Improving anaerobic digestion of various sludge types through alkaline pretreatment

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published: Oct 4, 2024
Keywords:
Waste Activated Sludge (WAS) NaOH pretreatment Solubilization Anaerobic sludge digestion Biogas productivity

Main Article Content

Watcharapol Wonglertarak
Environmental Engineering and Disaster Management Program, Mahidol University, Kanchanaburi campus, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Boonchai Wichitsathian
School of Environmental Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Phongthon Saengchut
Occupational Health and Safety Program, Faculty of Science, Ubon Ratchathani University, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
Borano Te
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Preah Kossomak Polytechnic Institute, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of alkaline pretreatment on the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) with varying types and total solids (TS) concentrations. Using NaOH, we optimized pretreatment conditions with a pH of 8.5 and a contact time of 2 hours. Our key findings demonstrate that this pretreatment significantly enhances sludge solubilization, evidenced by a notable increase in soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD). Specifically, SCOD increased by 57.5% for domestic wastewater (Plant A) and by 12.1% for industrial wastewater (Plant B) at a 0.5% TS concentration. Higher TS concentrations showed similar trends, with improved solubilization and higher methane production rates. Additionally, pretreatment elevated ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) and phosphorus concentrations, with greater releases at higher TS levels. These improvements resulted in enhanced anaerobic digestibility, higher total solids (TS) and volatile solids (VS) destruction, and increased specific methane production. The study underscores the effectiveness of alkaline pretreatment in optimizing anaerobic digestion processes, offering practical implications for wastewater treatment efficiency.

Article Details

How to Cite
Wonglertarak, W., Wichitsathian, B. ., Saengchut, P. ., & Te, B. . (2024). Improving anaerobic digestion of various sludge types through alkaline pretreatment. Engineering and Applied Science Research, 51(5), 673–679. Retrieved from https://ph01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/easr/article/view/256253
Issue
Vol. 51 No. 5 (2024)
Section
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

References

Uma Rani R, Kaliappan S, Adish Kumar S, Rajesh Banu J. Combined treatment of alkaline and disperser for improving solubilization and anaerobic biodegradability of dairy waste activated sludge. Bioresour Technol. 2012;126:107-16.

Appels L, Baeyens J, Degreve J, Dewil R. Principles and potential of the anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge. Prog Energy Combust Sci. 2008;34(6):755-81.

Chang CN, Ma YS, Lo CW. Application of oxidation-reduction potential as a controlling parameter in waste activated sludge hydrolysis. Chem Eng J. 2002;90(3):273-81.

Yi H, Han Y, Zhuo Y. Effect of combined pretreatment of waste activated sludge for anaerobic digestion process. Procedia Environ Sci. 2013;18:716-21.

Yan Y, Chen H, Xu W, He Q, Zhou Q. Enhancement of biochemical methane potential from excess sludge with low organic content by mild thermal pretreatment. Biochem Eng J. 2013;70:127-34.

Carrere H, Dumas C, Battimelli A, Batstone DJ, Delgenes JP, Steyer JP, et al. Pretreatment methods to improve sludge anaerobic degradability: a review. J Hazard Mater. 2010;183(1-3):1-15.

Bougrier C, Albasi C, Delgenes JP, Carrere H. Effect of ultrasonic, thermal and ozone pre-treatments on waste activated sludge solubilisation and anaerobic biodegradability. Chem Eng Process: Process Intensif. 2006;45(8):711-8.

Jin Y, Li H, Mahar RB, Wang Z, Nie Y. Combined alkaline and ultrasonic pretreatment of sludge before aerobic digestion. J Environ Sci. 2009;21(3):279-84.

Chiu YC, Chang CN, Lin JG, Huang SJ. Alkaline and ultrasonic pretreatment of sludge before anaerobic digestion. Water Sci Technol. 1997;36(11):155-62.

Li H, Li C, Liu W, Zou S. Optimized alkaline pretreatment of sludge before anaerobic digestion. Bioresour Technol. 2012;123: 189-94.

Zheng M, Li X, Li L, Yang X, He Y. Enhancing anaerobic biogasification of corn stover through wet state NaOH pretreatment. Bioresour Technol. 2009;100(21):5140-5.

Lin JG, Chang CN, Chang SC. Enhancement of anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge by alkaline solubilization. Bioresour Technol. 1997;62(3):85-90.

Lin JG, Ma YS, Huang CC. Alkaline hydrolysis of the sludge generated from a high-strength, nitrogenous-wastewater biological-treatment process. Bioresour Technol. 1998;65(1-2):35-42.

Vlyssides AG, Karlis PK. Thermal-alkaline solubilization of waste activated sludge as a pre-treatment stage for anaerobic digestion. Bioresour Technol. 2004;91(2):201-6.

Wang H, Liu J, Zhang Z, Li J, Zhang H, Zhan Y. Alkaline thermal pretreatment of waste activated sludge for enhanced hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells. J Environ Manage. 2021;294:113000.

Wang S, Yu S, Lu Q, Liao Y, Li H, Sun L, et al. Development of an alkaline/acid pre-treatment and anaerobic digestion (APAD) process for methane generation from waste activated sludge. Sci Total Environ. 2020;708:134564.

Kim J, Park C, Kim TH, Lee M, Kim S, Kim SW, et al. Effects of various pretreatments for enhanced anaerobic digestion with waste activated sludge. J Biosci Bioeng. 2003;95(3): 271-5.

Nges IA, Liu J. Effects of anaerobic pre-treatment on the degradation of dewatered-sewage sludge. Renew Energy. 2009;34(7): 1795-800.

Chen Y, Cheng JJ, Creamer KS. Inhibition of anaerobic digestion process: a review. Bioresour Technol. 2008;99(10):4044-64.

Gogate PR, Pandit AB. A review of imperative technologies for wastewater treatment I: oxidation technologies at ambient conditions. Adv Environ Res. 2004;8(3-4):501-51.

Deng S, Liu J, Yang X, Sun D, Wang A, van Loosdrecht MCM, et al. Release of phosphorus through pretreatment of waste activated sludge differs essentially from that of carbon and nitrogen resources: comparative analysis across four wastewater treatment facilities. Bioresour Technol. 2024;396:130423.