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Gu X, Sun J, Wang T, Li J, Wang H, Wang J, Wang Y. Comprehensive review of microbial production of medium-chain fatty acids from waste activated sludge and enhancement strategy. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 402:130782. [PMID: 38701982 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Microbial production of versatile applicability medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) (C6-C10) from waste activated sludge (WAS) provides a pioneering approach for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to achieve carbon recovery. Mounting studies emerged endeavored to promote the MCFAs production from WAS while struggling with limited MCFAs production and selectivity. Herein, this review covers comprehensive introduction of the transformation process from WAS to MCFAs and elaborates the mechanisms for unsatisfactory MCFAs production. The enhancement strategies for biotransformation of WAS to MCFAs was presented. Especially, the robust performance of iron-based materials is highlighted. Furthermore, knowledge gaps are identified to outline future research directions. Recycling MCFAs from WAS presents a promising option for future WAS treatment, with iron-based materials emerging as a key regulatory strategy in advancing the application of WAS-to-MCFAs biotechnology. This review will advance the understanding of MCFAs recovery from WAS and promote sustainable resource management in WWTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jing Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Tong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Han Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jialin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yayi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
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2
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Chen Y, Ding W, Bai Y, Wang X, Shen N, Li L, Lu D, Zhou Y. Phosphorus release and realignment in anaerobic digestion of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment sludge - Masking effects from high ammonium. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 255:121488. [PMID: 38513371 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Waste activated sludge (WAS) is a significant phosphorus (P) repository, and there is a growing interest in P recovery from WAS. Typically, the commercial technology for treating WAS involves thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) coupled with anaerobic digestion (AD). However, there is ongoing debate regarding the transformation and distribution of P throughout this process. To address this, a long-term THP-AD process was operated in this study to comprehensively investigate P transformation and distribution. The results revealed that a substantial biodegradation of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) raised the pH of the digestate to 8.3 during the AD process. This increased pH facilitated the dissolution of Al, leading to a reduction of 6.92 mg/L of NaOH-P. Simultaneously, sulfate reduction contributed to a decrease of 11.04 mg/L of Bipy-P in the solid. However, the reduction of Bipy-P and NaOH-P in the solid did not result in an improved P release to the supernatant. Conversely, a decrease of 23.60 mg/L P in the aqueous phase was observed after anaerobic digestion. The disappeared P was primarily precipitated with Mg and Ca, driven by the increased pH, and it contributed to the increase of HCl-P in the solid from 107.80 to 144.52 mg/L. These findings were further confirmed by results obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and solid-state 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of P transformation during THP-AD process that is nearly opposite from conventional AD system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Chen
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore; School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China
| | - Wei Ding
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China; Jiangsu Engineering Lab of Water and Soil Eco-remediation, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China
| | - Yu Bai
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China; Jiangsu Engineering Lab of Water and Soil Eco-remediation, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China
| | - Xiao Wang
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China; Jiangsu Engineering Lab of Water and Soil Eco-remediation, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China
| | - Nan Shen
- School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China; Jiangsu Engineering Lab of Water and Soil Eco-remediation, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, PR China
| | - Lei Li
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Dan Lu
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Yan Zhou
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
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3
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Li Z, You Z, Zhang L, Chen H. Effect of total solids content on anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge enhanced by high-temperature thermal hydrolysis. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 359:120980. [PMID: 38669887 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Total solids (TS) content may provide a regulatory strategy for optimizing anaerobic digestion enhanced by high-temperature thermal hydrolysis, but the role of TS content is not yet clear. In this study, the effect of TS content on the high-temperature thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion of sludge and its mechanism were investigated. The results showed that increasing the TS content from 2% to 8% increased the sludge solubility and methane production potential, reaching peak values of 26.6% and 336 ± 6 mL/g volatile solids (VS), respectively. With a further increase in TS content to 12%, the strong Maillard reaction increased the aromaticity and structural stability of extracellular polymer substances, decreasing sludge solubility to 18.6%. Furthermore, the decrease in sludge biodegradability and the formation of inhibitory by-products resulted in a reduction in methane production to 272 ± 4 mL/g VS. This article provides a new perspective to understand the role of TS content in the thermal hydrolysis of sludge and a novel approach to regulate the Maillard reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Li
- College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, China
| | - Zhimin You
- College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, China.
| | - Liuqing Zhang
- College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, China
| | - Hongbo Chen
- College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, China.
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4
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Zhou P, Li D, Zhang C, Ping Q, Wang L, Li Y. Comparison of different sewage sludge pretreatment technologies for improving sludge solubilization and anaerobic digestion efficiency: A comprehensive review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171175. [PMID: 38402967 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge reduces organic solids and produces methane, but the complex nature of sludge, especially the difficulty in solubilization, limits AD efficiency. Pretreatments, by destroying sludge structure and promoting disintegration and hydrolysis, are valuable strategies to enhance AD performance. There is a plethora of reviews on sludge pretreatments, however, quantitative comparisons from multiple perspectives across different pretreatments remain scarce. This review categorized various pretreatments into three groups: Physical (ultrasonic, microwave, thermal hydrolysis, electric decomposition, and high pressure homogenization), chemical (acid, alkali, Fenton, calcium peroxide, and ozone), and biological (microaeration, exogenous bacteria, and exogenous hydrolase) pretreatments. The optimal conditions of various pretreatments and their impacts on enhancing AD efficiency were summarized; the effects of different pretreatments on microbial community in the AD system were comprehensively compared. The quantitative comparison based on dissolution degree of COD (DDCOD) indicted that the sludge solubilization performance is in the order of physical, chemical, and biological pretreatments, although with each below 40 % DDCOD. Biological pretreatment, particularly microaeration and exogenous bacteria, excel in AD enhancement. Pretreatments alter microbial ecology, favoring Firmicutes and Methanosaeta (acetotrophic methanogens) over Proteobacteria and Methanobacterium (hydrogenotrophic methanogens). Most pretreatments have unfavorable energy and economic outcomes, with electric decomposition and microaeration being exceptions. On the basis of the overview of the above pretreatments, a full energy and economy assessment for sewage sludge treatment was suggested. Finally, challenges associated with sludge pretreatments and AD were analyzed, and future research directions were proposed. This review may broaden comprehension of sludge pretreatments and AD, and provide an objective basis for the selection of sludge pretreatment technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China
| | - Dunjie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China
| | - Cong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China
| | - Qian Ping
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, PR China
| | - Lin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, PR China
| | - Yongmei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, PR China.
