Improved valorization of sewage sludge in the circular economy by anaerobic digestion: Impact of an innovative pretreatment technology

Dutta, Nalok; Giduthuri, Anthony T.; Khan, Muhammand Usman; Garrison, Richard; Ahring, Birgitte K.

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2022.09.035

Improved valorization of sewage sludge in the circular economy by anaerobic digestion: Impact of an innovative pretreatment technology

Journal Article · Mon Oct 10 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Waste Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2022.09.035· OSTI ID:2386935

Dutta, Nalok ^[1]; Giduthuri, Anthony T. ^[2]; Khan, Muhammand Usman ^[3]; Garrison, Richard ^[4]; Ahring, Birgitte K. ^[2]

Washington State University, Richland, WA (United States); Washington State University
Washington State University, Richland, WA (United States); Washington State University, Pullman, WA (United States)
Washington State University, Richland, WA (United States); University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Pakistan)
Clean-Vantage LLC, Richland, WA (United States)

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge shows low carbon conversion efficiency (CCE) due to the poor biodegradability of sewage sludge. Here, the lack of digestibility is specifically linked to the waste-activated sludge (WAS) making up the majority of sewage sludge along with a smaller portion of primary sludge, depending on the wastewater treatment plant configuration. In this study, we examine the Advanced Wet Oxidation & Steam Explosion process (AWOEx) for improving the CCE of digested sewage sludge (DSS) by thermophilic AD. The effect of the pretreatment temperature in the range between 160 and 185 °C at a fixed residence time of 20 min with and without oxygen added at a dosage of 5 % of the organics present was tested. Methane yield improved by 97.92 % to 183.91 ± 4.93 mL/g vS over the untreated DSS (control), whose methane yield was 92.92 ± 9.07 mL/g vS We have demonstrated for the first time that 84 % of the organics in sewage sludge can successfully be transformed into biogas following AWOEx pretreatment, which can contribute significantly to the circular economy instead of greenhouse gas emissions from landfilling.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Washington State University, Pullman, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)

Grant/Contract Number:: EE0008933

OSTI ID:: 2386935

Journal Information:: Waste Management, Journal Name: Waste Management Vol. 154; ISSN 0956-053X

Publisher:: International Waste Working GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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References (43)

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