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Pretreatment of Sludge with Microwaves for Pathogen Destruction and Improved Anaerobic Digestion Performance
Author(s) -
Hong Seung M.,
Park Jae K.,
Teeradej N.,
Lee Y. O.,
Cho Y. K.,
Park C. H.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143005x84549
Subject(s) - fecal coliform , anaerobic digestion , mesophile , anaerobic exercise , sewage sludge treatment , pulp and paper industry , waste management , activated sludge , microwave , sewage sludge , biosolids , chemistry , environmental science , sewage treatment , environmental engineering , biology , methane , bacteria , ecology , physiology , genetics , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , water quality , engineering
A new way of generating Class A sludge using microwaves was evaluated through a series of laboratory‐scale experiments. Microwaves provide rapid and uniform heating throughout the material. Other benefits of microwave treatment include instant and accurate control and selective and concentrated heating on materials, such as sludge, that have a high dielectric loss factor. Sludge was irradiated with 2450‐MHz microwaves, and fecal coliforms were counted. Fecal coliforms were not detected at 65°C for primary sludge and anaerobic digester sludge and at 85°C for waste activated sludge when sludge was irradiated with 2450‐MHz microwaves. During the bench‐scale anaerobic digester operation, the highest average log reduction of fecal coliforms was achieved by the anaerobic digester fed with microwave‐pretreated sludge (≥2.66 log removal). The anaerobic digester fed with microwave‐irradiated sludge was more efficient in inactivation of fecal coliforms than the other two digesters fed with raw sludge and externally heated sludge, respectively. It took more than three hydraulic retention times for a bench‐scale mesophilic anaerobic digester to meet Class A sludge requirements after feeding microwave‐irradiated sludge. Class A sludge can be produced consistently with a continuously fed mesophilic anaerobic digester if sludge is pretreated with microwaves to reach 65°C.