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5
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Yang Y, Cheng X, Rene ER, Qiu B, Hu Q. Effect of iron sources on methane production and phosphorous transformation in an anaerobic digestion system of waste activated sludge. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 395:130315. [PMID: 38215887 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
The iron materials are commonly employed to enhance resource recovery from waste activated sludge through anaerobic digestion (AD). The influence of different iron sources, such as Fe2O3, Fe3O4, and FeCl3 on methane production and phosphorus transformation in AD systems with thermal hydrolyzed sludge as the substrate was assessed in this study. The results indicated that iron oxides effectively promote methane yield and methane production rate in AD systems, resulting in a maximum increase in methane production by 1.6 times. Soluble FeCl3 facilitated the removal of 92.3% of phosphorus from the supernatant through the formation of recoverable precipitates in the sludge. The introduction of iron led to an increase in the abundance of bacteria responsible for hydrolysis and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. However, the enrichment of microbial communities varied depending on the specific irons used. This study provides support for AD systems that recover phosphorus and produce methane efficiently from waste sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunfei Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083 China
| | - Xiang Cheng
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083 China
| | - Eldon R Rene
- Department of Water Supply, Sanitation and Environmental Engineering, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Westvest 7, 2611AX Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Bin Qiu
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083 China.
| | - Qian Hu
- Engineering Research Center for Water Pollution Source Control & Eco-remediation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
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6
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Das T, Al-Waili I, Balasubramanian V, Appleby G, Kaparaju P, Parthasarathy R, Eshtiaghi N. Process modelling and techno-economic analysis of anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge integrated with wet oxidation using a gravity pressure vessel and thermal hydrolysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169024. [PMID: 38065487 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge is used to biodegrade sewage sludge into biomethane and digestate. With the addition of thermal processes such as thermal hydrolysis (TH) and wet oxidation (WO), AD biodegradability generally improves. Implementation of additional treatment is challenging due to the limitation in the mass and energy balances. Hence, tools such as process simulation can be utilized to predict the input and output around the process. In addition, an economic analysis needs to be conducted to check the economic feasibility. The techno-economic analysis (TEA), an integrated method to evaluate a process scheme through simulation and subsequent economic analysis, is effective in providing a systematic understanding of economic implications and the feasibility of a process by identifying the bottlenecks and uncertainties that have a significant impact on the technology. TEA of AD, especially incorporating the TH or WO using gravity pressure vessel (GPV) technology, is limited in the literature. A comprehensive TEA of the AD and the pre- and post-treatment schemes can be utilized to determine the most feasible pathway for sludge treatment for implementation in the wastewater industry. In this study, TEA for four different scenarios of AD was conducted using Aspen Plus and economic analysis tools: (1) without any pre- or post-treatment, (2) with TH pre-treatment, (3) with 100 % WO post-treatment, and (4) with 20 % partial wet oxidation (PWO) and acid hydrolysis pre- or post-treatment. A simulation model (GPVM) was developed using Aspen Plus to mimic the GPV reactor. The study outcomes showed that Scenario 3 with 100 % WO post-treatment was the most suitable for processing parameters and sludge treatment cost. The sensitivity analysis concluded that operating cost and plant capacity are the dominant factors that impact the plant feasibility significantly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmoy Das
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Ibrahim Al-Waili
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | | | | | - Prasad Kaparaju
- School of Engineering & Built Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Rajarathinam Parthasarathy
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
| | - Nicky Eshtiaghi
- Chemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
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7
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Ngo PL, Young BR, Baroutian S. A novel strategy for integration of oxidation within advanced thermal hydrolysis of sludge. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 348:140676. [PMID: 37956932 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Due to its environmental impact, the growing production of sewage sludge is a prime concern for wastewater treatment plants. In this study, advanced thermal hydrolysis, the combination of thermal hydrolysis and oxygen, was examined to enhance biogas production and overcome the disadvantages of thermal hydrolysis, including sludge colour, high energy consumption, and high level of ammonia concentration in the treated sludge. A mixture of 55 % primary sludge and 45 % waste activated sludge was pre-treated using advanced thermal hydrolysis at 100, 115, 130, and 145 °C with a processing time varied from 5 to 30 min and oxygen pressure from 10 to 30 bar before anaerobic digestion. Advanced thermal hydrolysis process at 145 °C 15 min 20 bar O₂ is the condition that provided the highest biogas yield (439.6 mL/g VS added). At this treatment condition, the concentration of ammonia nitrogen and propionic acid in the treated sludge was sufficiently low (approximately 302 mg/L and 559.7 mg/L, respectively) to minimise adverse effects on anaerobic digestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong Linh Ngo
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; Department of Environmental Engineering, The Institute of Biotechnology and Environment, Nha Trang University, Viet Nam
| | - Brent R Young
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; Circular Innovations (CIRCUIT) Research Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
| | - Saeid Baroutian
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; Circular Innovations (CIRCUIT) Research Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; Ngā Ara Whetū Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand.
