High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: challenges and opportunities

Capua, Francesco Di; Spasiano, Danilo; Giordano, Andrea; Adani, Fabrizio; Fratino, Umberto; Pirozzi, Francesco; Esposito, Giovanni

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115608

Cited by 127 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 164 publications

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“…If trends point to decentralized systems, these imply smaller plants, with their inherent characteristics and limitations to implement renewable energies technologies. The main appeal of hydropower is its flexibility, accessibility, and worldwide application [26,48,52,72,79], without interfering in the treatment process itself and without the strict limitation of scale that other technologies do present [14,25,38,92,93].…”

Section: Energy Self-sufficiency and Hydropower Contribution At Wwtps: Energy Profilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Self-Sufficiency Aiming for Sustainable Wastewater Systems: Are All Options Being Explored?

2021

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In upcoming years, water demand is expected to boost worldwide, and with that, wastewater generation and the required energy for treatment. Provided that efficiency measures should be implemented at first instance, developments of renewable energy technologies are needed to improve sustainability at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Based on theoretical analyses of literature data, this article presents a novel perspective of the role that hydropower could play in that energy framework. This research applied a new approach compared to previous studies, considering the introduction of sustainability aspects in the decision-making process, other than economic feasibility. With that aim, a broad search of real case studies was conducted, and suitable Key Performance Indicators based on the energy self-sufficiency concept were selected and applied to the identified cases. The findings suggest that there is not a rule of thumb to determine feasibility for hydropower installation and this technology might deserve more attention. This new perspective can help to raise awareness among policy makers, decision managers, or plant operators, of the possibilities hydropower could offer to the wastewater industry in the pathway towards more sustainable systems.

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Section: Energy Self-sufficiency and Hydropower Contribution At Wwtps: Energy Profilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Self-Sufficiency Aiming for Sustainable Wastewater Systems: Are All Options Being Explored?

2021

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“…Anaerobic stabilization through anaerobic digestion (AD) is one technologically-sound and environmentally-friendly method of processing MSS [12]. Well-implemented AD can reduce susceptibility to putrification, improve sanitary conditions, reduce MSS volume, and produce high yields of CH 4 -rich biogas [13][14][15]. These results are often further bolstered through MSS pretreatment and shredding [16,17], i.e., processes that disrupt the sludge's structure by separating flocs, destroying microbial cells, releasing organic substances and extracellular polymers into the dilute phase, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Static Magnetic Field on Methanogenesis in the Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sewage Sludge

2021

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The present study aimed to determine the effect of a 17.6 mT static magnetic field (SMF) on the efficiency of anaerobic digestion (AD) of municipal sewage sludge (MSS). The SMF had a significant impact on methane (CH4) production efficiency, the levels of fermentation rate (ηFMSS) vs. removal rate (ηVS), and the structure of the anaerobic bacteria consortium, but it did not affect cumulative biogas production. The highest CH4 yield (431 ± 22 dm3CH4/kgVS) and the highest methane content in the biogas (66.1% ± 1.9%) were found in the variant in which the SMF exposure time was 144 min/day. This variant also produced the highest ηFMSS and ηVS values, reaching 73.8% ± 2.3% and ηVS 36.9% ± 1.6%, respectively. Longer anaerobic sludge retention time in the SMF area significantly decreased AD efficiency and caused a significant reduction in the number of methanogens in the anaerobic bacteria community. The lowest values were observed for SMF exposure time of 432 min/day, which produced only 54.8 ± 1.9% CH4 in the biogas. A pronounced reduction was recorded in the Archaea (ARC915) and Methanosaeta (MX825) populations in the anaerobic sludge, i.e., to 20% ± 11% and 6% ± 2%, respectively.

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“…Importantly, in this case, sewage sludge might be dehydrated (total solids content (TS) > 15%) and then transported to a local High-Solid Anaerobic Digestion Reactor, where it could be treated/digested with other biodegradable wastes. This strategy might be considered as a cost-effective solution for small WWTPs [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Enhancement of Energy Efficiency in a Wastewater Treatment Plant through Sustainable Biogas Use: Case Study from Poland

et al. 2020

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The improvement of energy efficiency ensuring high nutrients removal is a great concern for many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The energy balance of a WWTP can be improved through the application of highly efficient digestion or its intensification, e.g., through the introduction of the co-substrates with relatively high energy potential to the sewage sludge (SS). In the present study, the overview of the energetic aspect of the Polish WWTPs was presented. The evaluation of energy consumption at individual stages of wastewater treatment along with the possibilities of its increasing was performed. Additionally, the influence of co-digestion process implementation on the energy efficiency of a selected WWTP in Poland was investigated. The evaluation was carried out for a WWTP located in Iława. Both energetic and treatment efficiency were analyzed. The energy balance evaluation of this WWTP was also performed. The obtained results indicated that the WWTP in Iława produced on average 2.54 GWh per year (7.63 GWh of electricity in total) as a result of the co-digestion of sewage sludge with poultry processing waste. A single cubic meter of co-substrates fed to the digesters yielded an average of 25.6 ± 4.3 Nm3 of biogas (between 18.3 and 32.2 Nm3/m3). This enabled covering the energy demand of the plant to a very high degree, ranging from 93.0% to 99.8% (98.2% on average). Importantly, in the presence of the co-substrate, the removal efficiency of organic compounds was enhanced from 64% (mono-digestion) to 69–70%.

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High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: challenges and opportunities

Cited by 127 publications

References 164 publications

Energy Self-Sufficiency Aiming for Sustainable Wastewater Systems: Are All Options Being Explored?

Energy Self-Sufficiency Aiming for Sustainable Wastewater Systems: Are All Options Being Explored?

The Effect of Static Magnetic Field on Methanogenesis in the Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Sewage Sludge

The Enhancement of Energy Efficiency in a Wastewater Treatment Plant through Sustainable Biogas Use: Case Study from Poland

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