The effects of environmental factors on acid-phase digestion of sewage sludge

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6802981

Henry, M P; Sajjad, A; Ghosh, S

The two-phase anaerobic digestion process consists of two fermenters operated in series, wherein the acidification and gasification reactions are optimized in separate reactors to improve the overall system conversion efficiency. This paper discusses the results of tests conducted with bench-scale complete-mix acid-phase digesters to determine the effects of culture pH, temperature, and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the efficiency of sewage sludge digestion. Tests were conducted at culture pH's of 5, 5.5, 6, and 7 at mesophilic (35/degree/C) and thermophilic (55/degree/C) temperatures and at HRT's of 1.3 and 2 days. Digestion efficiencies were determined on the basis of volatile acid production, gas production, and the reduction of the major particulate components of the feed sludge (crude protein, carbohydrates, and lipids). Efficiencies were highly dependent on each of the three control factors and were generally optimized at the higher extremes of pH, temperature, and HRT tested. 9 refs., 2 figs., 10 tabs.

• Research Organization: Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6802981
• Report Number(s): CONF-8705302-2; ON: DE88017159
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320604* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- Municipal Waste Management-- (1980-)
550700 -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ALKANES
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BIOCONVERSION
DIGESTION
EFFICIENCY
HYDROCARBONS
MANAGEMENT
METHANE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PROCESSING
SEWAGE
SEWAGE SLUDGE
SLUDGES
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
YIELDS