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8
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Singh DK, Garg A. Thermal hydrolysis of sewage sludge: Improvement in biogas generation and prediction of global warming potential. WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTES AND PUBLIC CLEANSING ASSOCIATION, ISWA 2024; 42:51-58. [PMID: 37211809 DOI: 10.1177/0734242x231171044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a prominent treatment method for the sludge produced from sewage treatment plants. Poor solid reduction and longer retention time are the main drawbacks of AD. Thermal hydrolysis (TH) is a potential pretreatment method for solubilization of sewage sludge (SS) solids thereby improving biogas production during AD post-treatment. In this study, the SS sample (total solids = 1.75 wt% and total chemical oxygen demand (COD) = 15,450 mg L-1) was subjected to TH pretreatment (temperature = 140-180°C and reaction time = 60 minutes) in a 0.7-L capacity stainless-steel high-pressure reactor. At a reaction temperature of 180°C, the maximum solid solubilization (total dissolved solids = 4652 mg L-1) and improved dewaterability (time to filter = 4.7 s.L g-1) were observed. The biochemical methane potential test results showed almost doubling of methane generation from 145 to 284 mL gCOD-1 after TH pretreatment at 180°C. The life cycle assessment approach was used to compare various SS treatment and disposal scenarios, two of which included hydrothermal pretreatment. The scenarios involving hydrothermal pretreatments showed the least global warming potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diwakar Kumar Singh
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Anurag Garg
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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Balasundaram G, Gahlot P, Ahmed B, Biswas P, Tyagi VK, Svensson K, Kumar V, Kazmi AA. Advanced steam-explosion pretreatment mediated anaerobic digestion of municipal sludge: Effects on methane yield, emerging contaminants removal, and microbial community. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 238:117195. [PMID: 37758117 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Advanced steam explosion pretreatment, i.e., the Thermal hydrolysis process (THP) is applied mainly to improve the sludge solubilization and subsequent methane yield in the downstream anaerobic digestion (AD) process. However, the potential of THP in pretreating the high solids retention time (SRT) sludges, mitigating the risk of emerging organic micropollutants and effects on anaerobic microbiome in digester remains unclear. In this study, sludge from a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system operating at a SRT of 40 days was subjected to THP using a 5 L pilot plant at the temperature ranges of 120-180 °C for 30-120 min. The effect of THP on organics solubilization, methane yield, organic micropollutant removal, and microbial community dynamics was studied. The highest methane yield of 507 mL CH4/g VSadded and volatile solids (VS) removal of 54% were observed at 160°C- 30min THP condition, i.e., 4.1 and 2.6 times higher than the control (123 mL CH4/gVSadded, 20.7%), respectively. The experimental values of hydrolysis coefficient and methane yield have been predicted using Modified Gompertz, First order, and Logistics models. The observed values fitted well with all three models showing an R2 value between 0.96 and 1.0. THP pretreated sludges showed >80% removal of Trimethoprim, Enrofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, and Bezafibrate. However, Carbamazepine, 17α-ethinylestradiol, and Progesterone showed recalcitrant behavior, resulting in less than 50% removal. Microbial diversity analysis showed the dominance of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes, collectively accounting for >70-80% of bacterial reads. They are mainly responsible for the fermentation of complex biomolecules like polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. The THP-mediated anaerobic digestion of sludge shows better performance than the control digestion, improved methane yield, higher VS and micropollutants removal, and a diverse microbiome in the digester.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gowtham Balasundaram
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India
| | - Pallavi Gahlot
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India
| | - Banafsha Ahmed
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India
| | - Pinakshi Biswas
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India
| | - Vinay Kumar Tyagi
- Environmental Hydrology Division, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, 247667, India.
| | | | - Vinod Kumar
- School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - A A Kazmi
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India
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10
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Ngo PL, Young BR, Brian K, Baroutian S. New insight into thermal hydrolysis of sewage sludge from solubilisation analysis. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 338:139456. [PMID: 37429379 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Thermal hydrolysis, a sludge pre-treatment process prior to anaerobic digestion, is increasing in popularity in academia and industry due to the potential of biogas production enhancement. However, there is a limited understanding of the solubilisation mechanism, which significantly influences the biogas yield. This study evaluated the influence of flashing, reaction time, and temperature to understand the mechanism. It was found that while hydrolysis is the primary process (responsible for approximately 76-87% of sludge solubilisation), the sudden decompression via flashing at the end of the process, creating shear force to break the cell membrane, contributes a considerable percentage (approximately 24-13% depended on the treatment conditions) to the solubilisation of treated sludge. More importantly, the decompression helps significantly shorten the reaction time from 30 min to 10 min, which in turn reduces the sludge's colour, minimises energy consumption, and eliminates the formation of inhibitory compounds for anaerobic digestion. However, a considerable loss in volatile fatty acids (650 mg L⁻1 of acetic acid at 160 °C) during flash decompression should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong Linh Ngo
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; Department of Environmental Engineering, The Institute of Biotechnology and Environment, Nha Trang University, Viet Nam
| | - Brent R Young
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; Circular Innovations (CIRCUIT) Research Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
| | - Kevan Brian
- Watercare Services Ltd, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Saeid Baroutian
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; Circular Innovations (CIRCUIT) Research Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand; NGĀ ARA WHETŪ Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand.
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11
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Verbovskyi O, Zhuk V, Orel V, Popadiuk I. Optimization of the process of decreasing the filtration resistance of sewage sludge by thermal pretreatment: a case study for the Lviv WWTP. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2023; 88:1688-1698. [PMID: 37830991 PMCID: wst_2023_317 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
The article presents the results of an experimental study of the effect of high-temperature thermal pretreatment on the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) of the sewage sludge (SS) from the Lviv wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), which is a combination of primary sludge and excess-activated sludge collected in primary sedimentation tanks. The kinetics of SRF reduction over time at temperatures of 140 - 150 °С are described by simple exponents, while at temperatures of 160 - 170 °С, they are described by modified two-parameter exponents. The study analyzed the dimensionless optimization function, which is the product of the final relative SRF of the sludge and the dimensionless time of thermal pretreatment. An optimal dimensionless thermal pretreatment time of 4.1 tr.0/2 was determined, and an empirical exponential equation for the time of SRF reduction by twice tr.0/2 was derived. Based on the analysis, it was found that the highest efficiency in reducing the SRF of Lviv WWTP SS occurs at a temperature of 170 °C and an optimal duration of thermal pretreatment of 55 min.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orest Verbovskyi
- Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Systems, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12, S. Bandery Str., Lviv 79013, Ukraine E-mail:
| | - Volodymyr Zhuk
- Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Systems, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12, S. Bandery Str., Lviv 79013, Ukraine
| | - Vadym Orel
- Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Systems, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12, S. Bandery Str., Lviv 79013, Ukraine
| | - Ihor Popadiuk
- Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Systems, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12, S. Bandery Str., Lviv 79013, Ukraine
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12
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Zhang Y, Zhao B, Chen Q, Zhu F, Wang J, Fu X, Zhou T. Fate of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in the "Cambi® TH + AAD" of sludge in a WWTP in Beijing, China. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 169:363-373. [PMID: 37523947 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are emerging environmental pollutants that cause endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. Sewage sludge is an important source of tri-OPFRs that are released into the environment. The occurrence, distribution, and ecological risk of OPFRs in the full-scale "Cambi® thermal hydrolysis (TH) + advanced anaerobic digestion (AAD) + plate-frame pressure filtration" sludge treatment process is closely related to the application of sewage sludge. We tested sludge samples from a wastewater treatment plant in Beijing, China. Nine tri-OPFRs were detected in the sludge samples collected at different treatment units during four seasons. The ΣOPFRs decreased from 1,742.65-2,579.68 ng/g to 971.48-1,702.22 ng/g. The mass flow of tri-OPFRs in treated sludge decreased by 61.4%, 48.9%, 42.4%, and 63.9% in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively, effectively reducing the corresponding ecological risk. The ecological risk of tri-OPFRs in sludge in forestland utilization mainly lies in chlorinated tri-OPFRs, especially TCPP and TCEP. No >42.20 t/hm2 of sludge could be used continuously for one year to prevent tri-OPFRs from exceeding the low ecological risk level, indicating that the current commonly applied proportion of sludge (1.6-30 t/hm2) will likely not raise the ecological risk of tri-OPFRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Zhang
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China
| | - Bing Zhao
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China
| | - Qian Chen
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China
| | - Fenfen Zhu
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China.
