGANIC MATTERS IN A MIXTURE OF PRIMARY AND WASTE ACTIVATED SLUDGE

The increased demand for advanced techniques in anaerobic digestion over the last few years has led to the employment of various pre-treatment methods prior to anaerobic digestion to increase gas production. These pre-treatment methods alter the physical and chemical properties of sludge in order to make it more readily degradable by anaerobic digestion. Although the thermal pre-treatment presents high energy consumption, the main part of this energy to heat can be recovered from the biogas produced in the anaerobic process. In this research a mixture of primary and waste activated sludge was thermally pretreated at 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200o C in order to determine the effect of thermal pretreatment on improving the solubilization of sludge by increasing the soluble organic fraction (expressed as soluble COD and VFA). Experimental results proved that the solubilization ratio of sludge is depends on the treatment time and the applied temperature and the optimal temperature ranged between 175 and 200o C. The COD solubilization ratio (at 175o C) increased from 11.2% to 15.1% and 25.1% when the time of treatment increased from 60 min to 120 and 240 min respectively. The experimental data could be fitted to obtain an empirical model (Known as the enzyme-kinetic equation) relating the COD solubilization ratio of sludge and VFA concentration to the applied temperature and the heating time.

EFFECT OF THERMAL PRETREATMENT ON THE SOLUBILIZATION OF ORGANIC MATTERS IN A MIXTURE OF PRIMARY AND WASTE ACTIVATED SLUDGE

The increased demand for advanced techniques in anaerobic digestion over the last few years has led to the employment of various pre-treatment methods prior to anaerobic digestion to increase gas production. These pre-treatment methods alter the physical and chemical properties of sludge in order to make it more readily degradable by anaerobic digestion. Although the thermal pre-treatment presents high energy consumption, the main part of this energy to heat can be recovered from the biogas produced in the anaerobic process. In this research a mixture of primary and waste activated sludge was thermally pretreated at 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 o C in order to determine the effect of thermal pretreatment on improving the solubilization of sludge by increasing the soluble organic fraction (expressed as soluble COD and VFA). Experimental results proved that the solubilization ratio of sludge is depends on the treatment time and the applied temperature and the optimal temperature ranged between 175 and 200 o C. The COD solubilization ratio (at 175 o C) increased from 11.2% to 15.1% and 25.1% when the time of treatment increased from 60 min to 120 and 240 min respectively. The experimental data could be fitted to obtain an empirical model (Known as the enzyme-kinetic equation) relating the COD solubilization ratio of sludge and VFA concentration to the applied temperature and the heating time.

Effects of Thermal-Alkaline Pretreatment on Solubilisation and High-Solid Anaerobic Digestion of Dewatered Activated Sludge

The effects of thermal-alkaline pretreatment on dewatered activated sludge (DAS) solubilisation and subsequent high-solid anaerobic digestion were studied by response surface methodology (RSM) from 105 to 135 °C and between 5 and 35 mg alkaline/g total solid (TS) DAS. Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), soluble carbohydrates, and protein concentrations were significantly enhanced in thermal-alkaline pretreated DAS samples. Daily methane yield increased at the middle of digestion, and cumulative methane yield (CMY) significantly increased after thermal-alkaline pretreatment. A first-order linear model of temperature and alkaline was significant for SCOD by RSM, and the determination coefficient (R2) was 94.62%. The quadratic model of temperature and alkaline was also significant for methane yield. R2 of 99.80% confirmed that the model used in this study fit the experimental variables very well. Using the model, the optimum pretreatment condition of methane yield was obtained at 134.95 °C and 23.77 mg alkali. Therefore, RSM was an effective tool in predicting the DAS pretreatment condition for optimum methane yield.

Does residual H2O2 result in inhibitory effect on enhanced anaerobic digestion of sludge pretreated by microwave-H2O2 pretreatment process?

This study investigated the effects of residual H2O2 on hydrolysis-acidification and methanogenesis stages of anaerobic digestion after microwave-H2O2 (MW-H2O2) pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS). Results showed that high sludge solubilization at 35-45% was achieved after pretreatment, while large amounts of residual H2O2 remained and refractory compounds were thus generated with high dosage of H2O2 (0.6g H2O2/g total solids (TS), 1.0g H2O2/g TS) pretreatment. The residual H2O2 not only inhibited hydrolysis-acidification stage mildly, such as hydrolase activity, but also had acute toxic effect on methanogens, resulting in long lag phase, low methane yield rate, and no increase of cumulative methane production during the 30-day BMP tests. When the low dosage of H2O2 at 0.2g H2O2/g TS was used in MW-H2O2 pretreatment, sludge anaerobic digestion was significantly enhanced. The cumulative methane production increased by 29.02%, but still with a lag phase of 1.0day. With removing the residual H2O2 by catalase, the initial lag phase of hydrolysis-acidification stage decreased from 1.0 to 0.5day.