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A Comparative Study of Ultrasonic Pretreatment and an Internal Recycle for the Enhancement of Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion
Author(s) -
Muller Christopher D.,
AbuOrf Mohammad,
Blumenschein Charles D.,
Novak John T.
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.2175/106143009x407311
Subject(s) - anaerobic digestion , mesophile , biosolids , biogas , dewatering , sonication , ultrasonic sensor , pulp and paper industry , pellets , waste management , chemistry , materials science , methane , chromatography , composite material , engineering , medicine , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , radiology , biology , bacteria , genetics
The objective of this study was to investigate the use of ultrasonic energy in an internal recycle and pretreatment mode of operation relative to a conventional mode of mesophilic anaerobic digestion. The primary focus was to determine if using ultrasonics in a pretreatment mode and in an internal recycle line produced changes in performance relative to each other and the control. Using a relatively low‐energy sonication system, the data showed that the addition of ultrasonic energy, in either a recycle line or as a pretreatment technology, improved anaerobic digestion efficiency for waste‐activated sludge. There was a 13 to 21% increase in biogas yield and an increase in total and volatile solids destruction of 3 to 10.3 additional percentage points, depending on the ultrasonic dose and location. Dewatering of the biosolids following ultrasonic treatment was poorer, as measured by an increase in the optimum polymer conditioning dose. The addition of ultrasonics to the digestion systems generated a more stable biosolids product, with a 2 to 58% reduction in organo‐sulfur gas production from dewatered biosolids cakes.