| | - Jiawei Wang
- Beijing Engineering Technology Research Center for Municipal Sewage Reclamation, R&D Center, Beijing Drainage Group Co. Ltd., Beijing 100124, China
| | - Xingmin Fu
- Beijing Engineering Technology Research Center for Municipal Sewage Reclamation, R&D Center, Beijing Drainage Group Co. Ltd., Beijing 100124, China
| | - Tiantian Zhou
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 10872, China
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13
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Vanleenhove B, Xu L, De Meester S, Raes K. Impact of Stabilization Technology on the Extraction Yield and Functionality of Macroconstituents from Biomass: A Systematic Review. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023. [PMID: 37329514 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c02148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Biomass contains different macroconstituents (polysaccharides, lipids, and proteins) with nutritional and functional properties. However, after harvest or processing, stabilization of biomass is necessary to preserve the macroconstituents from degradation by microbial growth and enzymatic reactions. Because these stabilization methods affect the structure of the biomass, extraction of valuable macroconstituents can be impacted. Literature, in general, focuses on either stabilization or extraction, but systematic information on the interlinkage between these processes has rarely been reported. This review summarizes recent research on physical, biological, and chemical stabilization methods on macroconstituent extraction yields and functionalities. Often, freeze drying as a stabilization method resulted in a good extraction yield and functionality, independent of the macroconstituent. Less documented treatments, such as microwave drying, infrared drying, and ultrasound stabilization, result in better yields compared to conventional physical treatments. Biological and chemical treatments were rarely performed but could be promising as stabilization methods before performing an extraction step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Vanleenhove
- Research Unit VEG-i-TEC, Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Lin Xu
- Research Unit VEG-i-TEC, Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Steven De Meester
- Department of Green Chemistry, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Katleen Raes
- Research Unit VEG-i-TEC, Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
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14
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Romero L, Oulego P, Collado S, Díaz M. Advanced thermal hydrolysis for biopolymer production from waste activated sludge: Kinetics and fingerprints. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 342:118243. [PMID: 37276624 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Waste activated sludge (WAS) is the main residue of wastewater treatment plants, which can be considered an environmental problem of prime concern due to its increasing generation. In this study, a non-energetic approach was evaluated in order to use WAS as a renewable resource of high value-added products. For this reason, WAS was treated by thermal hydrolysis, H2O2 oxidation and advanced thermal hydrolysis (ATH) promoted by H2O2. The influence of temperature, H2O2 concentration and dosing strategy on biomolecule production (proteins and carbohydrates), size distribution (fingerprints) and various physico-chemical parameters (VSS, total and soluble COD, soluble TOC, pH and colour) was studied. The results revealed a synergistic effect between TH and H2O2 oxidation, which led to a significant increase in the production of both proteins and carbohydrates. In this sense, the concentration of proteins and carbohydrates obtained during TH at 85 °C for120 min was found to be 1376 ± 9 mg/L (121 mg/gVSSo) and 208 ± 4 mg/L (18 mg/gVSSo), respectively. However, in the presence of 4.5 mM H2O2/gVSSo under the same process conditions, the concentrations of proteins and carbohydrates exhibited a significant increase of 1.9-fold and 3.1-fold, respectively. Besides, the addition of H2O2 promoted the transformation of hydrophobic compounds, such as proteins and or lipids, into hydrophilic compounds, which presented low and medium sizes. An increase in temperature improved the solubilization rate and the yield of biomolecules significantly. Besides, the analysis of the kinetics related to the dosing strategy of H2O2 suggested the existence of two fractions during WAS solubilization, one of them being easily oxidizable, whereas the other one was more refractory to oxidation. Thus, the value of kH2O2 for the first addition of 1 mM H2O2/g VSSo was 0.020 L0.4 mgH2O2-0.4 min-1, while it was 4.3 and 8 times lower for the second and third additions, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Romero
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, C/Julián Clavería s/n, E-33071, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Paula Oulego
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, C/Julián Clavería s/n, E-33071, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Sergio Collado
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, C/Julián Clavería s/n, E-33071, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Mario Díaz
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, C/Julián Clavería s/n, E-33071, Oviedo, Spain.
