Hydrolysis and decomposition of waste activated sludge with combined lysozyme and rhamnolipid treatment: Effect of pH

Abstract

Effect of pH on waste activated sludge (WAS) hydrolysis and decomposition treating with lysozyme and rhamnolipid combined (Ly + RL) was investigated in this study. Results showed that Ly + RL system could significantly improve the release of soluble organic matters at the optimal RL dosage of 0.3 g/gSS and lysozyme dosage of 0.15 g/gSS. Alkali conditions showed better effect than that of acid on the release of soluble organics, improvement of WAS biodegradability and reduction of big floc size within Ly + RL treatment system and the optimal pH was 10. And 9591.6 mg/L soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), 1612.0 mg/L protein and 1211.6 mg/L polysaccharide were released at pH10 after 12 h co-digestion. 83.7% bacteria and 92.2% archaea were decomposed at pH10. Class Gammaproteobacteria (82.4%) was the predominant bacteria after treated by Ly + RL system, and the treated WAS was beneficial for the subsequent organics bio-degradation and volatile fatty acids accumulation.

Keywords: Combined treatment; Decomposition degree; Microbial community composition; Sludge hydrolysis; Waste activated sludge.