Combined thermo-chemo-sonic disintegration of waste activated sludge for biogas production

Bioresour Technol. 2015 Dec:197:383-92. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.08.131. Epub 2015 Sep 1.

Abstract

In the present study, there was an investigation about the impact of a new combined thermo-chemo-sonic disintegration of waste activated sludge (WAS) on biodegradability. The outcome of sludge disintegration reveals that maximum Suspended Solids (SS) reduction and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) solubilization effectuated at a specific energy input of 5290.5kJ/kgTS, and was found to be 20%, 16.4%, 15% and 27%, 22%, and 20%, respectively for the three alkalis (NaOH, KOH, and Ca(OH)2). The conversion coefficient of the Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS) to product Soluble COD (SCOD), calculated by nonlinear regression modeling, was found to be 0.5530gSCOD/gVSS, 0.4587gSCOD/gVSS, and 0.4195gSCOD/gVSS for NaOH, KOH, and Ca(OH)2, respectively. In the biodegradability studies, the parameter evaluation provides an estimate of parameter uncertainty and correlation, and elucidates that there is no significant difference in biodegradability (0.413gCOD/gCOD, 0.367gCOD/gCOD, and 0.342gCOD/gCOD) for three alkalis (NaOH, KOH, and Ca(OH)2).

Keywords: Biodegradability; Nonlinear regression; Solubilization; Thermo-chemo-sonic disintegration; Waste activated sludge (WAS).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkalies / chemistry
  • Biodegradation, Environmental
  • Biofuels*
  • Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis
  • Costs and Cost Analysis
  • Kinetics
  • Regression Analysis
  • Sewage / chemistry*
  • Solubility
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid / economics
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid / methods*

Substances

  • Alkalies
  • Biofuels
  • Sewage