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15
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Huang J, Wang C, Zhang S, Han X, Feng R, Li Y, Huang X, Wang J. Optimizing nitrogenous organic wastewater treatment through integration of organic capture, anaerobic digestion, and anammox technologies: sustainability and challenges. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-27410-6. [PMID: 37261686 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27410-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
With China's recent commitment to reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, anaerobic digestion and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) have emerged as promising technologies for treating nitrogenous organic wastewater. Anaerobic digestion can convert organic matter into volatile fatty acids (VFAs), methane, and other chemicals, while anammox can efficiently remove nitrogen with minimal energy consumption. This study evaluates the principles and characteristics of enhanced chemical flocculation and bioflocculation, as well as membrane separation, for capturing organic matter. Additionally, the paper evaluates the production of acids and methane from anaerobic digestion, exploring the influence of various factors and the need for control strategies. The features, challenges, and concerns of partial nitrification-anammox (PN/A) and partial denitrification-anammox (PD/A) are also outlined. Finally, an integrated system that combined organic capture, anaerobic digestion, and anammox is proposed as a sustainable and effective solution for treating nitrogenous organic wastewater and recovering energy and resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianming Huang
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Ding 11#, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunrong Wang
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Ding 11#, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shujun Zhang
- Beijing Drainage Group Co. Ltd (BDG), Beijing, 100022, China
| | - Xiaoyu Han
- Beijing Drainage Group Co. Ltd (BDG), Beijing, 100022, China
| | - Rongfei Feng
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Ding 11#, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Li
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Ding 11#, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyan Huang
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Ding 11#, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianbing Wang
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Ding 11#, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
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16
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Pavez-Jara JA, van Lier JB, de Kreuk MK. Accumulating ammoniacal nitrogen instead of melanoidins determines the anaerobic digestibility of thermally hydrolyzed waste activated sludge. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 332:138896. [PMID: 37169092 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Full-scale thermal hydrolysis processes (THP) showed an increase in nutrients release and formation of melanoidins, which are considered to negatively impact methanogenesis during mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD). In this research, fractionation of THP-sludge was performed to elucidate the distribution of nutrients and the formed melanoidins over the liquid and solid sludge matrix. Degradation of the different fractions in subsequent AD was assessed, and the results were compared with non-pre-treated waste activated sludge (WAS). Results showed that the THP-formed soluble melanoidins were partially biodegradable under AD, especially the fraction with molecular weight under 1.1 kDa, which was related to protein-like substances. The use of THP in WAS increased the non-biodegradable soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) after AD, from 1.1% to 4.9% of the total COD. The total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) concentration only slightly increased during THP without AD. However, after AD, TAN released was 34% higher in the THP-treated WAS compared to non-treated WAS, i.e., 36.7 ± 0.7 compared to 27.4 ± 0.4 mgTANreleased/gCODsubstrate, respectively. Results from modified specific methanogenic activities (mSMAs) tests showed that the organics solubilised during THP, were not inhibitory for acetotrophic methanogens. However, after AD of THP-treated sludge and WAS, the mSMA showed that all analysed samples presented strong inhibition on methanogenesis due to the presence of TAN and associated free ammonia nitrogen (FAN). In specific methanogenic activities (SMAs) tests with incremental concentration of TAN/FAN and melanoidins, TAN/FAN induced strong inhibition on methanogens, halving the SMA at around 2.5 gTAN/L and 100 mgFAN/L. Conversely, melanoidins did not show inhibition on the methanogens. Our present results revealed that when applying THP-AD in full-scale, the increase in TAN/FAN remarkably had a greater impact on AD than the formation of melanoidins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Pavez-Jara
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Building 23 Stevinweg 1, 2628, Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Jules B van Lier
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Building 23 Stevinweg 1, 2628, Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Merle K de Kreuk
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Building 23 Stevinweg 1, 2628, Delft, the Netherlands.
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17
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Cao X, Jia M, Tian Y. Rheological properties and dewaterability of anaerobic co-digestion with sewage sludge and food waste: effect of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment and mixing ratios. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2023; 87:2441-2456. [PMID: 37257102 PMCID: wst_2023_140 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic co-digestion (co-AD) of sewage sludge (SS) and food waste (FW) converts municipal organic waste into renewable energy, which plays an important role in achieving carbon emissions reduction. The existing anaerobic digestion (AD) treatment projects often have problems such as low organic conversion and unstable performance. SS and FW were used as raw materials to explore the effects of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) and mixing ratios on the dewaterability and rheological properties of the digestate. The results showed that co-digestion of FW and SS in a ratio of 1:1 obtained the highest biogas production (255.14 mL/g VS), which was 1.53 times and 14.5 times higher than that of mono-digestion of FW and thermal hydrolysis pretreatment sewage sludge (THSS), respectively. However, the dewaterability of this ratio deteriorated sharply after co-digestion, with a decrease of 54.92%. The groups containing a higher proportion of THSS had improved dewaterability after AD. The apparent viscosity and shear stress were reduced by co-digestion compared with mono-digestion of THSS and FW, indicating a higher flow property of the co-digestion matrix. After the Herschel-Bulkley model fitting, there were linear correlations between rheological indices and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), and digestate dewaterability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuqin Cao
- School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 1# Zhanlanguan Rd., Xicheng District, Beijing 100044, China E-mail:
| | - Mingyan Jia
- School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 1# Zhanlanguan Rd., Xicheng District, Beijing 100044, China E-mail:
| | - Yuqing Tian
- School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 1# Zhanlanguan Rd., Xicheng District, Beijing 100044, China E-mail:
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18
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Shehata N, Egirani D, Olabi AG, Inayat A, Abdelkareem MA, Chae KJ, Sayed ET. Membrane-based water and wastewater treatment technologies: Issues, current trends, challenges, and role in achieving sustainable development goals, and circular economy. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 320:137993. [PMID: 36720408 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Membrane-based technologies are recently being considered as effective methods for conventional water and wastewater remediation processes to achieve the increasing demands for clean water and minimize the negative environmental effects. Although there are numerous merits of such technologies, some major challenges like high capital and operating costs . This study first focuses on reporting the current membrane-based technologies, i.e., nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, microfiltration, and forward- and reverse-osmosis membranes. The second part of this study deeply discusses the contributions of membrane-based technologies in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) stated by the United Nations (UNs) in 2015 followed by their role in the circular economy. In brief, the membrane based processes directly impact 15 out of 17 SDGs which are SDG1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. However, the merits, challenges, efficiencies, operating conditions, and applications are considered as the basis for evaluating such technologies in sustainable development, circular economy, and future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabila Shehata
- Environmental Science and Industrial Development Department, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies for Advanced Sciences, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Davidson Egirani
- Faculty of Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria
| | - A G Olabi
- Sustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates; Mechanical Engineering and Design, Aston University, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK.
| | - Abrar Inayat
- Sustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem
- Sustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates; Chemical Engineering Department, Minia University, Elminia, Egypt
| | - Kyu-Jung Chae
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, 727 Taejong-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan, 49112, Republic of Korea; Interdisciplinary Major of Ocean Renewable Energy Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, 727 Taejong-ro, Yeongdo-gu, Busan, 49112, South Korea.
| | - Enas Taha Sayed
- Chemical Engineering Department, Minia University, Elminia, Egypt.
