Effect of gamma radiation on yields of methane gas from the anaerobic bacterial digestion of sewage sludge
- ed.
Anaerobic digestion is widely employed to degrade soluble and insoluble organic materials in sewage sludge into the gaseous products carbon dioxide and methane. Previous research has established that gamma radiation at sufficiently high dose levels sterilizes the irradiated material and interacts with high molecular weight organic substrates to produce crosslinking or degradation, or both. Considering the increased scarcity and price of natural gas, investigators in this preliminary research program explored the interaction of two wastes, sewage sludge and spent nuclear fuel rods, to determine if a combination of processes could increase the yield or production rate of gas from sewage sludge. The study was designed to determine enhancement of methane production when radiation was used in conjunction with microbial action. Several conclusions can be stated as a result of the experiments in this research program. Treatment of anaerobically digested sewage sludge with gamma radiation from a cobalt 60 source for 24 hours at a dose of approximately 0.4 M rad per hour produces very little methane from direct scission of the organic material in the sludge. Sludge suspensions treated with the same radiation dose in the presence of excess oxygen consistently increased gas yield, up to 50%, from anaerobic bacterial digestion. Gas production increased up to 16% when air dried sludge was treated in an air atmosphere. When sludge suspensions were treated with a restricted access to air, decreases in gas production, though small (up to 26%), were noted in every case.
- OSTI ID:
- 6818505
- Report Number(s):
- NP-25149; TRN: 80-018592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
OPTIMIZATION
METHANE
BIOSYNTHESIS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SEWAGE SLUDGE
CHEMICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
COBALT 60
GAMMA RADIATION
OXYGEN
RADIOSTERILIZATION
SPENT FUELS
ALKANES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOCONVERSION
CHEMISTRY
COBALT ISOTOPES
DIGESTION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
RADIATION CHEMISTRY
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR MATERIALS
SEWAGE
STERILIZATION
SYNTHESIS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
090122* - Hydrocarbon Fuels- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass- (1976-1989)
052001 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
560133 - Radiation Effects on Microorganisms- Radiosterilization of Medical Supplies- (-1987)