Disintegration impact on sludge digestion process

Abstract

The anaerobic sludge digestion is a widely used method for sludge stabilization in wastewater treatment plant. This process can be improved by applying the sludge disintegration methods. As the sludge disintegration is not investigated enough, an analysis of how the application of thermal hydrolysis affects the sludge digestion process based on full-scale data was conducted. The results showed that the maximum volatile suspended solids (VSS) destruction reached the value of 65% independently on the application of thermal hydrolysis. The average VSS destruction increased by 14% when thermal hydrolysis was applied. In order to have the maximum VSS reduction and biogas production, it is recommended to keep the maximum defined VSS loading of 5.7 kg VSS/m(3)/d when the thermal hydrolysis is applied and to keep the VSS loading between 2.1-2.4 kg VSS/m(3)/d when the disintegration of sludge is not applied. The application of thermal hydrolysis leads to an approximately 2.5 times higher VSS loading maintenance comparing VSS loading without the disintegration; therefore, digesters with 1.8 times smaller volume is required.

Opportunistic Strategy for Maintenance Interventions Planning: A Case Study in a Wastewater Treatment Plant

“…Within the wastewater treatment process, the treatment and use of sewage sludge have become an international waste management problem. In this sense, the digestion process in sludge treatment has become the first step in the reuse chain, representing up to 50% of the operational costs in sewage treatment plants [13,14]. Additionally, the sewage treatment process establishes a valuable source of raw materials, especially for obtaining nutrients, energy, and water for human consumption [9].…”