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19
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Xi D, Xie W, Qi F, Huang Z, Wen S, Fan B, Yin P, Zhang X, Fang Z, Ye L, Yang S. Sustainable treatment of sewage sludge via plasma-electrolytic liquefaction for bio-friendly production of polyurethane foam. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 329:117072. [PMID: 36584516 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Safe and green disposal or utilization of sewage sludge (SS) has attracted significant attention as SS is increasingly produced worldwide and emerges as an environmental burden if without proper treatment. In this study, efficient and sustainable treatment of SS was achieved using plasma-electrolytic liquefaction (PEL) with alkaline catalysts including sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), and sodium acetate (NaAc) and renewable solvents including polyethylene glycol (PEG) 200 and glycerol. Furthermore, the obtained bio-oil with abundant hydroxyl groups could partially replace polyols derived from fossil energy to synthesize bio-based polyurethane foams (BPUFs) for oil adsorption. The results showed that the Na2CO3 catalyst exhibited better performance and yielded bio-oil with a higher heating value (HHV) of 26.26 MJ/kg, very low nitrogen content (0.14%) and metal ions, and a nearly neutral pH of 7.41, under the optimized conditions. Compared with conventional oil bath liquefaction, PEL can significantly improve the liquefaction efficiency, promote the transfer of metal ions in SS to the solid residue (SR), and facilitate the transfer of nitrogen to the gas phase and SR, thereby upgrading the bio-oil to a certain extent. The BPUFs showed excellent oil adsorption capacity, reusability, and desorption and can play an important role in combating oil spills. The PEL method may provide a green avenue for SS valorization and the comprehensive utilization of the obtained products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengke Xi
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Fujian Engineering Research Center for EDA, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Science and Detection Technology, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Multiphysics Electronic Information, Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Wenquan Xie
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Fujian Engineering Research Center for EDA, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Science and Detection Technology, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Multiphysics Electronic Information, Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Feng Qi
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Fujian Engineering Research Center for EDA, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Science and Detection Technology, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Multiphysics Electronic Information, Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Ziwei Huang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Fujian Engineering Research Center for EDA, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Science and Detection Technology, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Multiphysics Electronic Information, Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Shangxin Wen
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Bangxu Fan
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Fujian Engineering Research Center for EDA, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Science and Detection Technology, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Multiphysics Electronic Information, Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Pengfei Yin
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Fujian Engineering Research Center for EDA, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Science and Detection Technology, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Multiphysics Electronic Information, Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Xianhui Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Fujian Engineering Research Center for EDA, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Science and Detection Technology, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Multiphysics Electronic Information, Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China.
| | - Zhi Fang
- College of Electrical Engineering and Control Science, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
| | - Liyi Ye
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China.
| | - Size Yang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, Fujian Engineering Research Center for EDA, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Science and Detection Technology, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Multiphysics Electronic Information, Institute of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
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20
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Jin M, Liu H, Deng H, Xiao H, Liu S, Yao H. Dissociation and removal of alkali and alkaline earth metals from sewage sludge flocs during separate and assisted thermal hydrolysis. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 229:119409. [PMID: 36462258 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
High levels of alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEM, including K, Na, Ca, and Mg) in sludge needs to be removed in pretreatment process for alleviating adverse effects on subsequent disposal. Theoretically, the liquid environment provided by the pretreatment technology of thermal hydrolysis (TH) is the ideal condition for the dissolution of AAEM. Therefore, this work quantified AAEM removal efficiency of TH and carbonaceous skeleton (CSkel) assisted TH that we previously proposed for sludge dewatering. Then the mechanism of AAEM dissociating from sludge was explored through the new perspective of biological structure evolution and chemical species transformation. The results showed that all of the AAEM in raw sludge was trapped in extracellular polymer substances (EPS) and cells. Only the water-soluble K/Na in EPS could be released by TH to the supernatant, the residual K/Na in EPS was organically linked with humic matters that were generated through the degradation of proteins. Water/NH4Ac-soluble K/Na in cells still stayed inside with a more stable form of HCl-soluble after TH. Fortunately, with the assistance of CSkel, this part of K/Na could be leached out due to organic acids derived from hemicellulose decomposition. In such a case, the removal efficiency of K/Na was elevated to 55.5% and 72.5%, respectively. Unlike K/Na, nearly all the Ca/Mg in EPS were transferred to cell residuals during TH. They were combined with the bio-phosphorus in cell residuals as the form of HCl-soluble Ca/Mg-P precipitates, rather than carbonates, sulfates or other compounds. This precipitation reaction was also moderately suppressed in CSkel-assisted TH with low pH, then 7.7% and 34.1% of Ca/Mg were taken away by filtrate. This means that appropriately raising the reaction temperature and adding CSkel with high hemicellulose/cellulose contents can promote the removal of AAEM in sludge during TH process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghao Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Huan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China; Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Hongping Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China; Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Han Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China; Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- Hunan province Key Laboratory of Efficient & Clean Thermal Power Generation Technologies, State Grid Hunan Electric Power Corporation Research Institute, Changsha, 410007, China
| | - Hong Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
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21
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Characteristics of Solidified Carbon Dioxide and Perspectives for Its Sustainable Application in Sewage Sludge Management. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032324. [PMID: 36768646 PMCID: PMC9916872 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Appropriate management is necessary to mitigate the environmental impacts of wastewater sludge. One lesser-known technology concerns the use of solidified CO2 for dewatering, sanitization, and digestion improvement. Solidified CO2 is a normal byproduct of natural gas treatment processes and can also be produced by dedicated biogas upgrading technologies. The way solidified CO2 is sourced is fully in line with the principles of the circular economy and carbon dioxide mitigation. The aim of this review is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the production and application of solid CO2 in the pretreatment and management of sewage sludge. Using solidified CO2 for sludge conditioning causes effective lysis of microbial cells, which destroys activated sludge flocs, promotes biomass fragmentation, facilitates efficient dispersion of molecular associations, modifies cell morphology, and denatures macromolecules. Solidified CO2 can be used as an attractive tool to sanitize and dewater sludge and as a pretreatment technology to improve methane digestion and fermentative hydrogen production. Furthermore, it can also be incorporated into a closed CO2 cycle of biogas production-biogas upgrading-solidified CO2 production-sludge disintegration-digestion-biogas production. This feature not only bolsters the technology's capacity to improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of digestion processes, but can also help reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions, a crucial advantage in terms of environment protection. This new approach to solidified CO2 generation and application largely counteracts previous limitations, which are mainly related to the low cost-effectiveness of the production process.
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22
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Balasundaram G, Vidyarthi PK, Gahlot P, Arora P, Kumar V, Kumar M, Kazmi AA, Tyagi VK. Energy feasibility and life cycle assessment of sludge pretreatment methods for advanced anaerobic digestion. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 357:127345. [PMID: 35609752 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Energy sustainability is one of the critical parameters to be studied for the successful application of pretreatment processes. This study critically analyzes the energy efficiency of different energy-demanding sludge pretreatment techniques. Conventional thermal pretreatment of sludge (∼5% total solids, TS) produced 244 mL CH4/gTS, which could result in a positive energy balance of 2.6 kJ/kg TS. However, microwave pretreatment could generate only 178 mL CH4/gTS with a negative energy balance of -15.62 kJ/kg TS. In CAMBI process, the heat requirements can be compensated using exhaust gases and hot water from combined heat and power, and electricity requirements are managed by the use of cogeneration. The study concluded that <100 ℃ pretreatment effectively enhances the efficiency of anaerobic digestion and shows positive energy balance over microwave and ultrasonication. Moreover, microwave pretreatment has the highest global warming potential than thermal and ultrasonic pretreatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gowtham Balasundaram
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Praveen Kumar Vidyarthi
- Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Pallavi Gahlot
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Pratham Arora
- Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Vinod Kumar
- School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun 248007, India
| | - A A Kazmi
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, India
| | - Vinay Kumar Tyagi
- Environmental Hydrology Division, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee 247667, India.
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23
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Cao S, Du R, Yan W, Zhou Y. Mitigation of inhibitory effect of THP-AD centrate on partial nitritation and anammox: Insights into ozone pretreatment. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 431:128599. [PMID: 35278943 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion centrate produced from thermal hydrolysis pretreated sludge (THP-AD centrate) has serious inhibitory effect on ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anammox bacteria. This imposes huge challenge to employ partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) process to treat THP-AD centrate. This study, for the first time, presented an effective strategy, ozone pretreatment, to alleviate such inhibitory effect. The activities of AOB and anammox bacteria increased with increasing ozone dosage, which were likely related to the transformation of organic compounds including humic acid-like and fulvic acid-like substances as well as high molecular weight (HMW) protein. Long-term operation of PN/A system further demonstrated the improved performance in term of nitrogen removal, organics degradation as well as sludge settleability and effluent solids. Nitrogen removal rate (NRR) of 0.64 Kg N/m3/d was achieved (1.38 g O3/ g COD), which was 42.2% higher compared to treating untreated THP-AD centrate. Effluent nitrate, the by-product of PN/A process, was reduced by 39.7% despite of its release in ozonation. This was due to the enhanced denitrification activity, humic acid-like and fulvic acid-like substances as well as HMW protein were significantly reduced. Overall, this study provides a promising method to improve PN/A performance and final effluent quality when treating organic-rich THP-AD centrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenbin Cao
- Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore; College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Urban Construction, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Rui Du
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Wangwang Yan
- Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore
| | - Yan Zhou
- Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
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24
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Tang CC, Yao XY, Jin HY, Sun Q, Zou ZS, Yang WJ, He ZW, Zhou AJ, Chen F, Ren YX, Liu WZ, Wang A. Stepwise freezing-thawing treatment promotes short-chain fatty acids production from waste activated sludge. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 818:151694. [PMID: 34798085 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Waste activated sludge (WAS), as the byproducts of wastewater treatment plants, has been greatly produced. With high cost and environmental risk of WAS disposal, to explore a low-cost and environment-friendly technology has been a great challenge. Considering that WAS is a collection of organic matters, anaerobic fermentation has been selected as a sustainable way to simultaneously recover resources and reduce environmental pollution. To recover short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) has gained great concern because of the high value-added application and high-efficiency production process. Considering the temperature in some areas of the world can reach to below 0 °C, this study proposed an efficient strategy, i.e., stepwise freezing and thawing treatment, to promote SCFAs production. The maximal production of SCFAs, i.e., 246 mg COD/g volatile suspended solid, was obtained with the shortened retention time of five days. Mechanistic studies showed that the solubilization of both extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) and microbial cells could be accelerated, with the EPSs removal of 58.3% for proteins and 59.0% for polysaccharides. Also, the hydrolysis process was promoted to provide more substrates for subsequent acidogenisis, and the functional microorganisms, such as Romboutsia, Paraclostridium, Macellibacteroides and Conexibacter, were greatly enriched, with a total abundance of 26.2%. Moreover, compared to control, methanogenesis was inhibited at a shortened sludge retention time (e.g., five days), which benefited to the accumulation of SCFAs, but the methane production was increased by 25.2% at a longer sludge retention time (e.g., ten days). Thus, these findings of this work may provide some new solutions for the enhanced resource recovery from WAS, and further for carbon-neutral operation of wastewater treatment plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong-Cong Tang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Xing-Ye Yao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Hong-Yu Jin
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Qian Sun
- Environmental Science Academy of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Zheng-Shuo Zou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Wen-Jing Yang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Zhang-Wei He
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China.
| | - Ai-Juan Zhou
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Fan Chen
- School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710129, China
| | - Yong-Xiang Ren
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Wen-Zong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Aijie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
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25
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Zhang H, Qi HY, Zhang YL, Ran DD, Wu LQ, Wang HF, Zeng RJ. Effects of sewage sludge pretreatment methods on its use in agricultural applications. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 428:128213. [PMID: 35007970 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Pretreatment is widely used in sludge dewatering, however, its potentially impact on the subsequent sludge agricultural applications is often neglected. Here, the potential benefits and risks of the sludge with no pretreatment and with four most commonly used pretreatment methods in sludge agricultural applications were assessed using potted lettuce, an experimental crop. The results show that sewage sludge pretreatment methods can greatly affect its agricultural applications. The application of different pretreatment methods can potentially reduce the harm caused by pathogens. At low dosage (0.2 g kg-1), different sludge fertilizers promoted an increase in crop yield of 14.6% to 49.1%, and the concentrations of heavy metals in the crop and soil were controlled within safe ranges. At high dosage (8 g kg-1), crop yield using pretreated sludge (except anaerobic digestion) decreased by between 32.7% and 57.5%, but heavy metal pollution of both crop and soil increased. In terms of promoting crop growth and reducing heavy metal accumulation, untreated sludge was better than pretreated sludges and sludge with physical pretreatments was better than that with chemical pretreatments. Overall, this study clearly shows that the introduction of pretreatment in sludge dewatering can inevitably impact its agricultural land application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; International Magnesium Institute, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Hui-Yun Qi
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Ya-Li Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Dan-Di Ran
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
| | - Liang-Quan Wu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; International Magnesium Institute, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
| | - Hou-Feng Wang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
| | - Raymond Jianxiong Zeng
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China; Center of Wastewater Resource Recovery, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
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26
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Liu J, He X, Zhong H, Lei P, Zhang J, Xu Y, Wei Y. Removal of methylmercury and its potential relationship to microbiota in sludge anaerobic digestion under thermal hydrolysis. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 347:126394. [PMID: 34822982 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Reducing health risk of mercury (Hg)/methylmercury (MeHg) in sewage sludge is vital to its land application. This study revealed that thermal hydrolysis reduced MeHg content both during pretreatment process and subsequent anaerobic digestion (AD), which resulted in decrease of MeHg content from 4.24 ng/g to 0.95 ng/g after thermal hydrolysis (150 ℃) and further decreased to 0.39 ng/g after AD. Notably, thermal hydrolysis at high temperature (120 ℃ and 150 ℃) promoted both Hg methylation and MeHg demethylation rather than the control or at low temperature (100 ℃). Hg methylation dominated in hydrolysis and acidogenesis stage, whereas MeHg demethylation dominated in methanogenesis stage. Though abundance of related genes (HgcA and merA) was dramatically reduced, Ruminococcaceae, Peptococcaceae, and Lachnospiraceae were potentially Hg methylators in hydrolysis and acidogenesis stage. Whereas, MeHg demethylation dominated in the late period of AD due to the improved syntrophic methanogenesis and possibly reduced Hg2+ biodegradability by precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jibao Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Xianglin He
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Hui Zhong
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Pei Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046, China
| | - Junya Zhang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yufeng Xu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yuansong Wei
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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27
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Li X, Xiao X, Liu Y, Fang G, Wang P, Zou D. Analysis of organic matter conversion behavior and kinetics during thermal hydrolysis of sludge and its anaerobic digestion performance. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 305:114408. [PMID: 34974216 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In thermal hydrolysis (TH) of waste activated sludge (WAS), the material transformation of a specific temperature heating for a set duration is generally examined. However, this study looked at the material changes of TH as the temperature rose (90-210 °C) and the kinetic derivation of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), protein, and carbohydrate using the Coats-Redfern model. It was found that the proportion of soluble protein and soluble carbohydrate in the organic components and their contents reached the maximum (17.39 and 8.10 g L-1 respectively) at 180 °C. Differently, volatile fatty acid (VFA), amino acids, and ammonia nitrogen increased with the TH temperature and reached a maximum at 210 °C. The fitting equations of non-isothermal dynamics at the medium- and low-temperature stages (90-180 °C) at n = 1, 0.5, and 2 were studied. When n = 1, the activation energies of COD, protein, and carbohydrate were 33.32, 23.34, and 36.15 kJ mol-1, respectively. And the kinetic analysis results were in good agreement with the experimental results (the maximum rate of increase in protein and carbohydrate was at 135-150 °C and 150-180 °C, respectively). Moreover, the pattern of anaerobic digestion performance of WAS was comparable to the trend of protein and carbohydrate in TH, the highest cumulative methane production was 159.68 mL·g-1VS for the TH sludge at 180 °C. This study provided a theoretical foundation for the use of thermal hydrolysis in engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Li
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Xiong Xiao
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Yanping Liu
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
| | - Gang Fang
- Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Pingbo Wang
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Dexun Zou
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
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28
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Manikandan S, Subbaiya R, Saravanan M, Ponraj M, Selvam M, Pugazhendhi A. A critical review of advanced nanotechnology and hybrid membrane based water recycling, reuse, and wastewater treatment processes. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 289:132867. [PMID: 34774910 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
One of the modern challenges is to provide clean and affordable drinking water. Water scarcity is caused by the growing population in the world and pollutants contaminate all remaining water sources. Innovative water treatment solutions have been provided by nanotechnology. Microorganisms, organic suspensions, and inorganic heavy metal ions, among other things, are common water contaminants. Since antiquity, a wide range of water clean-up methods have been employed to address this issue. Breakthroughs in water purification procedures have occurred during the previous four decades, with the most significant one being the use of nanomaterials and nanomembranes. Nanoparticles and nanomembranes (polymeric membranes) have recently been used in engineered materials (TiO2, ZnO, CuO, Ag, CNT's and mixed oxide nanoparticles, for example). Engineered nanomembranes, nanocomposites and nanoparticles have been used in this review article's discussion of water purification technologies. The review also discusses the risk and solutions of using nanoparticles and nanocomposites in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sivasubramanian Manikandan
- Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha Nagar, Thandalam, Chennai, 602 105, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Ramasamy Subbaiya
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, The Copperbelt University, Riverside, Jambo Drive, P O Box, 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Muthupandian Saravanan
- Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, 60007, Chennai, India.
| | - Mohanadoss Ponraj
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, The Copperbelt University, Riverside, Jambo Drive, P O Box, 21692, Kitwe, Zambia
| | - Masilamani Selvam
- Department of Biotechnology, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Jeppiaar Nagar, Chennai, 600 095, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Arivalagan Pugazhendhi
- School of Renewable Energy, Maejo University, Chiang Mai, Thailand; College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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29
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Luo H, Sun Y, Taylor M, Nguyen C, Strawn M, Broderick T, Wang ZW. Impacts of aluminum- and iron-based coagulants on municipal sludge anaerobic digestibility, dewaterability, and odor emission. WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH : A RESEARCH PUBLICATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION 2021; 94:e1684. [PMID: 35083816 DOI: 10.1002/wer.1684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Although aluminum- and iron-based chemicals have been broadly used as the two most common types of coagulants for wastewater treatment, their impacts on the performance of downstream sludge management can be quite different and have not been well understood. This work reviewed and analyzed their similarities and differences in the context of the anaerobic digestion performance, dewaterability of digested sludge, and odor emission from dewatered biosolids. In short, iron-based coagulants tend to show less negative impact than aluminum-based coagulants. This can be attributed to the reduction of ferric to ferrous ions in the course of anaerobic digestion, which leads to a suite of changes in protein bioavailability, alkalinity and hydrogen sulfide levels, and in turn the sludge dewaterability and odor potential. Whether these observations still hold true in the context of thermally hydrolyzed sludge management remains to be studied. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The impacts of aluminum-/iron-based coagulant addition on municipal sludge anaerobic digestibility, dewaterability, and odor emission are reviewed. Iron-based coagulants show less negative impact on the sludge digestibility than aluminum-based coagulants. Conclusions may aid practitioners in selecting coagulants in practice and better understanding the mechanisms behind the phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Luo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Center for Applied Water Research and Innovation, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Yuepeng Sun
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Center for Applied Water Research and Innovation, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Malcolm Taylor
- Office of Innovation and Research, Engineering and Environmental Services Division, WSSC Water, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Caroline Nguyen
- Office of Innovation and Research, Engineering and Environmental Services Division, WSSC Water, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - Mary Strawn
- Arlington County Water Pollution Control Bureau, Arlington, Virginia, USA
| | - Tom Broderick
- Arlington County Water Pollution Control Bureau, Arlington, Virginia, USA
| | - Zhi-Wu Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Center for Applied Water Research and Innovation, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
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