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Comparison of thermo‐oxidative treatments for the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge
Author(s) -
Takashima M,
Tanaka Y
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.1841
Subject(s) - chemistry , sewage sludge , hydrogen peroxide , anaerobic digestion , oxidative phosphorylation , methanogenesis , oxygen , sewage , anaerobic exercise , pulp and paper industry , methane , waste management , food science , biochemistry , organic chemistry , biology , physiology , engineering
BACKGROUND: In this study, various thermo‐oxidative treatments were examined and compared with the aim of overcoming the disadvantages of thermal treatment and enhancing the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. RESULTS: Oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and ozone were selected as oxidant, accompanied with the addition of either acid (HCl) or alkali (Na 2 CO 3 ) for oxygen. The temperature and duration were fixed at 170 °C and 1 h, respectively. Anaerobically digested sludge was used as the substrate, to see the effects on the refractory part of sewage sludge. A batch methanogenesis test using 120 mL serum bottles was run at 35 °C for 20 days, and methane production, solids reduction, dewaterability and color intensity were measured. As the strength of the oxidants was increased, methane production tended to decrease, whereas solids reduction was increased. The dewaterability of the sludges and the color in the filtrates became worse for thermo‐oxidative treatment with oxygen and alkali. On the other hand, the dewaterability was improved significantly and color generation was restricted the most for the thermo‐oxidative treatment with oxygen and acid. CONCLUSION: Lowering the pH of thermo‐oxidative treatment is advantageous with respect to the dewaterability and color generation of digested sludge. Based on evaluation of the overall performance, thermo‐oxidative treatment with acid is considered the best among the thermo‐oxidative treatments examined. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry