Influence of ultrasonication and Fenton oxidation pre-treatment on rheological characteristics of wastewater sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, T T H; Brar, S K; Tyagi, R D; Surampalli, R Y

2010-01-01

The effect of ultrasonication and Fenton oxidation as physico-chemical pre-treatment processes on the change of rheology of wastewater sludge was investigated in this study. Pre-treated and raw sludges displayed non-Newtonian rheological behaviour with shear thinning as well as thixotropic properties for total solids ranging from 10 g/L to 40 g/L. The rheological models, namely, Bingham plastic, Casson law, NCA/CMA Casson, IPC Paste, and power law were also studied to characterize flow of raw and pre-treated sludges. Among all rheological models, the power law was more prominent in describing the rheology of the sludges. Pre-treatment processes resulted in a decrease in pseudoplasticity of sludge due to the decrease in consistency index K varying from 42.4 to 1188, 25.6 to 620.4 and 52.5 to 317.9; and increase in flow behaviour index n changing from 0.5 to 0.35, 0.62 to 0.55 and 0.63 to 0.58, for RS, UlS and FS, respectively at solids concentration 10-40 g/L. The correlation between improvement of biodegradability and dewaterability, decrease in viscosity, and change in particle size as a function of sludge pre-treatment process was also investigated. Fenton oxidation facilitated sludge filterability resulting in capillary suction time values which were approximately 50% of the raw sludges, whereas ultrasonication with high input energy deteriorated the filterability. Biodegradability was also enhanced by the pre-treatment processes and the maximum value was obtained (64%, 77% and 73% for raw, ultrasonicated and Fenton oxidized sludges, respectively) at total solids concentration of 25 g/L. Hence, pre-treatment of wastewater sludge modified the rheological properties so that: (1) the flowability of sludge was improved for transport through the treatment train (via pipes and pumps); (2) the dewaterability of wastewater sludge was enhanced for eventual disposal and; (3) the assimilation of nutrients by microorganisms for further value-addition was increased.

Anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge—comparison of thermal pretreatments with thermal inter-stage treatments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bangsø Nielsen, Henrik; Thygesen, Anders; Thomsen, Anne Belinda

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND: Treatment methods for improved anaerobic digestion (AD) of waste activated sludge were evaluated. Pretreatments at moderate thermal (water bath at 80 °C), high thermal (loop autoclave at 130–170 °C) and thermo-chemical (170 °C/pH 10) conditions prior to AD in batch vials (40 days/37 °....... CONCLUSION: Thermal treatment of waste activated sludge for improved anaerobic digestion seems more effective when applied as an inter-stage treatment rather than a pretreatment. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry...

Ultrasonic sludge pretreatment under pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Ngoc Tuan; Julcour-Lebigue, Carine; Delmas, Henri

2013-09-01

The objective of this work was to optimize the ultrasound (US) pretreatment of sludge. Three types of sewage sludge were examined: mixed, secondary and secondary after partial methanisation ("digested" sludge). Thereby, several main process parameters were varied separately or simultaneously: stirrer speed, total solid content of sludge (TS), thermal operating conditions (adiabatic vs. isothermal), ultrasonic power input (PUS), specific energy input (ES), and for the first time external pressure. This parametric study was mainly performed for the mixed sludge. Five different TS concentrations of sludge (12-36 g/L) were tested for different values of ES (7000-75,000 kJ/kgTS) and 28 g/L was found as the optimum value according to the solubilized chemical oxygen demand in the liquid phase (SCOD). PUS of 75-150 W was investigated under controlled temperature and the "high power input - short duration" procedure was the most effective at a given ES. The temperature increase in adiabatic US application significantly improved SCOD compared to isothermal conditions. With PUS of 150 W, the effect of external pressure was investigated in the range of 1-16 bar under isothermal and adiabatic conditions for two types of sludge: an optimum pressure of about 2 bar was found regardless of temperature conditions and ES values. Under isothermal conditions, the resulting improvement of sludge disintegration efficacy as compared to atmospheric pressure was by 22-67% and 26-37% for mixed and secondary sludge, respectively. Besides, mean particle diameter (D[4,3]) of the three sludge types decreased respectively from 408, 117, and 110 μm to about 94-97, 37-42, and 36-40 μm regardless of sonication conditions, and the size reduction process was much faster than COD extraction. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of anaerobic hydrolysis pretreatment to enhance ultrasonic disintegration of excess sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xianjin; Zhu, Tong; Shen, Yang; Chai, Tianyu; Xie, Yuanhua; You, Meiyan; Wang, Youzhao

2016-01-01

To improve the excess sludge disintegration efficiency, reduce the sludge disintegration cost, and increase sludge biodegradability, a combined pretreatment of anaerobic hydrolysis (AH) and ultrasonic treatment (UT) was proposed for excess sludge. Results showed that AH had an advantage in dissolving flocs, modifying sludge characteristics, and reducing the difficulty of sludge disintegration, whereas UT was advantageous in damaging cell walls, releasing intracellular substances, and decomposing macromolecular material. The combined AH-UT process was an efficient method for excess sludge pretreatment. The optimized solution involved AH for 3 days, followed by UT for 10 min. After treatment, chemical oxygen demand, protein, and peptidoglycan concentrations reached 3,949.5 mg O2/L, 752.5 mg/L and 619.1 mg/L, respectively. This work has great significance for further engineering applications, namely, reducing energy consumption, increasing the sludge disintegration rate, and improving the biochemical properties of sludge.

Comparative studies on thermochemical characterization of corn stover pretreated by white-rot and brown-rot fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Yelin; Yang, Xuewei; Yu, Hongbo; Zhang, Xiaoyu; Ma, Fuying

2011-09-28

The effects of white-rot and brown-rot fungal pretreatment on the chemical composition and thermochemical conversion of corn stover were investigated. Fungus-pretreated corn stover was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis to characterize the changes in chemical composition. Differences in thermochemical conversion of corn stover after fungal pretreatment were investigated using thermogravimetric and pyrolysis analysis. The results indicated that the white-rot fungus Irpex lacteus CD2 has great lignin-degrading ability, whereas the brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis sp. IMER2 preferentially degrades the amorphous regions of the cellulose. The biopretreatment favors thermal decomposition of corn stover. The weight loss of IMER2-treated acid detergent fiber became greater, and the oil yield increased from 32.7 to 50.8%. After CD2 biopretreatment, 58% weight loss of acid detergent lignin was achieved and the oil yield increased from 16.8 to 26.8%.

Evaluation energy efficiency of bioconversion knot rejects to ethanol in comparison to other thermochemically pretreated biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Zhaojiang Wang; Menghua Qin; J.Y. Zhu; Guoyu Tian; Zongquan. Li

2013-01-01

Rejects from sulfite pulp mill that otherwise would be disposed of by incineration were converted to ethanol by a combined physical–biological process that was comprised of physical refining and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The energy efficiency was evaluated with comparison to thermochemically pretreated biomass, such as those pretreated by...

Assessment of microbial viability in municipal sludge following ultrasound and microwave pretreatments and resulting impacts on the efficiency of anaerobic sludge digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Cella, Monica Angela; Akgul, Deniz; Eskicioglu, Cigdem

2016-03-01

A range of ultrasonication (US) and microwave irradiation (MW) sludge pretreatments were compared to determine the extent of cellular destruction in micro-organisms within secondary sludge and how this cellular destruction translated to anaerobic digestion (AD). Cellular lysis/inactivation was measured using two microbial viability assays, (1) Syto 16® Green and Sytox® Orange counter-assay to discern the integrity of cellular membranes and (2) a fluorescein diacetate assay to understand relative enzymatic activity. A range of MW intensities (2.17-6.48 kJ/g total solids or TS, coinciding temperatures of 60-160 °C) were selected for comparison via viability assays; a range of corresponding US intensities (2.37-27.71 kJ/g TS, coinciding sonication times of 10-60 min at different amplitudes) were also compared to this MW range. The MW pretreatment of thickened waste activated sludge (tWAS) caused fourfold to fivefold greater cell death than non-pretreated and US-pretreated tWAS. The greatest microbial destruction occurred at MW intensities greater than 2.62 kJ/g TS of sludge, after which increased energy input via MW did not appear to cause greater microbial death. In addition, the optimal MW pretreatment (80 °C, 2.62 kJ/g TS) and corresponding US pretreatment (10 min, 60 % amplitude, 2.37 kJ/g TS) were administered to the tWAS of a mixed sludge and fed to anaerobic digesters over sludge retention times (SRTs) of 20, 14, and 7 days to compare effects of feed pretreatment on AD efficiency. The digester utilizing MW-pretreated tWAS (80 °C, 2.62 kJ/g TS) had the greatest fecal coliform removal (73.4 and 69.8 % reduction, respectively), greatest solids removal (44.2 % TS reduction), and highest overall methane production (248.2 L CH4/kg volatile solids) at 14- and 7-day SRTs. However, despite the fourfold to fivefold increases in cell death upon pretreatment, improvements from the digester fed MW-pretreated sludge were marginal (i.e., increases in efficiency of less

Combined electrical-alkali pretreatment to increase the anaerobic hydrolysis rate of waste activated sludge during anaerobic digestion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen, Guangyin; Lu, Xueqin; Li, Yu-You; Zhao, Youcai

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Combined electrical-alkali pretreatment for improving sludge anaerobic digestion was proposed. • Combined process enhanced the cell lysis, biopolymers releases, and thus sludge disintegration. • Increased solubilization of sludge increased the anaerobic hydrolysis rate. • Increased solubilization does not always induce an improved anaerobic digestion efficiency. - Abstract: Pretreatment can be used prior to anaerobic digestion to improve the efficiency of waste activated sludge (WAS) digestion. In this study, electrolysis and a commonly used pretreatment method of alkaline (NaOH) solubilization were integrated as a pretreatment method for promoting WAS anaerobic digestion. Pretreatment effectiveness of combined process were investigated in terms of disintegration degree (DD SCOD ), suspended solids (TSS and VSS) removals, the releases of protein (PN) and polysaccharide (PS), and subsequent anaerobic digestion as well as dewaterability after digestion. Electrolysis was able to crack the microbial cells trapped in sludge gels and release the biopolymers (PN and PS) due to the cooperation of alkaline solubilization, enhancing the sludge floc disintegration/solubilization, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays showed the highest methane yield was achieved with 5 V plus pH 9.2 pretreatment with up to 20.3% improvement over the non-pretreated sludge after 42 days of mesophilic operation. In contrast, no discernible improvements on anaerobic degradability were observed for the rest of pretreated sludges, probably due to the overmuch leakage of refractory soluble organics, partial chemical mineralization of solubilized compounds and sodium inhibition. The statistical analysis further indicated that increased solubilization induced by electrical-alkali pretreatment increased the first-order anaerobic hydrolysis rate (k hyd ), but had no, or very slight enhancement on WAS ultimate

Response surface methodology for the optimization of sludge solubilization by ultrasonic pre-treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Mingyue; Zhang, Xiaohui; Lu, Peng; Cao, Qiguang; Yuan, Yuan; Yue, Mingxing; Fu, Yiwei; Wu, Libin

2018-02-01

The present study examines the optimization of the ultrasonic pre-treatment conditions with response surface experimental design in terms of sludge disintegration efficiency (solubilisation of organic components). Ultrasonic pre-treatment for the maximum solubilization with residual sludge enhanced the SCOD release. Optimization of the ultrasonic pre-treatment was conducted through a Box-Behnken design (three variables, a total of 17 experiments) to determine the effects of three independent variables (power, residence time and TS) on COD solubilization of sludge. The optimal COD was obtained at 17349.4mg/L, when the power was 534.67W, the time was 10.77, and TS was 2%, while the SE of this condition was 28792J/kg TS.

Improving the sludge disintegration efficiency of sonication by combining with alkalization and thermal pre-treatment methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Şahinkaya, S; Sevimli, M F; Aygün, A

2012-01-01

One of the most serious problems encountered in biological wastewater treatment processes is the production of waste activated sludge (WAS). Sonication, which is an energy-intensive process, is the most powerful sludge pre-treatment method. Due to lack of information about the combined pre-treatment methods of sonication, the combined pre-treatment methods were investigated and it was aimed to improve the disintegration efficiency of sonication by combining sonication with alkalization and thermal pre-treatment methods in this study. The process performances were evaluated based on the quantities of increases in soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD), protein and carbohydrate. The releases of soluble COD, carbohydrate and protein by the combined methods were higher than those by sonication, alkalization and thermal pre-treatment alone. Degrees of sludge disintegration in various options of sonication were in the following descending order: sono-alkalization > sono-thermal pre-treatment > sonication. Therefore, it was determined that combining sonication with alkalization significantly improved the sludge disintegration and decreased the required energy to reach the same yield by sonication. In addition, effects on sludge settleability and dewaterability and kinetic mathematical modelling of pre-treatment performances of these methods were investigated. It was proven that the proposed model accurately predicted the efficiencies of ultrasonic pre-treatment methods.

Physicochemical and thermal characteristics of the sludge produced after thermochemical treatment of petrochemical wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Shilpi; Prasad, Basheshwar; Mishra, I M

2012-01-01

The present work describes the physicochemical and thermal characteristics of the sludge generated after thermochemical treatment of wastewater from a petrochemical plant manufacturing purified terephthalic acid (PTA). Although FeCl3 was found to be more effective than CuSO4 in removing COD from wastewater, the settling and filtration characteristics of FeCl3 sludge were poorer. Addition of cationic polyacrylamide (CPAA; 0.050kg/m3) to the FeCl3 wastewater system greatly improved the values of the filter characteristics of specific cake resistance (1.2 x 10(8) m/kg) and resistance of filter medium (9.9 x 10(8) m(-1)) from the earlier values of 1.9 x 10(9) m/kg and 1.7 x 10(8) m(-1), respectively. SEM-EDAX and FTIR studies were undertaken, to understand the sludge structure and composition, respectively. The moisture distribution in the CuSO4 sludge, FeCl3 sludge and FeCl3 + CPAA sludge showed that the amount of bound water content in the CuSO4 and FeCl3 + CPAA sludges is less than that of the FeCl3 sludge and there was a significant reduction in the solid-water bond strength of FeCl3 + CPAA sludge, which was responsible for better settling and filtration characteristics. Due to the hazardous nature of the sludge, land application is not a possible route of disposal. The thermal degradation behaviour of the sludge was studied for its possible use as a co-fuel. The studies showed that degradation behaviour of the sludge was exothermic in nature. Because of the exothermic nature of the sludge, it can be used in making fuel briquettes or it can be disposed of via wet air oxidation.

Enrichment of the hydrogen-producing microbial community from marine intertidal sludge by different pretreatment methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Hongyan [Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Shinan District, Qingdao 266071, Shandong (China); College of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China); Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Wang, Guangce [Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Shinan District, Qingdao 266071, Shandong (China); College of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China); Zhu, Daling; Pan, Guanghua [College of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China)

2009-12-15

To determine the effects of pretreatment on hydrogen production and the hydrogen-producing microbial community, we treated the sludge from the intertidal zone of a bathing beach in Tianjin with four different pretreatment methods, including acid treatment, heat-shock, base treatment as well as freezing and thawing. The results showed that acid pretreatment significantly promoted the hydrogen production by sludge and provided the highest efficiency of hydrogen production among the four methods. The efficiency of the hydrogen production of the acid-pretreated sludge was 0.86 {+-} 0.07 mol H{sub 2}/mol glucose (mean {+-} S.E.), whereas that of the sludge treated with heat-shock, freezing and thawing, base method and control was 0.41 {+-} 0.03 mol H{sub 2}/mol glucose, 0.17 {+-} 0.01 mol H{sub 2}/mol glucose, 0.11 {+-} 0.01 mol H{sub 2}/mol glucose and 0.20 {+-} 0.04 mol H{sub 2}/mol glucose, respectively. The result of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that pretreatment methods altered the composition of the microbial community that accounts for hydrogen production. Acid and heat pretreatments were favorable to enrich the dominant hydrogen-producing bacterium, i.e. Clostridium sp., Enterococcus sp. and Bacillus sp. However, besides hydrogen-producing bacteria, much non-hydrogen-producing Lactobacillus sp. was also found in the sludge pretreated with base, freezing and thawing methods. Therefore, based on our results, we concluded that, among the four pretreatment methods using acid, heat-shock, base or freezing and thawing, acid pretreatment was the most effective method for promoting hydrogen production of microbial community. (author)

Barley Seed Germination/Root Elongation Toxicity Test For Evaluation Of Sludge Pre-Treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, Eva; Kusk, Kresten Ole; Barrett Sørensen, Mie

Application of sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) on agricultural land is an approach for nutrient recycling that rise challenges due to recalcitrant and harmful pollutants. In this study we assessed the feasibility of a seed germination test to evaluate sludge ecotoxicity and compared...... germination responses from two test parameters, root elongation and seed germination (sprouts elongation) of the barley (Hordeum vulgare). 2nd objective was to evaluate sewage sludge pre-treatments at batch-scale of sludge samples from two WWTPs using anaerobic digestion, and thermal and ozonation pre......-treatments. Glyphosate and eco-labelled soil were used as references. Inhibition of germination of seeds exposed to the glyphosate and sludge was registered and thus germination was successfully applied for sludge ecotoxicity assessment, and using the root elongation as the end-point was both faster and more precise...

Microwave and thermal pretreatment as methods for increasing the biogas potential of secondary sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuglarz, Mariusz; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov; Angelidaki, Irini

2013-01-01

In the present study, the sludge was pretreated with microwave irradiation and low-temperature thermal method, both conducted under the same temperature range (30–100°C). Microwave pretreatment was found to be superior over the thermal treatment with respect to sludge solubilization and biogas pr...... experiments indicated that pre-treated sludge (microwave irradiation: 900W, temperature: 60–70°C) gave 35% more methane, compared to untreated sludge. Moreover, the results of this study clearly demonstrated that microwave pretreated sludge showed better degree of sanitation....

Free nitrous acid pre-treatment of waste activated sludge enhances volatile solids destruction and improves sludge dewaterability in continuous anaerobic digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Wei; Wang, Qilin; Zhang, Liguo; Laloo, Andrew; Duan, Haoran; Batstone, Damien J; Yuan, Zhiguo

2018-03-01

Previous work has demonstrated that pre-treatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) with free nitrous acid (FNA i.e. HNO 2 ) enhances the biodegradability of WAS, identified by a 20-50% increase in specific methane production in biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests. This suggests that FNA pre-treatment would enhance the destruction of volatile solids (VS) in an anaerobic sludge digester, and reduce overall sludge disposal costs, provided that the dewaterability of the digested sludge is not negatively affected. This study experimentally evaluates the impact of FNA pre-treatment on the VS destruction in anaerobic sludge digestion and on the dewaterability of digested sludge, using continuously operated bench-scale anaerobic digesters. Pre-treatment of full-scale WAS for 24 h at an FNA concentration of 1.8 mg NN/L enhanced VS destruction by 17 ± 1% (from 29.2 ± 0.9% to 34.2 ± 1.1%) and increased dewaterability (centrifuge test) from 12.4 ± 0.4% to 14.1 ± 0.4%. Supporting the VS destruction data, methane production increased by 16 ± 1%. Biochemical methane potential tests indicated that the final digestate stability was also improved with a lower potential from FNA treated digestate. Further, a 2.1 ± 0.2 log improvement in pathogen reduction was also achieved. With inorganic solids representing 15-22% of the full-scale WAS used, FNA pre-treatment resulted in a 16-17% reduction in the volume of dewatered sludge for final disposal. This results in significantly reduced costs as assessed by economic analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous waste activated sludge disintegration and biological hydrogen production using an ozone/ultrasound pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shan-Shan; Guo, Wan-Qian; Cao, Guang-Li; Zheng, He-Shan; Ren, Nan-Qi

2012-11-01

This paper offers an effective pretreatment method that can simultaneously achieve excess sludge reduction and bio-hydrogen production from sludge self-fermentation. Batch tests demonstrated that the combinative use of ozone/ultrasound pretreatment had an advantage over the individual ozone and ultrasound pretreatments. The optimal condition (ozone dose of 0.158 g O(3)/g DS and ultrasound energy density of 1.423 W/mL) was recommended by response surface methodology. The maximum hydrogen yield was achieved at 9.28 mL H(2)/g DS under the optimal condition. According to the kinetic analysis, the highest hydrogen production rate (1.84 mL/h) was also obtained using combined pretreatment, which well fitted the predicted equation (the squared regression statistic was 0.9969). The disintegration degrees (DD) were limited to 19.57% and 46.10% in individual ozone and ultrasound pretreatments, while it reached up to 60.88% in combined pretreatment. The combined ozone/ultrasound pretreatment provides an ideal and environmental friendly solution to the problem of sludge disposal. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced dewaterability of sludge during anaerobic digestion with thermal hydrolysis pretreatment: New insights through structure evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingsi; Li, Ning; Dai, Xiaohu; Tao, Wenquan; Jenkinson, Ian R; Li, Zhuo

2017-12-19

Comprehensive insights into the sludge digestate dewaterability were gained through porous network structure of sludge. We measured the evolution of digestate dewaterability, represented by the solid content of centrifugally dewatered cake, in high-solids sequencing batch digesters with and without thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP). The results show that the dewaterability of the sludge after digestion was improved by 3.5% (±0.5%) for unpretreated sludge and 5.1% (±0.4%) for thermally hydrolyzed sludge. Compared to the unpretreated sludge digestate, thermal hydrolysis pretreatment eventually resulted in an improvement of dewaterability by 4.6% (±0.5%). Smaller particle size and larger surface area of sludge were induced by thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion treatments. The structure strength and compactness of sludge, represented by elastic modulus and fractal dimension respectively, decreased with increase of digestion time. The porous network structure was broken up by thermal hydrolysis pretreatment and was further weakened during anaerobic digestion, which correspondingly improved the dewaterability of digestates. The logarithm of elastic modulus increased linearly with fractal dimension regardless of the pretreatment. Both fractal dimension and elastic modulus showed linear relationship with dewaterability. The rheological characterization combined with the analysis of fractal dimension of sewage sludge porous network structure was found applicable in quantitative evaluation of sludge dewaterability, which depended positively on both thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fate of antibiotic resistance bacteria and genes during enhanced anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge by microwave pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Juan; Liu, Jibao; Zheng, Xiang; Zhang, Junya; Ni, Xiaotang; Chen, Meixue; Wei, Yuansong

2016-10-01

The fate of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were investigated during the sludge anaerobic digestion (AD) with microwave-acid (MW-H), microwave (MW) and microwave-H2O2-alkaline (MW-H2O2) pretreatments. Results showed that combined MW pretreatment especially for the MW-H pretreatment could efficiently reduce the ARB concentration, and most ARG concentrations tended to attenuate during the pretreatment. The subsequent AD showed evident removal of the ARB, but most ARGs were enriched after AD. Only the concentration of tetX kept continuous declination during the whole sludge treatment. The total ARGs concentration showed significant correlation with 16S rRNA during the pretreatment and AD. Compared with unpretreated sludge, the AD of MW and MW-H2O2 pretreated sludge presented slightly better ARB and ARGs reduction efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancing sludge biodegradability and volatile fatty acid production by tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qing-Lian; Guo, Wan-Qian; Bao, Xian; Yin, Ren-Li; Feng, Xiao-Chi; Zheng, He-Shan; Luo, Hai-Chao; Ren, Nan-Qi

2017-09-01

A new pretreatment method based on tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate (THPS) biocide was tried to enhance sludge disintegration, and improved sludge biodegradability and subsequent volatile fatty acid (VFA) production. Sludge activity decreased to less than 10% after 2 days pretreatment using 20mg/g-TSS THPS, which also obviously destroyed EPS and cell membrane, and dissolved more biodegradable substances (48.8%) than raw sludge (19.7%). Moreover, 20mg/g-TSS THPS pretreatment shortened fermentation time to 4days and improved VFA production to 2778mg COD/L (4.35 times than that in control). Therein, the sum of n-butyric, n-valeric and iso-valeric acids unexpectedly accounted for 60.5% of total VFA (only 20.1% of that in control). The more high molecular weight VFAs (C4-C5) than low molecular VFAs (C2-C3) resulted from THPS pretreatment benefited to subsequent medium-chain volatile acids (C6-C12) generation to realize the separation and recovery of organic carbon more efficiently. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Innovative sludge pretreatment technology for impurity separation using micromesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Xiaojie; Han, Xiaomeng; Zang, Lili; Wu, Zhichao

2018-05-23

In order to reduce the impacts on sludge treatment facilities caused by impurities such as fibers, hairs, plastic debris, and coarse sand, an innovative primary sludge pretreatment technology, sludge impurity separator (SIS), was proposed in this study. Non-woven micromesh with pore size of 0.40 mm was used to remove the impurities from primary sludge. Results of lab-scale tests showed that impurity concentration, aeration intensity, and channel gap were the key operation parameters, of which the optimized values were below 25 g/L, 0.8 m 3 /(m 2  min), and 2.5 cm, respectively. In the full-scale SIS with treatment capacity of 300 m 3 /day, over 88% of impurities could be removed from influent and the cleaning cycle of micromesh was more than 16 days. Economic analysis revealed that the average energy consumption was 1.06 kWh/m 3 treated sludge and operation cost was 0.6 yuan/m 3 treated sludge.

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of primary and secondary sludge. Effect of pre-treatment at elevated temperature

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gavala, Hariklia N.; Yenal, U.; Skiadas, Ioannis V.

2003-01-01

Anaerobic digestion is an appropriate technique for the treatment of sludge before final disposal and it is employed worldwide as the oldest and most important process for sludge stabilization. In general, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is more widely used compared to thermophilic...... digestion. Furthermore, thermal pre-treatment is suitable for the improvement of stabilization, enhancement of dewatering of the sludge, reduction of the numbers of pathogens and could be realized at relatively low cost especially at low temperatures. The present study investigates (a) the differences...... between mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge and (b) the effect of the pretreatment at 70 degreesC on mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of primary and secondary sludge. The pretreatment step showed very positive effect on the methane potential and production rate upon...

Ultrasound assisted biogas production from co-digestion of wastewater sludges and agricultural wastes: Comparison with microwave pre-treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Aylin Alagöz, B; Yenigün, Orhan; Erdinçler, Ayşen

2018-01-01

This study investigates the effect of ultrasonication and microwave sludge disintegration/pre-treatment techniques on the anaerobic co-digestion efficiency of wastewater sludges with olive and grape pomaces. The effects of both co-digestion and sludge pre-treatment techniques were evaluated in terms of the organic removal efficiency and the biogas production. The "co-digestion" of wastewater sludge with both types of pomaces was revealed to be a much more efficient way for the biogas production compared to the single (mono) sludge digestion. The ultrasonication and microwave pre-treatments applied to the sludge samples caused to a further increase in biogas and methane yields. Based on applied specific energies, ultrasonication pre-treatment was found much more effective than microwave irradiation. The specific energy applied in microwave pre-treatment (87,000kj/kgTS) was almost 9 times higher than that of used in ultrasonication (10,000kj/kgTS), resulting only 10-15% increases in biogas/methane yield. Co-digestion of winery and olive industry residues with pre-treated wastewater sludges appears to be a suitable technique for waste management and energy production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low Thermal Pretreatment as Method for Increasing the Bioavailability of Organic Matters in Domestic Mixed Sludge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seswoya Roslinda

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In practice, primary and secondary sludge are fed into anaerobic digestion. However, the microbial cell exists in secondary sludge are an unfavorable substrate for biodegradation. Thermal pretreatment is proved to increase the bioavailability of organic and improve the biodegradation subsequently. During low thermal pretreatment, both intracellular (within the microbial cell and extracellular (within the polymeric network materials were extracted. This process increases the bioavailability meaning that organic compounds are accessible to the microorganisms for their degradation. This research aims to investigate the effect of thermal pretreatment on domestic mixed sludge disintegration. Domestic mixed sludge was thermally treated at 70°C for various holding times. The pre-thermally treated domestic mixed sludge was measured for protein and carbohydrates following the Lowry Method, and Phenol-Sulphuric Acid Method respectively. DR 6000 UV-Vis spectrophotometer, DRB200 Reactor (digester and COD vial (TNT plus 822 were used for COD determination, based on Reactor Digestion Method approved by USEPA. The results showed that the organic matter in domestic mixed sludge is efficiently solubilised during thermal treatment organic matter. The higher soluble yield for each monitored parameter determined in this study indicated that low thermal pretreatment improve bioavailability.

Sewage sludge pretreatment and disposal. (Latest citations from the NTIS bibliographic database). Published Search

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-06-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning techniques and equipment used in the pretreatment and disposal of sewage sludges. Citations discuss sludge digestion, dewatering, disinfection, stabilization, chlorination, and desulfurization. Topics include pretreatment programs, land disposal, incineration, and waste utilization. Environmental monitoring and protection, federal regulations, and legal aspects are examined. (Contains 50-250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Free ammonia pre-treatment of secondary sludge significantly increases anaerobic methane production.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Wei; Zhou, Xu; Wang, Dongbo; Sun, Jing; Wang, Qilin

2017-07-01

Energy recovery in the form of methane from sludge/wastewater is restricted by the poor and slow biodegradability of secondary sludge. An innovative pre-treatment technology using free ammonia (FA, i.e. NH 3 ) was proposed in this study to increase anaerobic methane production. The solubilisation of secondary sludge was significantly increased after FA pre-treatment at up to 680 mg NH 3 -N/L for 1 day, under which the solubilisation (i.e. 0.4 mg SCOD/mg VS; SCOD: soluble chemical oxygen demand; VS: volatile solids) was >10 times higher than that without FA pre-treatment (i.e. 0.03 mg SCOD/mg VS). Biochemical methane potential assays showed that FA pre-treatment at above 250 mg NH 3 -N/L is effective in improving anaerobic methane production. The highest improvement in biochemical methane potential (B 0 ) and hydrolysis rate (k) was achieved at FA concentrations of 420-680 mg NH 3 -N/L, and was determined as approximately 22% (from 160 to 195 L CH 4 /kg VS added) and 140% (from 0.22 to 0.53 d -1 ) compared to the secondary sludge without pre-treatment. More analysis revealed that the FA induced improvement in B 0 and k could be attributed to the rapidly biodegradable substances rather than the slowly biodegradable substances. Economic and environmental analyses showed that the FA-based technology is economically favourable and environmentally friendly. Since this FA technology aims to use the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) waste (i.e. anaerobic digestion liquor) to enhance methane production from the WWTPs, it will set an example for the paradigm shift of the WWTPs from 'linear economy' to 'circular economy'. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of alkaline addition on anaerobic sludge digestion with combined pretreatment of alkaline and high pressure homogenization.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Wei; Zhang, Panyue; Zhang, Guangming; Jin, Shuguang; Li, Dongyi; Zhang, Meixia; Xu, Xiangzhe

2014-09-01

To improve anaerobic digestion efficiency, combination pretreatment of alkaline and high pressure homogenization was applied to pretreat sewage sludge. Effect of alkaline dosage on anaerobic sludge digestion was investigated in detail. SCOD of sludge supernatant significantly increased with the alkaline dosage increase after the combined pretreatment because of sludge disintegration. Organics were significantly degraded after the anaerobic digestion, and the maximal SCOD, TCOD and VS removal was 73.5%, 61.3% and 43.5%, respectively. Cumulative biogas production, methane content in biogas and biogas production rate obviously increased with the alkaline dosage increase. Considering both the biogas production and alkaline dosage, the optimal alkaline dosage was selected as 0.04 mol/L. Relationships between biogas production and sludge disintegration showed that the accumulative biogas was mainly enhanced by the sludge disintegration. The methane yield linearly increased with the DDCOD increase as Methane yield (ml/gVS)=4.66 DDCOD-9.69. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effects of ultrasonic pretreatment on drying characteristics of sewage sludge].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Run-Dong; Yang, Yu-Ting; Li, Yan-Long; Niu, Hui-Chang; Wei, Li-Hong; Sun, Yang; Ke, Xin

2009-11-01

The high water content of sewage sludge has engendered many inconveniences to its treatment and disposal. While ultrasonic takes on unique advantages on the sludge drying because of its high ultrasonic power, mighty penetrating capability and the ability of causing cavitations. Thus this research studies the characteristics influences of ultrasonic bring to the sludge drying and effects of the exposure time, ultrasonic generator power, temperatures of ultrasonic and drying temperature on the drying characteristics of dewatered sludge. Results indicate that ultrasonic pretreatment could speed up evaporation of the free water in sludge surface and help to end the drying stage with constant speed. In addition, ultrasonic treatment can effectively improve the sludge drying efficiency which could be more evident with the rise of the ultrasonic power (100-250 W), ultrasonic temperature and drying temperature. If dried under low temperature such as 105 degrees C, sludge will have premium drying characteristics when radiated under ultrasound for a shorter time such as 3 min. In the end, the ultrasonic treatment is expected to be an effective way to the low-cost sludge drying and also be an important reference to the optimization of the sludge drying process because of its effects on the increase of sludge drying efficiency.

Thermo-alkaline pretreatment of waste activated sludge at low-temperatures: effects on sludge disintegration, methane production, and methanogen community structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jaai; Yu, Youngseob; Lee, Changsoo

2013-09-01

Low-temperature thermo-alkaline pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) was studied, within the region of 0-0.2 M NaOH and 60-90°C, for the effects of NaOH concentration and temperature on sludge degradability in anaerobic digestion (AD). Significant disintegration of sludge solids (up to 75.6%) and an increase in methane production (up to 70.6%) were observed in the pretreatment trials. Two quadratic models were successfully generated by response surface analysis (R(2)>0.9, pdisintegration (SD) and methane production (MP) respond to changes in the pretreatment conditions. The maximum responses of SD (77.8%) and MP (73.9% increase over the control) were shown at [0.16 M NaOH, 90°C] and [0.10 M NaOH, 73.7°C], respectively. NaOH addition showed a significant influence on the evolution of methanogen community structure during AD, whereas temperature did not. Aceticlastic Methanosaeta and Methanosarcina speceies were likely the major methanogens. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Previously unclassified bacteria dominate during thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic pre-treatment of primary sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Pervin, Hasina M; Batstone, Damien J; Bond, Philip L

2013-06-01

Thermophilic biological pre-treatment enables enhanced anaerobic digestion for treatment of wastewater sludges but, at present, there is limited understanding of the hydrolytic-acidogenic microbial composition and its contribution to this process. In this study, the process was assessed by comparing the microbiology of thermophilic (50-65 °C) and mesophilic (35 °C) pre-treatment reactors treating primary sludge. A full-cycle approach for the 16S rRNA genes was applied in order to monitor the diversity of bacteria and their abundance in a thermophilic pre-treatment reactor treating primary sludge. For the thermophilic pre-treatment (TP), over 90% of the sequences were previously undetected and these had less than 97% sequence similarity to cultured organisms. During the first 83 days, members of the Betaproteobacteria dominated the community sequences and a newly designed probe was used to monitor a previously unknown bacterium affiliated with the genus Brachymonas. Between days 85 and 183, three phylotypes that affiliated with the genera Comamonas, Clostridium and Lysobacter were persistently dominant in the TP community, as revealed by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Hydrolytic and fermentative functions have been speculated for these bacteria. Mesophilic pre-treatment (MP) and TP communities were different but they were both relatively dynamic. Statistical correlation analysis and the function of closely allied reference organisms indicated that previously unclassified bacteria dominated the TP community and may have been functionally involved in the enhanced hydrolytic performance of thermophilic anaerobic pre-treatment. This study is the first to reveal the diversity and dynamics of bacteria during anaerobic digestion of primary sludge. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Transferring of components and energy output in industrial sewage sludge disposal by thermal pretreatment and two-phase anaerobic process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaoyi; Wang, Xin; Wang, Lei

2010-04-01

For a better sewage sludge disposal and more efficient energy reclamation, transforming of components and energy in sludge by thermal and WAO pretreatment followed by two-phase anaerobic UASB process were studied in the pilot scale. Biogas outputs and the qualities and quantities of the effluent and solid residue were compared with a traditional anaerobic sludge digestion. Sludge components, including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, were observed and mass balances were discussed throughout the process. The input and output energy balance was also studied. Results showed different trait to compare with biogas outputs in terms of COD added and raw sludge added. Pretreatment improved the transformation of carbon substances into biogas production with higher carbon removal and higher VSS removal. Comparing the energy obtained from biogas production with energy inputs required for pretreatment, energy output in the whole process decreased with higher pretreatment temperature. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two-stage pretreatment of excess sludge for electricity generation in microbial fuel cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yi; Zhao, Yang-Guo; Guo, Liang; Gao, Mengchun

2018-01-12

Thermophiles hydrolysis and acidogens fermentation were sequentially adopted to pretreat excess sludge for microbial fuel cell (MFC) electricity production. The results indicated that MFC fed with the thermophiles-acidogens pretreated sludge (MFC AB), reached a higher removal of ammonia nitrogen than the MFC fed with the heating hydrolysis and acidogens fermentation pretreated sludge (MFC NB). However, compared with the MFC AB, MFC NB presented a better performance for removal of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) (90.08%) and protein (82.42%). As for the electricity production, MFC NB obtained higher voltage of 0.632 V and maximum power density with 1.05 W/m 3 while MFC AB reached maximum voltage of 0.373 V and maximum power density of 0.58 W/m 3 . Bacterial 16S rRNA-based molecular microbial techniques showed that microbial communities on both MFC anode biofilms was diverse and different. The cooperation of fermentation bacteria and electricigen Shewanella baltica in the MFC NB may have contributed towards the improvement of electricity generation.

Insight into effects of electro-dewatering pretreatment on nitrous oxide emission involved in related functional genes in sewage sludge composting.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ke; Wu, Yiqi; Wang, Zhe; Wang, Wei; Ren, Nanqi

2018-05-26

Electro-dewatering (ED) pretreatment could improve sludge dewatering performance and remove heavy metal, but the effect of ED pretreatment on nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emission and related functional genes in sludge composting process is still unknown, which was firstly investigated in this study. The results revealed that ED pretreatment changed the physicochemical characteristics of sludge and impacted N 2 O related functional genes, resulting in the reduction of cumulative N 2 O emission by 77.04% during 60 days composting. The higher pH and NH 4 + -N, but lower moisture, ORP and NO 2 - -N emerged in the composting of ED sludge compared to mechanical dewatering (MD) sludge. Furthermore, ED pretreatment reduced amoA, hao, narG, nirK and nosZ in ED sludge on Day-10 and Day-60 of composting. It was found that nirK reduction was the major factor impacting N 2 O generation in the initial composting of ED sludge, and the decline of amoA restricted N 2 O production in the curing period. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multivariate analysis of sludge disintegration by microwave–hydrogen peroxide pretreatment process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ya-wei, Wang; Cheng-min, Gui; Xiao-tang, Ni; Mei-xue, Chen; Yuan-song, Wei

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Investigation of TSS, H 2 O 2 dosage, pH and interactions on MW sludge pretreatment. • Quadratic models were drawn for 16 response variables with good predictive ability. • Models could optimize the treatment process for multiple disintegration objectives. - Abstract: Microwave irradiation (with H 2 O 2 ) has been shown to offer considerable advantages owing to its flexible control, low overall cost, and resulting higher soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD); accordingly, the method has been proposed recently as a means of improving sludge disintegration. However, the key factor controlling this sludge pretreatment process, pH, has received insufficient attention to date. To address this, the response surface approach (central composite design) was applied to evaluate the effects of total suspended solids (TSS, 2–20 g/L), pH (4–10), and H 2 O 2 dosage (0–2 w/w) and their interactions on 16 response variables (e.g., SCOD released , pH, H 2 O 2remaining ). The results demonstrated that all three factors affect sludge disintegration significantly, and no pronounced interactions between response variables were observed during disintegration, except for three variables (TCOD, TSS remaining , and H 2 O 2 remaining ). Quadratic predictive models were constructed for all 16 response variables (R 2 : 0.871–0.991). Taking soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) as an example, the model and coefficients derived above were able to predict the performance of microwave pretreatment (enhanced by H 2 O 2 and pH adjustment) from previously published studies. The predictive models developed were able to optimize the treatment process for multiple disintegration objectives

Impacts of microwave pretreatments on the semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of dairy waste activated sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uma Rani, R.; Adish Kumar, S.; Kaliappan, S.; Yeom, IckTae; Rajesh Banu, J.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Microwave pretreatment of dairy WAS was studied. ► MW pretreatment at 70% intensity for 12 min, COD solubilization was 18.6%. ► Biogas production and SS reduction was 35% and 14% higher than control. ► In digester at 15 days SRT with medium OLR, SS and VS reduction was 67% and 64%. ► Biogas and methane production was 57% and 49% higher than control, in digesters. - Abstract: Microwave (MW) irradiation is one of the new and possible methods used for pretreating the sludge. Following its use in different fields, this MW irradiation method has proved to be more appropriate in the field of environmental research. In this paper, we focused on the effects of MW irradiation at different intensities on solubilization, biodegradation and anaerobic digestion of sludge from the dairy sludge. The changes in the soluble fractions of the organic matter, the biogas yield, the methane content in the biogas were used as control parameters for evaluating the efficiency of the MW pretreatment. Additionally, the energetic efficiency was also examined. In terms of an energetic aspect, the most economical pretreatment of sludge was at 70% intensity for 12 min irradiation time. At this, COD solubilization, SS reduction and biogas production were found to be 18.6%, 14% and 35% higher than the control, respectively. Not only the increase in biogas production was investigated, excluding protein and carbohydrate hydrolysis was also performed successfully by this microwave pretreatment even at low irradiation energy input. Also, experiments were carried out in semi continuous anaerobic digesters, with 3.5 L working volume. Combining microwave pretreatment with anaerobic digestion led to 67%, 64% and 57% of SS reduction, VS reduction and biogas production higher than the control, respectively

Zero-valent iron enhanced methanogenic activity in anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge after heat and alkali pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yaobin; Feng, Yinghong; Quan, Xie

2015-04-01

Heat or alkali pretreatment is the effective method to improve hydrolysis of waste sludge and then enhance anaerobic sludge digestion. However the pretreatment may inactivate the methanogens in the sludge. In the present work, zero-valent iron (ZVI) was used to enhance the methanogenic activity in anaerobic sludge digester under two methanogens-suppressing conditions, i.e. heat-pretreatment and alkali condition respectively. With the addition of ZVI, the lag time of methane production was shortened, and the methane yield increased by 91.5% compared to the control group. The consumption of VFA was accelerated by ZVI, especially for acetate, indicating that the acetoclastic methanogenesis was enhanced. In the alkali-condition experiment, the hydrogen produced decreased from 27.6 to 18.8 mL when increasing the ZVI dosage from 0 to 10 g/L. Correspondingly, the methane yield increased from 1.9 to 32.2 mL, which meant that the H2-utilizing methanogenes was enriched. These results suggested that the addition of ZVI into anaerobic digestion of sludge after pretreated by the heat or alkali process could efficiently recover the methanogenic activity and increase the methane production and sludge reduction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal and enzymatic pretreatment of sludge containing phthalate esters prior to mesophilic anaerobic digestion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gavala, Hariklia N.; Yenal, U.; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

2004-01-01

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of thermal pretreatment of sludge at 70degreesC on the anaerobic degradation of three commonly found phthalic acid esters (PAE): di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), di-butyl phthalate (DBP), and di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Also, the enzymatic treatment...... at 28degreesC with a commercial lipase was studied as a way to enhance PAE removal. Pretreatment at 70degreesC of the sludge containing PAE negatively influenced the anaerobic biodegradability of phthalate esters at 37degreesC. The observed reduction of PAE biodegradation rates after the thermal...... pretreatment was found to be proportional to the PAE solubility in water: the higher the solubility, the higher the percentage of the reduction (DEP > DBP > DEHP). PAE were slowly degraded during the pretreatment at 70degreesC, yet this was probably due to physicochemical reactions than to microbial...

Enhancing anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge by pretreatment: effect of volatile to total solids.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiao; Duan, Xu; Chen, Jianguang; Fang, Kuo; Feng, Leiyu; Yan, Yuanyuan; Zhou, Qi

2016-01-01

In this study the effect of volatile to total solids (VS/TS) on anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) pretreated by alkaline, thermal and thermal-alkaline strategies was studied. Experimental results showed that the production of methane from sludge was increased with VS/TS. When anaerobic digesters were fed with sludge pretreated by the thermal-alkaline method, the average methane yield was improved from 2.8 L/d at VS/TS 0.35 to 4.7 L/d at VS/TS 0.56. Also, the efficiency of VS reduction during sludge anaerobic digestion varied between 18.9% and 45.6%, and increased gradually with VS/TS. Mechanism investigation of VS/TS on WAS anaerobic digestion suggested that the general activities of anaerobic microorganisms, activities of key enzymes related to sludge hydrolysis, acidification and methanogenesis, and the ratio of Archaea to Bacteria were all increased with VS/TS, showing good agreement with methane production.

Effect of ultrasound, low-temperature thermal and alkali pre-treatments on waste activated sludge rheology, hygienization and methane potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Hernando, M; Martín-Díaz, J; Labanda, J; Mata-Alvarez, J; Llorens, J; Lucena, F; Astals, S

2014-09-15

Waste activated sludge is slower to biodegrade under anaerobic conditions than is primary sludge due to the glycan strands present in microbial cell walls. The use of pre-treatments may help to disrupt cell membranes and improve waste activated sludge biodegradability. In the present study, the effect of ultrasound, low-temperature thermal and alkali pre-treatments on the rheology, hygienization and biodegradability of waste activated sludge was evaluated. The optimum condition of each pre-treatment was selected based on rheological criteria (reduction of steady state viscosity) and hygienization levels (reduction of Escherichia coli, somatic coliphages and spores of sulfite-reducing clostridia). The three pre-treatments were able to reduce the viscosity of the sludge, and this reduction was greater with increasing treatment intensity. However, only the alkali and thermal conditioning allowed the hygienization of the sludge, whereas the ultrasonication did not exhibit any notorious effect on microbial indicators populations. The selected optimum conditions were as follows: 27,000 kJ/kg TS for the ultrasound, 80 °C during 15 min for the thermal and 157 g NaOH/kg TS for the alkali. Afterward, the specific methane production was evaluated through biomethane potential tests at the specified optimum conditions. The alkali pre-treatment exhibited the greatest methane production increase (34%) followed by the ultrasonication (13%), whereas the thermal pre-treatment presented a methane potential similar to the untreated sludge. Finally, an assessment of the different treatment scenarios was conducted considering the results together with an energy balance, which revealed that the ultrasound and alkali treatments entailed higher costs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multivariate analysis of sludge disintegration by microwave–hydrogen peroxide pretreatment process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ya-wei, Wang; Cheng-min, Gui; Xiao-tang, Ni; Mei-xue, Chen; Yuan-song, Wei, E-mail: Yswei@rcees.ac.cn

2015-02-11

Highlights: • Investigation of TSS, H{sub 2}O{sub 2} dosage, pH and interactions on MW sludge pretreatment. • Quadratic models were drawn for 16 response variables with good predictive ability. • Models could optimize the treatment process for multiple disintegration objectives. - Abstract: Microwave irradiation (with H{sub 2}O{sub 2}) has been shown to offer considerable advantages owing to its flexible control, low overall cost, and resulting higher soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD); accordingly, the method has been proposed recently as a means of improving sludge disintegration. However, the key factor controlling this sludge pretreatment process, pH, has received insufficient attention to date. To address this, the response surface approach (central composite design) was applied to evaluate the effects of total suspended solids (TSS, 2–20 g/L), pH (4–10), and H{sub 2}O{sub 2} dosage (0–2 w/w) and their interactions on 16 response variables (e.g., SCOD{sub released}, pH, H{sub 2}O{sub 2remaining}). The results demonstrated that all three factors affect sludge disintegration significantly, and no pronounced interactions between response variables were observed during disintegration, except for three variables (TCOD, TSS{sub remaining}, and H{sub 2}O{sub 2} {sub remaining}). Quadratic predictive models were constructed for all 16 response variables (R{sup 2}: 0.871–0.991). Taking soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) as an example, the model and coefficients derived above were able to predict the performance of microwave pretreatment (enhanced by H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and pH adjustment) from previously published studies. The predictive models developed were able to optimize the treatment process for multiple disintegration objectives.

Thermal pre-treatment of primary and secondary sludge at 70ºC prior to anaerobic digestion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skiadas, Ioannis V.; Gavala, H.N.; Lu, Jingquan

2005-01-01

. The present study investigates the effect of the pre-treatment at 70 degrees C on thermophilic (55 degrees C) anaerobic digestion of primary and secondary sludge in continuously operated digesters. Thermal pre-treatment of primary and secondary sludge at 70 degrees C enhanced the removal of organic matter...... and the methane production during the subsequent anaerobic digestion step at 55 degrees C. It also greatly contributed to the destruction of pathogens present in primary sludge. Finally it results in enhanced microbial activities of the subsequent anaerobic step suggesting that the same efficiencies in organic...... matter removal and methane recovery could be obtained at lower HRTs....

Hydrothermal and alkaline hydrothermal pretreatments plus anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge for dewatering and biogas production: Bench-scale research and pilot-scale verification.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chunxing; Wang, Xingdong; Zhang, Guangyi; Yu, Guangwei; Lin, Jingjiang; Wang, Yin

2017-06-15

To test the feasibility and practicability of the process combing hydrothermal pretreatment for dewatering with biogas production for full utilization of sewage sludge, hydrothermal/alkaline hydrothermal pretreatments and in turn anaerobic digestion of the filtrates obtained after dewatering the pretreated sludge were performed at bench- and pilot-scales. The hydrothermal temperature fell within the range of 140 °C-220 °C and the pretreatment time varied from 30 min to 120 min. For the alkaline hydrothermal pretreatment the pH value of the sludge was adjusted to 9.0-11.0 by adding Ca(OH) 2 . The results showed that the dewaterability of the sewage sludge was improved with increasing pretreatment temperature but the impact of the pretreatment time was not significant. The addition of Ca(OH) 2 gave better performance on the subsequent mechanical dewatering of the pretreated sludge compared to pure hydrothermal pretreatment, and the higher the pH value was, the better the dewaterability of the pretreated sludge was. The conditions of 180 °C/30 min and 160 °C/60 min/pH = 10.0 (for hydrothermal and alkaline hydrothermal pretreatments, respectively) resulted in relatively good results in the theoretical energy balance, which were verified in the pilot-scale tests. Based on the data from the pilot tests, the alkaline hydrothermal process realized self-sufficiency in energy at the cost of a proper amount of CaO. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioconversion of paper mill sludge to bioethanol in the presence of accelerants or hydrogen peroxide pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurram, Raghu Nandan; Al-Shannag, Mohammad; Lecher, Nicholas Joshua; Duncan, Shona M; Singsaas, Eric Lawrence; Alkasrawi, Malek

2015-09-01

In this study we investigated the technical feasibility of convert paper mill sludge into fuel ethanol. This involved the removal of mineral fillers by using either chemical pretreatment or mechanical fractionation to determine their effects on cellulose hydrolysis and fermentation to ethanol. In addition, we studied the effect of cationic polyelectrolyte (as accelerant) addition and hydrogen peroxide pretreatment on enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. We present results showing that removing the fillers content (ash and calcium carbonate) from the paper mill sludge increases the enzymatic hydrolysis performance dramatically with higher cellulose conversion at faster rates. The addition of accelerant and hydrogen peroxide pretreatment further improved the hydrolysis yields by 16% and 25% (g glucose / g cellulose), respectively with the de-ashed sludge. The fermentation process of produced sugars achieved up to 95% of the maximum theoretical ethanol yield and higher ethanol productivities within 9h of fermentation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel dark fermentation involving bioaugmentation with constructed bacterial consortium for enhanced biohydrogen production from pretreated sewage sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotay, Shireen Meher; Das, Debabrata [Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (India)

2009-09-15

The present study summarizes the observations on various nutrient and seed formulation methods using sewage sludge that have been aimed at ameliorating the biohydrogen production potential. Pretreatment methods viz., acid/base treatment, heat treatment, sterilization, freezing-thawing, microwave, ultrasonication and chemical supplementation were attempted on sludge. It was observed that pretreatment was essential not only to reduce the needless, competitive microbial load but also to improve the nutrient solublization of sludge. Heat treatment at 121 C for 20 min was found to be most effective in reducing the microbial load by 98% and hydrolyzing the organic fraction of sludge. However, this pretreatment alone was either not sufficient or inconsistent in developing a suitable microbial consortium for hydrogen production. Hydrogen yield was found to improve 1.5-4 times upon inoculation with H{sub 2}-producing microorganisms. A defined microbial consortium was developed consisting of three established bacteria viz., Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08, Citrobacter freundii IIT-BT L139 and Bacillus coagulans IIT-BT S1. Following pretreatments soluble proteins and lipids (the major component of the sludge) were also found to be consumed besides carbohydrates. This laid out the concurrent proteolytic/lipolytic ability of the developed H{sub 2}-producing consortium. 1:1:1 v/v ratio of these bacteria in consortium was found to give the maximum yield of H{sub 2} from sludge, 39.15 ml H{sub 2}/g COD{sub reduced}. 15%v/v dilution and supplementation with 0.5%w/v cane molasses prior to heat treatment was found to further improve the yield to 41.23 ml H{sub 2}/g COD{sub reduced}. (author)

Production of bacterial cellulose and enzyme from waste fiber sludge

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a highly crystalline and mechanically stable nanopolymer, which has excellent potential as a material in many novel applications, especially if it can be produced in large amounts from an inexpensive feedstock. Waste fiber sludge, a residue with little or no value, originates from pulp mills and lignocellulosic biorefineries. A high cellulose and low lignin content contributes to making the fiber sludge suitable for bioconversion, even without a thermochemical pretreatment step. In this study, the possibility to combine production of BC and hydrolytic enzymes from fiber sludge was investigated. The BC was characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, and its mechanical properties were investigated. Results Bacterial cellulose and enzymes were produced through sequential fermentations with the bacterium Gluconacetobacter xylinus and the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei. Fiber sludges from sulfate (SAFS) and sulfite (SIFS) processes were hydrolyzed enzymatically without prior thermochemical pretreatment and the resulting hydrolysates were used for BC production. The highest volumetric yields of BC from SAFS and SIFS were 11 and 10 g/L (DW), respectively. The BC yield on initial sugar in hydrolysate-based medium reached 0.3 g/g after seven days of cultivation. The tensile strength of wet BC from hydrolysate medium was about 0.04 MPa compared to about 0.03 MPa for BC from a glucose-based reference medium, while the crystallinity was slightly lower for BC from hydrolysate cultures. The spent hydrolysates were used for production of cellulase with T. reesei. The cellulase activity (CMCase activity) in spent SAFS and SIFS hydrolysates reached 5.2 U/mL (87 nkat/mL), which was similar to the activity level obtained in a reference medium containing equal amounts of reducing sugar. Conclusions It was shown that waste fiber sludge is a suitable raw material for production of

Effect of thermal pretreatment on the biogas production and microbial communities balance during anaerobic digestion of urban and industrial waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Ennouri, Hajer; Miladi, Baligh; Diaz, Soraya Zahedi; Güelfo, Luis Alberto Fernández; Solera, Rosario; Hamdi, Moktar; Bouallagui, Hassib

2016-08-01

The effect of thermal pre-treatment on the microbial populations balance and biogas production was studied during anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) coming from urban (US: urban sludge) and industrial (IS: industrial sludge) wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The highest biogas yields of 0.42l/gvolatile solid (VS) removed and 0.37l/gVS removed were obtained with urban and industrial sludge pre-treated at 120°C, respectively. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to quantify the major Bacteria and Archaea groups. Compared to control trails without pretreatment, Archaea content increased from 34% to 86% and from 46% to 83% for pretreated IS and US, respectively. In fact, the thermal pre-treatment of WAS enhanced the growth of hydrogen-using methanogens (HUMs), which consume rapidly the H2 generated to allow the acetogenesis. Therefore, the stable and better performance of digesters was observed involving the balance and syntrophic associations between the different microbial populations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in enterococci and genomic DNA during anaerobic digestion of pharmaceutical waste sludge with different pretreatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Juan; Lu, XueTing; Zhang, JunYa; Sui, Qianwen; Wang, Rui; Chen, Meixue; Wei, Yuansong

2017-07-01

Pharmaceutical waste sludge harbors large amounts of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and it is necessary to study the reduction of ARGs and MGEs during sludge treatment. Therefore, the antibiotic resistance phenotypes and genotypes of enterococci, and the ARGs and MGEs in genomic DNA were investigated during anaerobic digestion (AD) with microwave (MW), thermal hydrolysis (TH) and ozone pretreatment. Results showed that sludge pretreatment increased the occurrence of the resistance phenotypes and genotypes of enterococci. During AD, the resistance of enterococci to macrolides decreased, except for in the MW-pretreated sludge. Horizontal gene transfer and co-occurrence of ermB and tetM in enterococci resulted in increased tetracycline resistance of enterococci throughout the sludge treatment. MGEs such as intI1, ISCR1 and Tn916/1545 had a significant effect on the distribution of ARGs. AD with pretreatment, especially TH pretreatment, resulted in greater ARGs and MGEs reduction and improved methane production. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

High efficiency bio-hydrogen production from glucose revealed in an inoculum of heat-pretreated landfill leachate sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, Y.M.; Juan, J.C.; Ting, Adeline; Wu, T.Y.

2014-01-01

Bio-hydrogen is a promising sustainable energy to replace fossil fuels. This study investigated bio-H 2 production from the inoculum of heat-pretreated landfill leachate sludge using glucose as model substrate. The seed sludge pretreated at 65 °C showed the highest amount of H 2 at the optimum condition of pH 6 and 37 °C. The maximum H 2 yield estimated by the modified Gompertz model was 6.43 mol H 2 /mol glucose. The high efficient of H 2 production is thermodynamically feasible with the Gibbs free energy of −34 kJ/mol. This study reveals that pretreated landfill leachate sludge has considerable potential for H 2 production. - Highlights: • Heat retreated landfill leachate sludge revealed high efficient H 2 production. • High efficient H 2 yield, 6.4 mol H 2 /mol glucose. • The synergisms between H 2 -producing bacteria may responsible for the high H 2 yield. • High H 2 yield is thermodynamically feasible with Gibbs free energy of −34 kJ/mol

Multivariate analysis of sludge disintegration by microwave-hydrogen peroxide pretreatment process.

Science.gov (United States)

Ya-Wei, Wang; Cheng-Min, Gui; Xiao-Tang, Ni; Mei-Xue, Chen; Yuan-Song, Wei

2015-01-01

Microwave irradiation (with H2O2) has been shown to offer considerable advantages owing to its flexible control, low overall cost, and resulting higher soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD); accordingly, the method has been proposed recently as a means of improving sludge disintegration. However, the key factor controlling this sludge pretreatment process, pH, has received insufficient attention to date. To address this, the response surface approach (central composite design) was applied to evaluate the effects of total suspended solids (TSS, 2-20 g/L), pH (4-10), and H2O2 dosage (0-2 w/w) and their interactions on 16 response variables (e.g., SCODreleased, pH, H2O2remaining). The results demonstrated that all three factors affect sludge disintegration significantly, and no pronounced interactions between response variables were observed during disintegration, except for three variables (TCOD, TSSremaining, and H2O2 remaining). Quadratic predictive models were constructed for all 16 response variables (R(2): 0.871-0.991). Taking soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) as an example, the model and coefficients derived above were able to predict the performance of microwave pretreatment (enhanced by H2O2 and pH adjustment) from previously published studies. The predictive models developed were able to optimize the treatment process for multiple disintegration objectives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal pre-treatment of primary and secondary sludge at 70 °C prior to anaerobic digestion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skiadas, Ioannis; Gavala, Hariklia N.; Lu, J.

2005-01-01

In general, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is more widely used compared tothermophilic digestion, mainly because of the lower energy requirements and higher stability of the process. However, the thermophilic anaerobic digestion process is usually characterised by accelerated...... studyinvestigates the effect of the pre-treatment at 70 °C on thermophilic (55 °C) anaerobic digestion of primaryand secondary sludge in continuously operated digesters. Thermal pre-treatment of primary and secondarysludge at 70 °C enhanced the removal of organic matter and the methane production during...... the subsequentanaerobic digestion step at 55 °C. It also greatly contributed to the destruction of pathogens present inprimary sludge. Finally it results in enhanced microbial activities of the subsequent anaerobic stepsuggesting that the same efficiencies in organic matter removal and methane recovery could be obtained...

Ozonation and Thermal Pre-Treatment of Municipal Sewage Sludge-Implications for Toxicity and Methane Potential

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davidsson, A.; Eriksson, Eva; Fick, J.

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine effects on methane potential and overall sludge quality from two different sludge pre-treatment technologies (ozonation high/low dosage and thermal treatment 55/70 degrees C). In general both treatments produced increased methane potential. Thermal treatment...... by ozone treatment and digestion. No statistical significant reduction in concentrations of included pharmaceuticals could be observed....

Influence of pretreatment techniques on anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill sludge: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Veluchamy, C; Kalamdhad, Ajay S

2017-12-01

Pulp and paper industry is one of the most polluting, energy and water intensive industries in the world. Produced pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) faces a major problem for handling and its management. An anaerobic digestion has become an alternative source. This review provides a detailed summary of anaerobic digestion of PPMS - An overview of the developments and improvement opportunities. This paper explores the different pretreatment methods to enhance biogas production from the PPMS. First, the paper gives an overview of PPMS production, and then it reviews PPMS as a substrate for anaerobic digestion with or without pretreatment. Finally, it discuss the optimal condition and concentration of organic and inorganic compounds required for the anaerobic metabolic activity. Future research should focus on the combination of different pretreatment technologies, relationship between sludge composition, reactor design and its operation, and microbial community dynamics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sewage sludge pretreatment and disposal. (Latest citations from the NTIS Bibliographic database). Published Search

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-09-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning techniques and equipment used in the pretreatment processes and disposal of sewage sludges. Topics include resource and energy recovery operations, land disposal, composting, ocean disposal, and incineration. Digestion, dewatering, and disinfection are among the pretreatment processes discussed. Environmental aspects, including the effects on soils, plants, and animals, are also presented. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Reduction of sludge production from WWTP using thermal pretreatment and enhanced anaerobic methanisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Graja, S; Chauzy, J; Fernandes, P; Patria, L; Cretenot, D

2005-01-01

The objective of the study presented here was to investigate the performance of an enhanced two-step anaerobic process for the treatment of WWTP sludge. This process was developed to answer the urgent need currently faced by WWTP operators to reduce the production of biosolids, for which disposal pathways are facing increasing difficulties. A pilot plant was operated on a full-scale WWTP (2,500 p.e.) over a period of 4 months. It consisted of a thermal pre-treatment of excess sludge at 175 degrees C and 40 min, followed by dewatering and methanisation of the centrate in a fixed-film reactor. The thermal lysis had a two-fold enhancing effect on sludge reduction efficiency: firstly, it allowed a decrease of the HRT in the methaniser to 2.9 days and secondly, it yielded biosolids with a high dewaterability. This contributed to further reductions in the final volume of sludge to be disposed of. The two-step process achieved a sludge reduction efficiency of 65% as TSS, thus giving an interesting treatment option for WWTP facing sludge disposal problems.

Does residual H2O2 result in inhibitory effect on enhanced anaerobic digestion of sludge pretreated by microwave-H2O2 pretreatment process?

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jibao; Jia, Ruilai; Wang, Yawei; Wei, Yuansong; Zhang, Junya; Wang, Rui; Cai, Xing

2017-04-01

This study investigated the effects of residual H 2 O 2 on hydrolysis-acidification and methanogenesis stages of anaerobic digestion after microwave-H 2 O 2 (MW-H 2 O 2 ) pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS). Results showed that high sludge solubilization at 35-45 % was achieved after pretreatment, while large amounts of residual H 2 O 2 remained and refractory compounds were thus generated with high dosage of H 2 O 2 (0.6 g H 2 O 2 /g total solids (TS), 1.0 g H 2 O 2 /g TS) pretreatment. The residual H 2 O 2 not only inhibited hydrolysis-acidification stage mildly, such as hydrolase activity, but also had acute toxic effect on methanogens, resulting in long lag phase, low methane yield rate, and no increase of cumulative methane production during the 30-day BMP tests. When the low dosage of H 2 O 2 at 0.2 g H 2 O 2 /g TS was used in MW-H 2 O 2 pretreatment, sludge anaerobic digestion was significantly enhanced. The cumulative methane production increased by 29.02 %, but still with a lag phase of 1.0 day. With removing the residual H 2 O 2 by catalase, the initial lag phase of hydrolysis-acidification stage decreased from 1.0 to 0.5 day.

Enhanced short-chain fatty acids production from waste activated sludge by combining calcium peroxide with free ammonia pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dongbo; Shuai, Kun; Xu, Qiuxiang; Liu, Xuran; Li, Yifu; Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Qilin; Li, Xiaoming; Zeng, Guangming; Yang, Qi

2018-08-01

This study reported a new low-cost and high-efficient combined method of CaO 2  + free ammonia (FA) pretreatment for sludge anaerobic fermentation. Experimental results showed that the optimal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) yield of 338.6 mg COD/g VSS was achieved when waste activated sludge (WAS) was pretreated with 0.05 g/g VSS of CaO 2  + 180 mg/L of FA for 3 d, which was 2.5-fold of that from CaO 2 pretreatment and 1.5-fold of that from FA pretreatment. The mechanism investigations exhibited that the CaO 2  + FA could provided more biodegradable substrates, this combination accelerated the disintegration of sludge cells, which thereby providing more organics for subsequent SCFA production. It was also found that the combination of CaO 2 and FA inhibited the specific activities of hydrolytic microbes, SCFA producers, and methanogens to some extents, but its inhibition to methanogens was much severer than that to the other two types of microbes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrasound coupled with Fenton oxidation pre-treatment of sludge to release organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Changxiu [School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Jiang, Jianguo, E-mail: jianguoj@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, Ministry of Education of China (China); Collaborative Innovation Center for Regional Environmental Quality, Tsinghua University, Beijing (China); Li, De' an [School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2015-11-01

We focused on the effects of ultrasound and Fenton reagent in ultrasonic coupling Fenton oxidation (U + F) pre-treatment processes on the disintegration of wastewater treatment plant sludge. The results demonstrated that U + F treatment could significantly increase soluble COD, TOC, total N, proteins, total P and PO{sub 4}{sup 3−} concentrations in sludge supernatant. This method was more effective than ultrasonic (U) or Fenton oxidation (F) treatment alone. U + F treatment increased the soluble COD by 2.1- and 1.4-fold compared with U and F alone, respectively. U + F treatment increased the total N and P by 1.7- and 2.2-fold, respectively, compared with F alone. After U + F treatment, sludge showed a considerably finer particle size and looser microstructure based on scanning electron microscopy, and the highest OH· signal intensity increased from 568.7 by F treatment to 1106.3 using electron spin resonance. This demonstrated that U + F treatment induces disintegration of sludge and release of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus better. - Highlights: • Combined ultrasound–Fenton pre-treatment was proposed for sludge disintegration. • Ultrasound–Fenton significantly increased carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus release. • Higher level of OH· was detected after combined disintegration than Fenton.

Ultrasound coupled with Fenton oxidation pre-treatment of sludge to release organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong, Changxiu; Jiang, Jianguo; Li, De'an

2015-01-01

We focused on the effects of ultrasound and Fenton reagent in ultrasonic coupling Fenton oxidation (U + F) pre-treatment processes on the disintegration of wastewater treatment plant sludge. The results demonstrated that U + F treatment could significantly increase soluble COD, TOC, total N, proteins, total P and PO 4 3− concentrations in sludge supernatant. This method was more effective than ultrasonic (U) or Fenton oxidation (F) treatment alone. U + F treatment increased the soluble COD by 2.1- and 1.4-fold compared with U and F alone, respectively. U + F treatment increased the total N and P by 1.7- and 2.2-fold, respectively, compared with F alone. After U + F treatment, sludge showed a considerably finer particle size and looser microstructure based on scanning electron microscopy, and the highest OH· signal intensity increased from 568.7 by F treatment to 1106.3 using electron spin resonance. This demonstrated that U + F treatment induces disintegration of sludge and release of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus better. - Highlights: • Combined ultrasound–Fenton pre-treatment was proposed for sludge disintegration. • Ultrasound–Fenton significantly increased carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus release. • Higher level of OH· was detected after combined disintegration than Fenton

How does free ammonia-based sludge pretreatment improve methane production from anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dongbo; Liu, Bowen; Liu, Xuran; Xu, Qiuxiang; Yang, Qi; Liu, Yiwen; Zeng, Guangming; Li, Xiaoming; Ni, Bing-Jie

2018-09-01

Previous studies reported that free ammonia (FA) pretreatment could improve methane production from anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) effectively. However, details of how FA pretreatment improves methane production are poorly understood. This study therefore aims to reveal the underlying mechanisms of FA pretreatment affecting anaerobic digestion of WAS through a series of batch tests using either real sludge or synthetic media as the digestion substrates at different pH values. At pH 8.5 level, with an increase of FA level from 18.5 to 92.5 mg/L (i.e., NH+ 4-N: 100-500 mg/L; pH 8.5) the maximum methane yield varied between 194.0 ± 3.9 and 196.9 ± 7.7 mL/g of VSS (25 °C, 1 atm). At pH 9.5 or 10 level, however, with an increase of initial FA level from 103.2 to 516.2 mg/L, the maximal methane yield increased linearly. The mechanism studies revealed that FA pretreatment at high levels not only accelerated the disintegration of WAS but also enhanced the biodegradability of WAS. Although pH in the digesters was adjusted to 7.0 ± 0.1, the high levels of NH+ 4-N added or released led to substantial levels of residual FA ranging from 4.4 to 11.6 mg/L. It was found that this level of FA inhibited homoacetogenesis and methanogenesis significantly, though hydrolysis, acidogenesis, and acetogenesis processes were unaffected largely. Further analyses showed that the inhibition constant of FA to substrate degradation was in the sequence of dextran > glucose > hydrogen > acetate, indicating the methanogenesis process was more sensitive to FA. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of waste-activated sludge pretreatment using hydrodynamic cavitation for methane production.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ilgyu; Han, Jong-In

2013-11-01

Disintegration of waste-activated sludge (WAS) is regarded as a prerequisite of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process to reduce sludge volume and increase methane yield. Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC), which shares a similar underlying principle with ultrasonication but is energy-efficient, was employed as a physical means to break up WAS. Compared with ultrasonic (180-3600 kJ/kg TS) and thermal methods (72,000 kJ/kg TS), HC (60-1200 kJ/kg TS) found to consume significantly low power. A synergetic effect was observed when HC was combined with alkaline treatment in which NaOH, KOH, and Ca(OH)2 were used as alkaline catalysts at pH ranging from 8 to 13. As expected, the production yield of CH4 gas increased proportionally as WAS disintegration proceeded. HC, when combined with alkaline pretreatment, was found to be a cost-effective substitute to conventional methods for WAS pretreatment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Peracetic acid oxidation as an alternative pre-treatment for the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Appels, Lise; Van Assche, Ado; Willems, Kris; Degrève, Jan; Van Impe, Jan; Dewil, Raf

2011-03-01

Anaerobic digestion is generally considered to be an economic and environmentally friendly technology for treating waste activated sludge, but has some limitations, such as the time it takes for the sludge to be digested and also the ineffectiveness of degrading the solids. Various pre-treatment technologies have been suggested to overcome these limitations and to improve the biogas production rate by enhancing the hydrolysis of organic matter. This paper studies the use of peracetic acid for disintegrating sludge as a pre-treatment of anaerobic digestion. It has been proved that this treatment effectively leads to a solubilisation of organic material. A maximum increase in biogas production by 21% is achieved. High dosages of PAA lead to a decrease in biogas production. This is due to the inhibition of the anaerobic micro-organisms by the high VFA-concentrations. The evolution of the various VFAs during digestion is studied and the observed trends support this hypothesis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synergistic pretreatment of waste activated sludge using CaO_2 in combination with microwave irradiation to enhance methane production during anaerobic digestion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jie; Li, Yongmei

2016-01-01

Highlights: • CaO_2/MW pretreatment synergistically enhanced WAS solubilization and CH_4 production. • MW irradiation facilitated more "·OH generation from CaO_2. • The optimal pretreatment condition for methane production was determined. • The growths of both hydrogenotrophic and acetate-utilizing methanogens were promoted. • The dewaterability of WAS was improved considerably by CaO_2/MW treatment. - Abstract: To investigate the effects of combined calcium peroxide (CaO_2) and microwave pretreatment on anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge, lab-scale experiments were conducted to measure the solubilization, biodegradation, and dewaterability of the waste activated sludge. Additionally, the synergistic effects between CaO_2 and microwave were studied, and the microbial activity and methanogenic archaea community structure were analyzed. Combined pretreatment considerably facilitated the solubilization and subsequent anaerobic digestion of the waste activated sludge. The optimal pretreatment condition was CaO_2 (0.1 g/gVSS)/microwave (480 W, 2 min) for methane production during the subsequent anaerobic digestion process. Under this condition, 80.2% higher CH_4 accumulation yield was achieved after 16 d of anaerobic digestion when compared with the control. The synergistic effects of CaO_2/microwave pretreatment resulted from the different mechanisms of CaO_2 and microwave treatments. Further, microwave irradiation increased "·OH generation from CaO_2 and significantly alleviated the inhibitory effect of CaO_2 on methanogens. The activities of hydrolytic enzymes and acid-forming enzymes in the waste activated sludge were improved after CaO_2 (0.1 g/gVSS)/microwave (480 W, 2 min) pretreatment. Methanogenesis enzyme activity was also higher after CaO_2 treatment (0.1 g/gVSS)/microwave (480 W, 2 min) following a lag period. Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis indicated that acetate-utilizing methanogen (Methanosaeta sp.) and H_2/CO_2-utilizing

Ozonation and thermal pre-treatment of municipal sewage sludge – Implications for toxicity and methane potential

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davidsson, A.; Eriksson, Eva; Fick, J.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects on the methane potential and the overall sludge quality from two different sludge pre-treatment technologies (ozonation high/low dosage and thermal treatment 55/70 °C). In general both treatments gave an increased methane potential. The thermal t...... treatment resulted in higher chemical oxygen demand (COD)-solubilisation, while the highest volatile fatty acids (VFA) increase was obtained with ozonation. The sludges had inhibiting effects in a barley seed germination assay and a yeast oestrogen screen both before and after pre...

A novel free ammonia based pretreatment technology to enhance anaerobic methane production from primary sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Wei; Zhou, Xu; Xie, Guo-Jun; Duan, Haoran; Wang, Qilin

2017-10-01

This study proposed a novel free ammonia (FA, i.e., NH 3 ) pretreatment technology to enhance anaerobic methane production from primary sludge for the first time. The solubilization of primary sludge was substantially enhanced following 24 h FA pretreatment (250-680 mg NH 3 -N/L), by which the release of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) (i.e., 0.4 mg SCOD/mg VS added; VS: volatile solids) was approximately 10 times as much as that without pretreatment (i.e., 0.03 mg SCOD/mg VS added). Then, biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests demonstrated that FA pretreatment of 250-680 mg NH 3 -N/L was capable of enhancing anaerobic methane production while the digestion time was more than 7 days. Model based analysis indicated that the improved anaerobic methane production was due to an increased biochemical methane potential (B 0 ) of 8-17% (i.e., from 331 to 357-387 L CH 4 /kg VS added), with the highest B 0 achieved at 420 mg NH 3 -N/L pretreatment. However, FA pretreatment of 250-680 mg NH 3 -N/L decreased hydrolysis rate (k) by 24-38% compared with control (i.e., from 0.29 d -1 to 0.18-0.22 d -1 ), which explained the lower methane production over the first 7 days' digestion period. Economic analysis and environmental evaluation demonstrated that FA pretreatment technology was environmentally friendly and economically favorable. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2245-2252. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of acid detergent fiber in hydrothermally pretreated sewage sludge on anaerobic digestion process

Science.gov (United States)

Takasaki, Rikiya; Yuan, Lee Chang; Kamahara, Hirotsugu; Atsuta, Youichi; Daimon, Hiroyuki

2017-10-01

Hydrothermal treatment is one of the pre-treatment method for anaerobic digestion. The application of hydrothermal treatment to sewage sludge of wastewater treatment plant has been succeeded to enhance the biogas production. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively clarify the effect of hydrothermal treatment on anaerobic digestion process focusing on acid detergent fiber (ADF) in sewage sludge, which is low biodegradability. The hydrothermal treatment experiment was carried out for 15 minutes between 160 °C and 200 °C respectively. The ADF content was decreased after hydrothermal treatment compared with untreated sludge. However, ADF content was increased when raising the treatment temperature from 160 °C to 200 °C. During batch anaerobic digestion experiment, untreated and treated sludge were examined for 10 days under 38 °C, and all samples were fed once based on volatile solids of samples. From batch anaerobic digestion experiment, as ADF content in sewage sludge increased, the total biogas production decreased. It was found that ADF content in sewage sludge influence on anaerobic digestion. Therefore, ADF could be one of the indicator to evaluate the effect of hydrothermal treatment to sewage sludge on anaerobic digestion.

Validation Testing of the Nitric Acid Dissolution Step Within the K Basin Sludge Pretreatment Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AJ Schmidt; CH Delegard; KL Silvers; PR Bredt; CD Carlson; EW Hoppe; JC Hayes; DE Rinehart; SR Gano; BM Thornton

1999-01-01

The work described in this report involved comprehensive bench-scale testing of nitric acid (HNO 3 ) dissolution of actual sludge materials from the Hanford K East (KE) Basin to confirm the baseline chemical pretreatment process. In addition, process monitoring and material balance information was collected to support the development and refinement of process flow diagrams. The testing was performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)for the US Department of Energy's Office of Spent Fuel Stabilization (EM-67) and Numatec Hanford Corporation (NHC) to assist in the development of the K Basin Sludge Pretreatment Process. The baseline chemical pretreatment process for K Basin sludge is nitric acid dissolution of all particulate material passing a 1/4-in. screen. The acid-insoluble fraction (residual solids) will be stabilized (possibly by chemical leaching/rinsing and grouting), packaged, and transferred to the Hanford Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF). The liquid fraction is to be diluted with depleted uranium for uranium criticality safety and iron nitrate for plutonium criticality safety, and neutralized with sodium hydroxide. The liquid fraction and associated precipitates are to be stored in the Hanford Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS) pending vitrification. It is expected that most of the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), associated with some K Basin sludges, will remain with the residual solids for ultimate disposal to ERDF. Filtration and precipitation during the neutralization step will further remove trace quantities of PCBs within the liquid fraction. The purpose of the work discussed in this report was to examine the dissolution behavior of actual KE Basin sludge materials at baseline flowsheet conditions and validate the.dissolution process step through bench-scale testing. The progress of the dissolution was evaluated by measuring the solution electrical conductivity and concentrations of key species in the dissolver

Validation Testing of the Nitric Acid Dissolution Step Within the K Basin Sludge Pretreatment Process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

AJ Schmidt; CH Delegard; KL Silvers; PR Bredt; CD Carlson; EW Hoppe; JC Hayes; DE Rinehart; SR Gano; BM Thornton

1999-03-24

The work described in this report involved comprehensive bench-scale testing of nitric acid (HNO{sub 3}) dissolution of actual sludge materials from the Hanford K East (KE) Basin to confirm the baseline chemical pretreatment process. In addition, process monitoring and material balance information was collected to support the development and refinement of process flow diagrams. The testing was performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)for the US Department of Energy's Office of Spent Fuel Stabilization (EM-67) and Numatec Hanford Corporation (NHC) to assist in the development of the K Basin Sludge Pretreatment Process. The baseline chemical pretreatment process for K Basin sludge is nitric acid dissolution of all particulate material passing a 1/4-in. screen. The acid-insoluble fraction (residual solids) will be stabilized (possibly by chemical leaching/rinsing and grouting), packaged, and transferred to the Hanford Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF). The liquid fraction is to be diluted with depleted uranium for uranium criticality safety and iron nitrate for plutonium criticality safety, and neutralized with sodium hydroxide. The liquid fraction and associated precipitates are to be stored in the Hanford Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS) pending vitrification. It is expected that most of the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), associated with some K Basin sludges, will remain with the residual solids for ultimate disposal to ERDF. Filtration and precipitation during the neutralization step will further remove trace quantities of PCBs within the liquid fraction. The purpose of the work discussed in this report was to examine the dissolution behavior of actual KE Basin sludge materials at baseline flowsheet conditions and validate the.dissolution process step through bench-scale testing. The progress of the dissolution was evaluated by measuring the solution electrical conductivity and concentrations of key species in the

Sequential pretreatment for cell disintegration of municipal sludge in a neutral Bio-electro-Fenton system.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Qilin; Jin, Xiaochen; Zhang, Yaobin

2018-05-15

Sludge cell disruption was generally considered as the rate-limiting step for the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS). Advanced oxidation processes and bio-electro-chemical systems were recently reported to enhance the hydrolysis of WAS and sludge cell disruption, while the cell-breaking processes of these systems remain unclear yet. In this study, an innovative Bio-electro-Fenton system was developed to pretreat the WAS sequentially with cathode Fenton process and anode anaerobic digestion. Significant cell disruption and dissolution intracellular organics were founded after the treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra indicated that Gram-negative bacteria were more sensitive to free radicals yielded in cathode to induce a chain reaction that destroyed the lipid-contained outer membrane, while Gram-positive bacteria with thick peptidoglycan layer were liable to be biologically decomposed in the anode. Compared with the oxidation of organic matters in the cathode Fenton, the secretion of enzyme increased in the anode which was beneficial to break down the complex matters (peptidoglycans) into simples that were available for anode oxidation by exoelectrogens. The results also showed a possible prospect for the application of this sequential pretreatment in bio-electro-Fenton systems to disrupt sludge cells and enhance the anaerobic digestion. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance and mechanism of sludge dewaterability enhanced by potassium ferrate pretreatment and calcium chloride addition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yali Liu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The potential benefits and mechanisms of potassium ferrate pretreatment and calcium chloride addition on sludge dewaterability were investigated in this study. The capillary suction time (CST was used to evaluate sludge dewaterability. Results indicated that potassium ferrate of 0.1 g/g total solids (TS and calcium chloride of 0.4 g/g TS were optimal parameters, and corresponding CST reached 43.7 s. Soluble organics in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS were determined by three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy, which was used to explain the mechanism of sludge dewaterability. The fluorescence intensities of protein-like and humic-like substances in EPS had a negative relationship with the CST. Scanning electron microscopy images indicated that calcium chloride neutralized the surface charge of particles, making the soluble protein-like substances agglomerate and form bigger flocs, consequently enhancing sludge dewaterability.

Investigation of the impacts of thermal pretreatment on waste activated sludge and development of a pretreatment model.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Gillian; Parker, Wayne

2013-09-15

This study investigated the impacts of high pressure thermal hydrolysis (HPTH) pretreatment on the distribution of chemical oxygen demand (COD) species in waste activated sludge (WAS). In the first phase of the project, WAS from a synthetically-fed biological reactor (BR) was fed to an aerobic digester (AD). In the second phase, WAS from the BR was pretreated by HPTH at 150 °C and 3 bars for 30 min prior to being fed to the AD. A range of physical, biochemical and biological properties were regularly measured in each process stream in both phases. The COD of the BR WAS consisted of storage products (XSTO), active heterotrophs (XH) and endogenous decay products (XE). Pretreatment did not increase the extent to which the BR WAS was aerobically digested and hence it was concluded that the unbiodegradable COD fraction, i.e. XE, was unchanged by pretreatment. However, pretreatment did increase the rate of degradation as it converted 36% of XH to readily biodegradable COD (SB) and the remaining XH to slowly biodegradable COD (XB). Furthermore, XSTO was fully converted to SB by pretreatment. Although pretreatment did not change the VSS concentration in the downstream aerobic digester, it did decrease the ISS concentration by 46 ± 11%. This reduced the total mass of solids produced by the digester by 21 ± 8%. A COD-based HPTH pretreatment model was developed and calibrated. When this model was integrated into BioWin 3.1(®), it was able to accurately simulate both the steady state performance of the overall system employed in this study as well as dynamic respirometry results. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy and resource utilization of deinking sludge pyrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lou, Rui; Wu, Shubin; Lv, Gaojin; Yang, Qing

2012-01-01

The thermochemical conversion technique was applied in deinking sludge from the pulp and papermaking industrial to indagate the utilization of sludge biomass to energy, and the pyrolysis characteristics and pyrolytic products of deinking sludge were studied with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer (Py-GC/MS). The static tubular furnace as an applied industrial research was used to study deinking sludge pyrolysis. The solid, gas and liquid of products was characterized by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), gas chromatograph (GC) and gas chromatograph–mass (GC/MS), respectively. The results revealed that the weight-loss process of deinking sludge was a non-isothermal reaction and composed of four stages, i.e. dewater stage, volatile releasing stage, carbon burnout stage and some calcium carbonate decomposition. Pyrolytic products from deinking sludge in the static tubular furnace were comprised of the gaseous (29.78%), condensed liquid (bio-oil, 24.41%) and solid residues (45.81%). The volatiles from deinking sludge pyrolyzing were almost aromatic hydrocarbons, i.e. styrene, toluene and benzene and few acids and the solid was calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) that can be reused as paper filler. Deinking sludge was converted into high-grade fuel and chemicals by means of thermochemical conversion techniques, hence, pyrolysis of paper deinking sludge had a promising development on the comprehensive utilization.

Innovative pretreatment strategies for biogas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Patinvoh, Regina J; Osadolor, Osagie A; Chandolias, Konstantinos; Sárvári Horváth, Ilona; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J

2017-01-01

Biogas or biomethane is traditionally produced via anaerobic digestion, or recently by thermochemical or a combination of thermochemical and biological processes via syngas (CO and H 2 ) fermentation. However, many of the feedstocks have recalcitrant structure and are difficult to digest (e.g., lignocelluloses or keratins), or they have toxic compounds (such as fruit flavors or high ammonia content), or not digestible at all (e.g., plastics). To overcome these challenges, innovative strategies for enhanced and economically favorable biogas production were proposed in this review. The strategies considered are commonly known physical pretreatment, rapid decompression, autohydrolysis, acid- or alkali pretreatments, solvents (e.g. for lignin or cellulose) pretreatments or leaching, supercritical, oxidative or biological pretreatments, as well as combined gasification and fermentation, integrated biogas production and pretreatment, innovative biogas digester design, co-digestion, and bio-augmentation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SONO-OXIDATIVE PRE-TREATMENT OF WASTE ACTIVATED SLUDGE BEFORE ANAEROBIC BIODEGRADATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Şahinkaya

Full Text Available Abstract The effects of sonication, potassium ferrate (K2FeO4 oxidation and their simultaneous combination (called "sono-oxidative pre-treatment" on chemical properties and anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS were investigated and compared comprehensively. Based on chemical parameters, the optimum operating conditions were found to be 0.3 g K2FeO4/g total solids (TS dosage for 2-h individual K2FeO4 oxidation, 0.50 W/mL ultrasonic power density for 10-min individual sonication and, lastly, the combination of 2.5-min sonication at 0.75 W/mL ultrasonic power density with 2-h chemical oxidation at 0.3 g K2FeO4/g TS dosage for sono-oxidative pre-treatment. The disintegration efficiencies of these methods under the optimized conditions were in the following descending order: 37.8% for sono-oxidative pre-treatment > 26.3% for sonication > 13.1% for K2FeO4 oxidation. The influences of these methods on anaerobic biodegradability were tested with the biochemical methane potential assay. It was seen that the cumulative methane production increased by 9.2% in the K2FeO4 oxidation reactor, 15.8% in the sonicated reactor and 18.6% in the reactor with sono-oxidative pre-treatment, compared to the control (untreated reactor.

Effect of low temperature thermal pre-treatment on the solubilization of organic matter, pathogen inactivation and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of poultry sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Espinoza, Juan E; Méndez-Contreras, Juan M; Alvarado-Lassman, Alejandro; Martínez-Delgadillo, Sergio A

2012-01-01

Treatment of poultry industry effluents produces wastewater sludge with high levels of organic compounds and pathogenic microorganisms. In this research, the thermal pre-treatment of poultry slaughterhouse sludge (PSS) was evaluated for low temperatures in combination with different exposure times as a pre-hydrolysis strategy to improve the anaerobic digestion process. Organic compounds solubilization and inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms were evaluated after treatment at 70, 80 or 90°C for 30, 60 or 90 min. The results showed that 90°C and 90 min were the most efficient conditions for solubilization of the organic compounds (10%). In addition, the bacteria populations and the more resistant structures, such as helminth eggs (HE), were completely inactivated. Finally, the thermal pre-treatment applied to the sludge increased methane yield by 52% and reduced hydraulic retention time (HRT) by 52%.

Phosphorus and short-chain fatty acids recovery from waste activated sludge by anaerobic fermentation: Effect of acid or alkali pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Liang; Zhang, Cheng; Hu, Hui; Liu, Jianyong; Duan, Tengfei; Luo, Jinghuan; Qian, Guangren

2017-09-01

Waste activated sludge (WAS) was pretreated by acid or alkali to enhance the anaerobic fermentation (AF) for phosphorus (P) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) release into the liquid simultaneously. With acid pretreatment, the released total P concentration achieved 120mg/L, which was 71.4% higher than that with alkali pretreatment. In addition, alkali pretreatment enhanced organic P release with about 35.3% of organic P in the solid being converted to inorganic P, while little had changed with acid pretreatment. The results also showed that acid and alkali pretreatment enhanced SCFAs production by 15.3 and 12.5times, respectively. Acid pretreatment could be preferred for simultaneous recovery of P and SCFAs by AF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of various techniques for the pretreatment of sewage sludges prior to trace metal analysis by atomic absorption spectrophotometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, R.

1983-01-01

Six techniques were evaluated for their suitability for the pretreatment of dried sewage sludge prior to trace metal analysis by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The evaluation comprised analysis of two prepared samples of dried sludge for aluminium, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel and zinc, after the following pretreatment: dry ashing at 500 degrees Celsius followed by extraction with dilute hydrochloric acid; dry ashing at 500 degrees Celsius followed by extraction with aqua regia; nitric acid digestion followed by extraction with hydrochloric acid; extraction with aqua regia; ashing with magnesium nitrate solution at 550 degrees Celsius followed by digestion with hydrochloric acid and extraction with nitric acid; extraction with nitric acid. Procedures involving the use of perchloric acid, hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen peroxide were not considered for reasons of safety. Except in the case of aluminium the direct mineral acid digestion and/or extraction methods generally gave higher recoveries than the procedures incorporating an ashing step. Direct extraction of the sample with aqua regia was recommended as a rapid and simple general method of sample pretreatment prior to analysis for all the metals investigated except aluminium. For this metal, more drastic sample pretreatment will be required, for example fusion or hydrofluoric acid digestion

Effect of ultrasonic and ozone pre-treatments on pharmaceutical waste activated sludge's solubilisation, reduction, anaerobic biodegradability and acute biological toxicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Jin; Yao, Hong; Wang, Hui; Shan, Dan; Jiang, Yichen; Ma, Lanqianya; Yu, Xiaohua

2015-09-01

Ultrasonic and ozone pre-treatment technologies were employed in this study to improve the anaerobic digestion efficiency of pharmaceutical waste activated sludge. The sludge solubilisation achieved 30.01% (150,000 kJ/kg TS) and 28.10% (0.1g O3/g TS) after ultrasonic treatment and ozone treatment. The anaerobic biodegradability after ultrasonic treatment was higher compared to ozonation due to the higher cumulative methane volume observed after 6 days (249 ml vs 190 ml). The ozonated sludge released the highest concentration of Cu(2+) into the liquid phase (6.640 mg L(-1)) compared to 0.530 mg/L for untreated sludge and 0.991 mg/L for sonicated sludge. The acute toxicity test measured by luminescent bacteria showed that anaerobic digestion could degrade toxic compounds and result in a reduction in toxicity. The main mechanism of action led to some differences in the treated sludge exhibiting higher potential for methane production from pharmaceutical waste sludge with ultrasonic treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of heterogeneous Fenton-like pre-treatment on anaerobic granular sludge performance and microbial community for the treatment of traditional Chinese medicine wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, Chengyuan, E-mail: suchengyuan2008@126.com [School of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin 541004 (China); School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090 (China); Li, Weiguang [School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090 (China); Lu, Yuxiang; Chen, Menglin; Huang, Zhi [School of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin 541004 (China)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • Rhein has metabolic or physiological toxicity on methanogens in anaerobic granular sludge. • TCM wastewater containing rhein can be successfully treated by the combined treatment. • The productions of the EPS of granular sludge increased after pre-treatment. • Methanoregula, Methanobacterium, Methanosphaerula were predominant in the DC reactor after pre-treatment. - Abstract: The effect of a heterogeneous Fenton-like pre-treatment on the anaerobic processes, characteristics and microbial community of sludge was investigated for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) wastewater containing rhein. When the concentrations of rhein were 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L, the toxic effect was physiological toxicity for anaerobic granular sludge. Using a single double circle (DC) reactor for the treatment of TCM wastewater containing rhein at concentrations of 15–20 mg/L, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate was 69%, and coenzyme F{sub 420} was nearly undetectable in the 3D-excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectra of soluble microbial products (SMP). The abundances of Methanoregula, Methanobacterium, Methanosphaerula were only 5.57%, 2.39% and 1.08% in the DC reactor, respectively. TCM wastewater containing rhein could be successfully treated by the combination of the heterogeneous Fenton-like pre-treatment and the DC reactor processes, and the COD removal rate reached 95%. Meanwhile, the abundances of Methanoregula, Methanobacterium, Methanosphaerula increased to 22.5%, 18.5%, and 13.87%, respectively. For the bacterial community, the abundance of Acidobacteria-Gp6 decreased from 6.99% to 1.07%, while the abundances of Acidobacteria-Gp1 and Acidobacteria-Gp2 increased from 1.61% to 6.55% and from 1.28% to 5.87%, respectively.

Sewage sludge pretreatment and disposal. January 1980-February 1992 (Citations from the NTIS Data Base). Rept. for Jan 80-Feb 92

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-02-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning techniques and equipment used in the pretreatment processes and disposal of sewage sludges. Topics include resource and energy recovery operations, land disposal, composting, ocean disposal, and incineration. Digestion, dewatering, and disinfection are among the pretreatment processes discussed. Environmental aspects, including the effects on soils, plants, and animals, are also presented. (Contains 181 citations with title list and subject index.)

Energy-positive sewage sludge pre-treatment with a novel ultrasonic flatbed reactor at low energy input.

Science.gov (United States)

Lippert, Thomas; Bandelin, Jochen; Musch, Alexandra; Drewes, Jörg E; Koch, Konrad

2018-05-20

The performance of a novel ultrasonic flatbed reactor for sewage sludge pre-treatment was assessed for three different waste activated sludges. The study systematically investigated the impact of specific energy input (200 - 3,000 kJ/kg TS ) on the degree of disintegration (DD COD , i.e. ratio between ultrasonically and maximum chemically solubilized COD) and methane production enhancement. Relationship between DD COD and energy input was linear, for all sludges tested. Methane yields were significantly increased for both low (200 kJ/kg TS ) and high (2,000 - 3,000 kJ/kg TS ) energy inputs, while intermediate inputs (400 - 1,000 kJ/kg TS ) showed no significant improvement. High inputs additionally accelerated reaction kinetics, but were limited to similar gains as low inputs (max. 12%), despite the considerably higher DD COD values. Energy balance was only positive for 200 kJ/kg TS -treatments, with a maximum energy recovery of 122%. Results suggest that floc deagglomeration rather than cell lysis (DD COD =1% - 5% at 200 kJ/kg TS ) is the key principle of energy-positive sludge sonication. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gravity settling of Hanford single-shell tank sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brooks, K.P.; Rector, D.R.; Smith, P.A.

1999-01-01

The US Department of Energy plans to use gravity settling in million-gallon storage tanks while pretreating sludge on the Hanford site. To be considered viable in these large tanks, the supernatant must become clear, and the sludge must be concentrated in an acceptable time. These separations must occur over the wide range of conditions associated with sludge pretreatment. In the work reported here, gravity settling was studied with liter quantities of actual single-shell tank sludge from hanford Tank 241-C-107. Because of limited sludge availability, an approach was developed using the results of these liter-scale tests to predict full-scale operation. Samples were centrifuged at various g-forces to simulate compaction with higher layers of sludge. A semi-empirical settling model was then developed incorporating both the liter-scale settling data and the centrifuge compression results to describe the sludge behavior in a million-gallon tank. The settling model predicted that the compacted sludge solids would exceed 20 wt% in less than 30 days of settling in a 10-m-tall tank for all pretreatment steps

Destroying lignocellulosic matters for enhancing methane production from excess sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Xiaodi; Hu, Yuansheng; Cao, Daqi

2016-01-01

A lot of lignocellulosic matters are usually present in excess sludge, which are hardly degraded in anaerobic digestion (AD) and thus remains mostly in digested sludge. This is a reason why the conversion rate of sludge organics into energy (CH4) is often low. Obviously, the hydrolysis of AD cannot destruct the structure of lignocellulosic matters. Structural destruction of lignocellulosic matters has to be performed in AD. In this study, pretreatments with the same principles as cell disintegration of sludge were applied to destruct lignocellulosic matters so that these materials could be converted to CH4 via AD. Acid, alkali, thermal treatment and ultrasonic were used in the experiments to observe the destructed/degraded efficiency of lignocellulosic matters. Thermal treatment was found to be the most effective pretreatment. Under optimized conditions (T = 150 °C and t = 30  min), pretreated sludge had a degraded rate of 52.6% in AD, due to easy destruction and/or degradation of hemicelluloses and celluloses in pretreatment. The sludge pretreated by thermal treatment could enhance the CH4 yield (mL CH4 g(-1) VSS) by 53.6% compared to raw sludge. Economically, the thermal treatment can balance the input energy with the produced energy (steam and electricity).

Thermal decomposition of sewage sludge under N2, CO2 and air: Gas characterization and kinetic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Ana Belén; Okonta, Felix; Freeman, Ntuli

2017-07-01

Thermochemical valorisation processes that allow energy to be recovered from sewage sludge, such as pyrolysis and gasification, have demonstrated great potential as convenient alternatives to conventional sewage sludge disposal technologies. Moreover, these processes may benefit from CO 2 recycling. Today, the scaling up of these technologies requires an advanced knowledge of the reactivity of sewage sludge and the characteristics of the products, specific to the thermochemical process. In this study the behaviour of sewage sludge during thermochemical conversion, under different atmospheres (N 2 , CO 2 and air), was studied, using TGA-FTIR, in order to understand the effects of different atmospheric gases on the kinetics of degradation and on the gaseous products. The different steps observed during the solid degradation were related with the production of different gaseous compounds. A higher oxidative degree of the atmosphere surrounding the sample resulted in higher reaction rates and a shift of the degradation mechanisms to lower temperatures, especially for the mechanisms taking place at temperatures above 400 °C. Finally, a multiple first-order reaction model was proposed to compare the kinetic parameters obtained under different atmospheres. Overall, the highest activation energies were obtained for combustion. This work proves that CO 2 , an intermediate oxidative atmosphere between N 2 and air, results in an intermediate behaviour (intermediate peaks in the derivative thermogravimetric curves and intermediate activation energies) during the thermochemical decomposition of sewage sludge. Overall, it can be concluded that the kinetics of these different processes require a different approach for their scaling up and specific consideration of their characteristic reaction temperatures and rates should be evaluated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biological sludge solubilisation for reduction of excess sludge production in wastewater treatment process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, T; Yao, Y; Kihara, Y

2006-01-01

A novel sludge disintegration system (JFE-SD system) was developed for the reduction of excess sludge production in wastewater treatment plants. Chemical and biological treatments were applied to disintegrate excess sludge. At the first step, to enhance biological disintegration, the sludge was pretreated with alkali. At the second step, the sludge was disintegrated by biological treatment. Many kinds of sludge degrading microorganisms integrated the sludge. The efficiency of the new sludge disintegration system was confirmed in a full-scale experiment. The JFE-SD system reduced excess sludge production by approximately 50% during the experimental period. The quality of effluent was kept at quite a good level. Economic analysis revealed that this system could significantly decrease the excess sludge treatment cost.

Comparative assessment of municipal sewage sludge incineration, gasification and pyrolysis for a sustainable sludge-to-energy management in Greece.

Science.gov (United States)

Samolada, M C; Zabaniotou, A A

2014-02-01

For a sustainable municipal sewage sludge management, not only the available technology, but also other parameters, such as policy regulations and socio-economic issues should be taken in account. In this study, the current status of both European and Greek Legislation on waste management, with a special insight in municipal sewage sludge, is presented. A SWOT analysis was further developed for comparison of pyrolysis with incineration and gasification and results are presented. Pyrolysis seems to be the optimal thermochemical treatment option compared to incineration and gasification. Sewage sludge pyrolysis is favorable for energy savings, material recovery and high added materials production, providing a 'zero waste' solution. Finally, identification of challenges and barriers for sewage sludge pyrolysis deployment in Greece was investigated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of titanium dioxide mediated dairy waste activated sludge deflocculation on the efficiency of bacterial disintegration and cost of sludge management.

Science.gov (United States)

Godvin Sharmila, V; Kavitha, S; Rajashankar, K; Yeom, Ick Tae; Rajesh Banu, J

2015-12-01

This investigation explores the influence of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in deflocculating (removal of extracellular polymeric substance - EPS) the sludge and subsequent biomass disintegration by bacterial pretreatment. The EPS removed at an optimized TiO2 dosage of 0.03g/g of SS of TiO2 and a solar radiation exposure time of 15min to enhance the subsequent bacterial disintegration. The outcomes of the bacterial pretreatment reveal SS reduction and COD solubilization for the deflocculated (EPS removed and bacterially pretreated) sludge was observed to be 22.8% and 22.9% which was comparatively greater than flocculated (raw sludge inoculated with bacteria) and control (raw) sludge. The higher methane production potential of about 0.43(gCOD/gVSS) was obtained in deflocculated sludge than the flocculated (0.20gCOD/gVSS) and control (0.073gCOD/gVSS). Economic assessment of this study provides a net profit of about 131.9USD/Ton in deflocculated sludge. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feasibility of enhancing short-chain fatty acids production from sludge anaerobic fermentation at free nitrous acid pretreatment: Role and significance of Tea saponin.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Qiuxiang; Liu, Xuran; Zhao, Jianwei; Wang, Dongbo; Wang, Qilin; Li, Xiaoming; Yang, Qi; Zeng, Guangming

2018-04-01

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), raw substrates for biodegradable plastic production and preferred carbon source for biological nutrients removal, can be produced from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS). This paper reports a new, high-efficient and eco-friendly strategy, i.e., using free nitrous acid (FNA) pretreatment combined with Tea saponin (TS), to enhance SCFA production. Experimental results showed 0.90 mg/L FNA pretreatment and 0.05 g/g total suspended solids TS addition (FNA + TS) not only significantly increased SCFA production to 315.3 ± 8.8 mg COD/g VSS (5.52, 1.76 and 1.93 times higher than that from blank, solo FNA and solo TS, respectively) but also shortened fermentation time to 4 days. Mechanism investigations revealed that FNA pretreatment combined with TS cause a positive synergetic effect on sludge solubilization, resulting in more release of organics. It was also found that the combination benefited hydrolysis and acidogenesis processes but inhibited the methanogenesis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mild-temperature thermochemical pretreatment of green macroalgal biomass: Effects on solubilization, methanation, and microbial community structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Heejung; Baek, Gahyun; Kim, Jaai; Shin, Seung Gu; Lee, Changsoo

2016-01-01

The effects of mild-temperature thermochemical pretreatments with HCl or NaOH on the solubilization and biomethanation of Ulva biomass were assessed. Within the explored region (0-0.2M HCl/NaOH, 60-90°C), both methods were effective for solubilization (about 2-fold increase in the proportion of soluble organics), particularly under high-temperature and high-chemical-dose conditions. However, increased solubilization was not translated into enhanced biogas production for both methods. Response surface analysis statistically revealed that HCl or NaOH addition enhances the solubilization degree while adversely affects the methanation. The thermal-only treatment at the upper-limit temperature (90°C) was estimated to maximize the biogas production for both methods, suggesting limited potential of HCl/NaOH treatment for enhanced Ulva biomethanation. Compared to HCl, NaOH had much stronger positive and negative effects on the solubilization and methanation, respectively. Methanosaeta was likely the dominant methanogen group in all trials. Bacterial community structure varied among the trials according primarily to HCl/NaOH addition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic fermentation combined with low-temperature thermal pretreatment for phosphorus-accumulating granular sludge: Release of carbon source and phosphorus as well as hydrogen production potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Jinte; Li, Yongmei

2016-10-01

Releases of organic compounds and phosphorus from phosphorus-accumulating granular sludge (PGS) and phosphorus-accumulating flocculent sludge (PFS) during low-temperature thermal pretreatment and anaerobic fermentation were investigated. Meanwhile, biogas production potential and microbial community structures were explored. The results indicate that much more soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and phosphorus were released from PGS than from PFS via low-temperature thermal pretreatment because of the higher extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content in PGS and higher ratio of phosphorus reserved in EPS. Furthermore, PGS contains more anaerobes and dead cells, resulting in much higher SCOD and volatile fatty acids release from PGS than those from PFS during fermentation. PGS fermentation facilitated the n-butyric acid production, and PGS exhibited the hydrogen production potential during fermentation due to the presence of hydrogen-producing bacteria. Therefore, anaerobic fermentation combined with low-temperature thermal pretreatment can facilitate the recovery of carbon and phosphorus as well as producing hydrogen from PGS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrasound pre-treatment for anaerobic digestion improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Elvira, S; Fdz-Polanco, M; Plaza, F I; Garralón, G; Fdz-Polanco, F

2009-01-01

Prior research indicates that ultrasounds can be used in batch reactors as pre-treatment before anaerobic digestion, but the specific energy required at laboratory-scale is too high. This work evaluates both the continuous ultrasound device performance (efficiency and solubilisation) and the operation of anaerobic digesters continuously fed with sonicated sludge, and presents energy balance considerations. The results of sludge solubilisation after the sonication treatment indicate that, applying identical specific energy, it is better to increase the power than the residence time. Working with secondary sludge, batch biodegradability tests show that by applying 30 kWh/m3 of sludge, it is possible to increase biogas production by 42%. Data from continuous pilot-scale anaerobic reactors (V=100 L) indicate that operating with a conventional HRT=20 d, a reactor fed with pre-treated sludge increases the volatile solids removal and the biogas production by 25 and 37% respectively. Operating with HRT=15 d, the removal efficiency is similar to the obtained with a reactor fed with non-hydrolysed sludge at HTR=20 d, although the specific biogas productivity per volume of reactor is higher for the pretreated sludge. Regarding the energy balance, although for laboratory-scale devices it is negative, full-scale suppliers state a net generation of 3-10 kW per kW of energy used.

Enhanced dewaterability of textile dyeing sludge using micro-electrolysis pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Xun-An; Wen, Weibin; Zhang, Yaping; Li, Ruijing; Sun, Jian; Wang, Yujie; Yang, Zuoyi; Liu, Jingyong

2015-09-15

The effects of micro-electrolysis treatment on textile dyeing sludge dewatering and its mechanisms were investigated in this study. Capillary suction time (CST) and settling velocity (SV) were used to evaluate sludge dewaterability. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) concentration and sludge disintegration degree (DDSCOD) were determined to explain the observed changes in sludge dewaterability. The results demonstrated that the micro-electrolysis could significantly improve sludge dewaterability by disrupting the sludge floc structure. The optimal conditions of sludge dewatering were the reaction time of 20 min, initial pH of 2.5, Fe/C mass ratio of 1/1, and the iron powder dosage of 2.50 g/L, which achieved good CST (from 34.1 to 27.8 s) and SV (from 75 to 60%) reduction efficiency. In addition, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed that the treated sludge floc clusters are broken up and that the dispersion degree is better than that of a raw sludge sample. The optimal EPS concentration and DDSCOD to obtain maximum sludge dewaterability was 43-46 mg/L and 4.2-4.9%, respectively. The destruction of EPS was one of the primary reasons for the improvement of sludge dewaterability during micro-electrolysis treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sewage sludge ash — A promising secondary phosphorus source for fertilizer production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herzel, Hannes, E-mail: hannes.herzel@bam.de [BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing Richard-Willstätter-Straße 11, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Krüger, Oliver [BAM Federal Institute of Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany); Hermann, Ludwig [Outotec GmbH & Co KG, Ludwig-Erhard-Straße 21, 61440 Oberursel (Germany); Adam, Christian [BAM Federal Institute of Materials Research and Testing, Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany)

2016-01-15

Sewage sludge incineration is extensively practiced in some European countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. A survey of German sewage sludge ash showed that the recovery potential is high, approx. 19,000 t of phosphorus per year. However, the survey also discovered that the bioavailability of phosphorus in the sewage sludge ash is poor and that more than half of the ashes cannot be used as fertilizers due to high heavy metal content. A new thermochemical process for sewage sludge ash treatment was developed that transforms the ash into marketable fertilizer products. Sewage sludge ash was thermochemically treated with sodium and potassium additives under reducing conditions, whereby the phosphate-bearing mineral phases were transformed into plant available phosphates. High P-bioavailability was achieved with a molar Na/P ratio > 1.75 in the starting materials. Sodium sulfate, carbonate and hydroxide performed comparably as additives for this calcination process. Potassium carbonate and -hydroxide have to be added in a molar K/P ratio > 2.5 to achieve comparable P-solubility. The findings of the laboratory scale investigations were confirmed by an industrial demonstration trial for an ash treatment with sodium sulfate. Simultaneously, the volatile transition metal arsenic (61% removal) as well as volatile heavy metals such as cadmium (80%), mercury (68%), lead (39%) and zinc (9%) were removed via the off-gas treatment system. The product of the demonstration trial is characterized by high bioavailability and a toxic trace element mass fraction below the limit values of the German fertilizer ordinance, thus fulfilling the quality parameters for a P-fertilizer. - Highlights: • Direct use of sewage sludge ashes (SSA) as fertilizer often not possible • New approach of SSA treatment aiming at P-fertilizers with high P-bioavailability • Comparison of different Na- and K-bearing additives for the thermochemical process • Evaporation of

Sewage sludge ash — A promising secondary phosphorus source for fertilizer production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herzel, Hannes; Krüger, Oliver; Hermann, Ludwig; Adam, Christian

2016-01-01

Sewage sludge incineration is extensively practiced in some European countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. A survey of German sewage sludge ash showed that the recovery potential is high, approx. 19,000 t of phosphorus per year. However, the survey also discovered that the bioavailability of phosphorus in the sewage sludge ash is poor and that more than half of the ashes cannot be used as fertilizers due to high heavy metal content. A new thermochemical process for sewage sludge ash treatment was developed that transforms the ash into marketable fertilizer products. Sewage sludge ash was thermochemically treated with sodium and potassium additives under reducing conditions, whereby the phosphate-bearing mineral phases were transformed into plant available phosphates. High P-bioavailability was achieved with a molar Na/P ratio > 1.75 in the starting materials. Sodium sulfate, carbonate and hydroxide performed comparably as additives for this calcination process. Potassium carbonate and -hydroxide have to be added in a molar K/P ratio > 2.5 to achieve comparable P-solubility. The findings of the laboratory scale investigations were confirmed by an industrial demonstration trial for an ash treatment with sodium sulfate. Simultaneously, the volatile transition metal arsenic (61% removal) as well as volatile heavy metals such as cadmium (80%), mercury (68%), lead (39%) and zinc (9%) were removed via the off-gas treatment system. The product of the demonstration trial is characterized by high bioavailability and a toxic trace element mass fraction below the limit values of the German fertilizer ordinance, thus fulfilling the quality parameters for a P-fertilizer. - Highlights: • Direct use of sewage sludge ashes (SSA) as fertilizer often not possible • New approach of SSA treatment aiming at P-fertilizers with high P-bioavailability • Comparison of different Na- and K-bearing additives for the thermochemical process • Evaporation of

The effect of heat pretreatment temperature on fermentative hydrogen production using mixed cultures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baghchehsaraee, Bita; Nakhla, George; Karamanev, Dimitre; Margaritis, Argyrios [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B9 (Canada); Reid, Gregor [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario (Canada); Canadian Research and Development Center for Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, Ontario N6A 4V2 (Canada)

2008-08-15

The effect of heat treatment at different temperatures on two types of inocula, activated sludge and anaerobically digested sludge, was investigated in batch cultures. Heat treatments were conducted at 65, 80 and 95 C for 30 min. The untreated inocula produced less amount of hydrogen than the pretreated inocula, with lactic acid as the main metabolite. The maximum yields of 2.3 and 1.6 mol H{sub 2}/mol glucose were achieved for the 65 C pretreated anaerobically digested and activated sludges, respectively. Approximately a 15% decrease in yield was observed with increasing pretreatment temperature from 65 to 95 C concomitant with an increase in butyrate/acetate ratio from 1.5 to 2.4 for anaerobically digested sludge. The increase of pretreatment temperature of activated sludge to 95 C suppressed the hydrogen production by lactic acid fermentation. DNA analysis of the microbial community showed that the elevated pretreatment temperatures reduced the species diversity. (author)

Comparison between ozone and ultrasound disintegration on sludge anaerobic digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Braguglia, C M; Gianico, A; Mininni, G

2012-03-01

This paper deals with the comparison of ultrasound (mechanical) and ozone (chemical) pre-treatment on the performances of excess sludge semi-continuous digestion. Sludge solubilisation has been investigated by varying specific energy input. For each pre-treatment, long anaerobic digestion tests were carried out by two parallel digesters: one reactor, as control unit, was fed with untreated waste activated sludge, and the other one was fed with disintegrated sludge. To evaluate and compare the efficacy of both pre-treatments, the specific energy was maintained approximately the same. The digestion tests were carried out to investigate the feasibility of anaerobic digestion performance (total biogas production, volatile solids removal, sludge dewaterability) and to assess the heat balance. Results obtained from the digestion of sonicated sludge at 4% disintegration degree (≈ 2500 kJ/kg TS) showed that the ultrasound pre-treatment may be effective both in increasing VS destruction (+19%) and cumulative biogas production (+26%). On the contrary, the digestion test with ozonized sludge (ozone dose of 0.05 g O(3)/g TS corresponding to ≈ 2000 kJ/kg TS) did not indicate a significant improvement on the digestion performances. By doubling the ozone dose an improvement in the organics removal and cumulative biogas production was observed. Relevant differences in terms of colloidal charge and filterability were discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical state of mercury and selenium in sewage sludge ash based P-fertilizers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vogel, Christian, E-mail: cv.vogel@yahoo.de [Division 4.4 Thermochemical Residues Treatment and Resource Recovery, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und −prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany); Krüger, Oliver; Herzel, Hannes [Division 4.4 Thermochemical Residues Treatment and Resource Recovery, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und −prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany); Amidani, Lucia [ESRF—The European Synchrotron, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble (France); Adam, Christian [Division 4.4 Thermochemical Residues Treatment and Resource Recovery, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und −prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany)

2016-08-05

Highlights: • Mercury bonded to carbon/organic material was detected in some sewage sludge ashes. • After thermochemcial treatment some mercury remains stabilized in the SSA matrix. • Analysis of the chemical state of mercury and selenium in highly diluted samples. - Abstract: Phosphorus-fertilizers from secondary resources such as sewage sludge ash (SSA) will become more important in the future as they could substitute conventional fertilizers based on the nonrenewable resource phosphate rock. Thermochemical approaches were developed which remove heavy metals from SSA prior to its fertilizer application on farmlands. We analyzed the chemical state of mercury and selenium in SSA before and after thermochemical treatment under different conditions for P-fertilizer production by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. In some incineration plants the mercury loaded carbon adsorber from off-gas cleaning was collected together with the SSA for waste disposal. SSAs from those plants contained mercury mainly bound to carbon/organic material. The other SSAs contained inorganic mercury compounds which are most probably stabilized in the SSA matrix and were thus not evaporated during incineration. During thermochemical treatment, carbon-bound mercury was removed quantitatively. In contrast, a certain immobile fraction of inorganic mercury compounds remained in thermochemically treated SSA, which were not clearly identified. HgSe might be one of the inorganic compounds, which is supported by results of Se K-edge XANES spectroscopy. Furthermore, the chemical state of selenium in the SSAs was very sensitive to the conditions of the thermochemical treatment.

Nitrogen in the Process of Waste Activated Sludge Anaerobic Digestion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suschka Jan

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Primary or secondary sewage sludge in medium and large WWTP are most often processed by anaerobic digestion, as a method of conditioning, sludge quantity minimization and biogas production. With the aim to achieve the best results of sludge processing several modifications of technologies were suggested, investigated and introduced in the full technical scale. Various sludge pretreatment technologies before anaerobic treatment have been widely investigated and partially introduced. Obviously, there are always some limitations and some negative side effects. Selected aspects have been presented and discussed. The problem of nitrogen has been highlighted on the basis of the carried out investigations. The single and two step - mesophilic and thermophilic - anaerobic waste activated sludge digestion processes, preceded by preliminary hydrolysis were investigated. The aim of lab-scale experiments was pre-treatment of the sludge by means of low intensive alkaline and hydrodynamic disintegration. Depending on the pretreatment technologies and the digestion temperature large ammonia concentrations, up to 1800 mg NH4/dm3 have been measured. Return of the sludge liquor to the main sewage treatment line means additional nitrogen removal costs. Possible solutions are discussed.

Process performance assessment of advanced anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge including sequential ultrasound-thermal (55 °C) pre-treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, Patricio; Barriga, Felipe; Álvarez, Claudia; González, Zenón; Vidal, Gladys

2018-03-15

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance and digestate quality of advanced anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge including sequential ultrasound-thermal (55 °C) pre-treatment. Both stages of pre-treatment contributed to chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilization, with an overall factor of 11.4 ± 2.2%. Pre-treatment led to 19.1, 24.0 and 29.9% increased methane yields at 30, 15 and 7.5 days solid retention times (SRT), respectively, without affecting process stability or accumulation of intermediates. Pre-treatment decreased up to 4.2% water recovery from the digestate, but SRT was a more relevant factor controlling dewatering. Advanced digestion showed 2.4-3.1 and 1.5 logarithmic removals of coliforms and coliphages, respectively, and up to a 58% increase in the concentration of inorganics in the digestate solids compared to conventional digestion. The COD balance of the process showed that the observed increase in methane production was proportional to the pre-treatment solubilization efficiency. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of potassium ferrate on disintegration of waste activated sludge (WAS).

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Fenxia; Ji, Haizhuang; Ye, Yangfang

2012-06-15

The activated sludge process of wastewater treatment results in the generation of a considerable amount of excess activated sludge. Increased attention has been given to minimization of waste activated sludge recently. This paper investigated the effect of potassium ferrate oxidation pretreatment on the disintegration of the waste activated sludge at various dosages of potassium ferrate. The results show that potassium ferrate pretreatment disintegrated the sludge particle, resulting in the reduction of total solid content by 31%. The solubility (SCOD/TCOD) of the sludge increased with the increase of potassium ferrate dosage. Under 0.81 g/g SS dosage of potassium ferrate, SCOD/TCOD reached 0.32. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) concentrations in the solution all increased significantly after potassium ferrate pretreatment. The sludge particles reduced from 116 to 87 μm. The settleability of the sludge (SVI) was enhanced by 17%, which was due to the re-flocculation by the by-product, Fe(III), during potassium ferrate oxidation and the decrease of the viscosity. From the result of the present investigations, it can be concluded that potassium ferrate oxidation is a feasible method for disintegration of excess activated sludge. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of deflocculation on microwave disintegration and anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Ebenezer, A Vimala; Kaliappan, S; Adish Kumar, S; Yeom, Ick-Tae; Banu, J Rajesh

2015-06-01

In the present study, the potential benefits of deflocculation on microwave pretreatment of waste activated sludge were investigated. Deflocculation in the absence of cell lysis was achieved through the removal of extra polymeric substances (EPS) by sodium citrate (0.1g sodium citrate/g suspended solids), and DNA was used as a marker for monitoring cell lysis. Subsequent microwave pretreatment yielded a chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilisation of 31% and 21%, suspended solids (SS) reduction of 37% and 22%, for deflocculated and flocculated sludge, respectively, with energy input of 14,000kJ/kg TS. When microwave pretreated sludge was subjected to anaerobic fermentation, greater accumulation of volatile fatty acid (860mg/L) was noticed in deflocculated sludge, indicating better hydrolysis. Among the samples subjected to BMP (Biochemical methane potential test), deflocculated microwave pretreated sludge showed better amenability towards anaerobic digestion with high methane production potential of 0.615L (gVS)(-1). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microwave enhanced digestion of aerobic SBR sludge | Kennedy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

MWs) for improving characteristics of aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) sludge to enhance mesophilic anaerobic digestion. Effects of pretreatment temperature, MW irradiation intensity and solids concentration on sludge characterisation ...

Energy efficient thermochemical conversion of very wet biomass to biofuels by integration of steam drying, steam electrolysis and gasification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Lasse Røngaard

2017-01-01

A novel system concept is presented for the thermochemical conversion of very wet biomasses such as sewage sludge and manure. The system integrates steam drying, solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) and gasification for the production of synthetic natural gas (SNG). The system is analyzed...

Bench-scale enhanced sludge washing and gravity settling of Hanford Tank C-106 Sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brooks, K.P.; Myers, R.L.; Rappe, K.G.

1997-01-01

This report summarizes the results of a bench-scale sludge pretreatment demonstration of the Hanford baseline flowsheet using liter-quantities of sludge from Hanford Site single-shell tank 241-C-106 (tank C-106). The leached and washed sludge from these tests provided Envelope D material for the contractors supporting Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Privatization. Pretreatment of the sludge included enhanced sludge washing and gravity settling tests and providing scale-up data for both these unit operations. Initial and final solids as well as decanted supernatants from each step of the process were analyzed chemically and radiochemically. The results of this work were compared to those of Lumetta et al. (1996a) who performed a similar experiment with 15 grams of C-106, sludge. A summary of the results are shown in Table S.1. Of the major nonradioactive components, those that were significantly removed with enhanced sludge washing included aluminum (31%), chromium (49%), sodium (57%), and phosphorus (35%). Of the radioactive components, a significant amount of 137 Cs (49%) were removed during the enhanced sludge wash. Only a very small fraction of the remaining radionuclides were removed, including 90 Sr (0.4%) and TRU elements (1.5%). These results are consistent with those of the screening test. All of the supernatants (both individually and as a blend) removed from these washing steps, once vitrified as LLW glasses (at 20 wt% Na 2 O), would be less than NRC Class C in TRU elements and less than NRC Class B in 90 Sr

A process combining hydrothermal pretreatment, anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis for sewage sludge dewatering and co-production of biogas and biochar: Pilot-scale verification.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chunxing; Wang, Xingdong; Zhang, Guangyi; Li, Jie; Li, Zhiwei; Yu, Guangwei; Wang, Yin

2018-04-01

To fully dispose of/utilize sewage sludge, a process combing hydrothermal pretreatment (HTPT), anaerobic digestion (AD) and pyrolysis was developed and tested at the pilot scale. First, the improvement in sludge dewaterability by HTPT at 180 °C for 30 min was verified, and the water content decreased from 85 to 33 wt% after filter pressing. Then, the resulting filtrate underwent continuous mesophilic (37 ± 2 °C) AD in an up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor for producing biogas to compensate for the energy required for HTPT. Meanwhile, the filter cake was pyrolyzed in a rotary furnace (600 ± 50 °C) to generate biochar, and heavy metals were well immobilized in the biochar. Finally, the material/energy balance made according to the pilot data showed that the proposed process was effective for full resource reuse of sewage sludge. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

[Effect of Residual Hydrogen Peroxide on Hydrolysis Acidification of Sludge Pretreated by Microwave -H2O2-Alkaline Process].

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Rui-lai; Liu, Ji-bao; Wei, Yuan-song; Cai, Xing

2015-10-01

Previous studies have found that in the hydrolysis acidification process, sludge after microwave -H2O2-alkaline (MW-H2O2-OH, pH = 10) pretreatment had an acid production lag due to the residual hydrogen peroxide. In this study, effects of residual hydrogen peroxide after MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10 or pH = 11) pretreatment on the sludge hydrolysis acidification were investigated through batch experiments. Our results showed that catalase had a higher catalytic efficiency than manganese dioxide for hydrogen peroxide, which could completely degraded hydrogen peroxide within 10 min. During the 8 d of hydrolysis acidification time, both SCOD concentrations and the total VFAs concentrations of four groups were firstly increased and then decreased. The optimized hydrolysis times were 0.5 d for four groups, and the optimized hydrolysis acidification times were 3 d for MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10) group, MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10) + catalase group and MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 11) + catalase group. The optimized hydrolysis acidification time for MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 11) group was 4 d. Residual hydrogen peroxide inhibited acid production for sludge after MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10) pretreatment, resulting in a lag in acidification stage. Compared with MW-H2O2-OH ( pH = 10) pretreatment, MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 11 ) pretreatment released more SCOD by 19.29% and more organic matters, which resulted in the increase of total VFAs production significantly by 84.80% at 5 d of hydrolysis acidification time and MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 11) group could shorten the lag time slightly. Dosing catalase (100 mg x -L(-1)) after the MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10 or pH = 11) pretreatment not only significantly shortened the lag time (0.5 d) in acidification stage, but also produced more total VFAs by 23.61% and 50.12% in the MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10) + catalase group and MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 11) + catalase group, compared with MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10) group at 3d of hydrolysis acidification time. For MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10) group, MW-H2O2-OH (pH = 10) + catalase group and

Sewage sludge disintegration by high-pressure homogenization: a sludge disintegration model.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuxuan; Zhang, Panyue; Ma, Boqiang; Wu, Hao; Zhang, Sheng; Xu, Xin

2012-01-01

High-pressure homogenization (HPH) technology was applied as a pretreatment to disintegrate sewage sludge. The effects of homogenization pressure, homogenization cycle number, and total solid content on sludge disintegration were investigated. The sludge disintegration degree (DD(COD)), protein concentration, and polysaccharide concentration increased with the increase of homogenization pressure and homogenization cycle number, and decreased with the increase of sludge total solid (TS) content. The maximum DD(COD) of 43.94% was achieved at 80 MPa with four homogenization cycles for a 9.58 g/L TS sludge sample. A HPH sludge disintegration model of DD(COD) = kNaPb was established by multivariable linear regression to quantify the effects of homogenization parameters. The homogenization cycle exponent a and homogenization pressure exponent b were 0.4763 and 0.7324 respectively, showing that the effect of homogenization pressure (P) was more significant than that of homogenization cycle number (N). The value of the rate constant k decreased with the increase of sludge total solid content. The specific energy consumption increased with the increment of sludge disintegration efficiency. Lower specific energy consumption was required for higher total solid content sludge.

An evaluation of tannery industry wastewater treatment sludge gasification by artificial neural network modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ongen, Atakan; Kurtulus Ozcan, H.; Arayıcı, Semiha

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We model calorific value of syn-gas from tannery industry treatment sludge. • We monitor variation of gas composition in produced gas. • Heating value of produced gas is around 1500 kcal/m 3 . • Model predictions are in close accordance with real values. -- Abstract: This paper reports on the calorific value of synthetic gas (syngas) produced by gasification of dewatered sludge derived from treatment of tannery wastewater. Proximate and ultimate analyses of samples were performed. Thermochemical conversion alters the chemical structure of the waste. Dried air was used as a gasification agent at varying flow rates, which allowed the feedstock to be quickly converted into gas by means of different heterogeneous reactions. A lab-scale updraft fixed-bed steel reactor was used for thermochemical conversion of sludge samples. Artificial neural network (ANN) modeling techniques were used to observe variations in the syngas related to operational conditions. Modeled outputs showed that temporal changes of model predictions were in close accordance with real values. Correlation coefficients (r) showed that the ANN used in this study gave results with high sensitivity

An evaluation of tannery industry wastewater treatment sludge gasification by artificial neural network modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ongen, Atakan, E-mail: aongen@istanbul.edu.tr; Kurtulus Ozcan, H.; Arayıcı, Semiha

2013-12-15

Highlights: • We model calorific value of syn-gas from tannery industry treatment sludge. • We monitor variation of gas composition in produced gas. • Heating value of produced gas is around 1500 kcal/m{sup 3}. • Model predictions are in close accordance with real values. -- Abstract: This paper reports on the calorific value of synthetic gas (syngas) produced by gasification of dewatered sludge derived from treatment of tannery wastewater. Proximate and ultimate analyses of samples were performed. Thermochemical conversion alters the chemical structure of the waste. Dried air was used as a gasification agent at varying flow rates, which allowed the feedstock to be quickly converted into gas by means of different heterogeneous reactions. A lab-scale updraft fixed-bed steel reactor was used for thermochemical conversion of sludge samples. Artificial neural network (ANN) modeling techniques were used to observe variations in the syngas related to operational conditions. Modeled outputs showed that temporal changes of model predictions were in close accordance with real values. Correlation coefficients (r) showed that the ANN used in this study gave results with high sensitivity.

Experimental continuous sludge microwave system to enhance dehydration ability and hydrogen production from anaerobic digestion of sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Cuihong; Huang, Xintong; Zeng, Meng

2018-05-01

Dehydrating large amounts of sludge produced by sewage treatment plants is difficult. Microwave pretreatment can effectively and significantly improve the dewaterability and hydrogen production of sludge subjected to anaerobic digestion. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different microwave conditions on hydrogen production from anaerobic digestion and dewaterability of sludge. Based on an analysis of the electric field distribution, a spiral reactor was designed and a continuous microwave system was built to conduct intermittent and continuous experiments under different conditions. Settling Volume, Capillary Suction Time, particle size, and moisture content of the sludge were measured. The results show that sludge pretreatment in continuous experiments has equally remarkable dehydration performance as in intermittent experiments; the minimum moisture content was 77.29% in the intermittent experiment under a microwave power of 300W and an exposure time of 60sec, and that in the continuous experiment was 77.56% under a microwave power of 400W and an exposure time of 60sec. The peak measured by Differential Scanning Calorimeter appeared earliest under a microwave power of 600W and an exposure time of 180sec. The heat flux at the peak was 4.343W/g, which is relatively small. This indicates that microwave pretreatment induced desirable effects. The maximum yield of hydrogen production was 7.967% under the conditions of microwave power of 500W, exposure time of 120sec, and water bath at 55°C. This research provides a theoretical and experimental basis for the development of a continuous microwave sludge-conditioning system. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Microbial community structure in a thermophilic aerobic digester used as a sludge pretreatment process for the mesophilic anaerobic digestion and the enhancement of methane production.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Hyun Min; Park, Sang Kyu; Ha, Jeong Hyub; Park, Jong Moon

2013-10-01

An effective two-stage sewage sludge digestion process, consisting of thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD) followed by mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD), was developed for efficient sludge reduction and methane production. Using TAD as a biological pretreatment, the total volatile suspended solid reduction (VSSR) and methane production rate (MPR) in the MAD reactor were significantly improved. According to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis, the results indicated that the dominant bacteria species such as Ureibacillus thermophiles and Bacterium thermus in TAD were major routes for enhancing soluble organic matter. TAD pretreatment using a relatively short SRT of 1 day showed highly increased soluble organic products and positively affected an increment of bacteria populations which performed interrelated microbial metabolisms with methanogenic species in the MAD; consequently, a quantitative real-time PCR indicated greatly increased Methanosarcinales (acetate-utilizing methanogens) in the MAD, resulting in enhanced methane production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic waste activated sludge disintegration for recovering multiple nutrients for biofuel production.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Guo-Jun; Liu, Bing-Feng; Wang, Qilin; Ding, Jie; Ren, Nan-Qi

2016-04-15

Waste activated sludge is a valuable resource containing multiple nutrients, but is currently treated and disposed of as an important source of pollution. In this work, waste activated sludge after ultrasound pretreatment was reused as multiple nutrients for biofuel production. The nutrients trapped in sludge floc were transferred into liquid medium by ultrasonic disintegration during first 30 min, while further increase of pretreatment time only resulted in slight increase of nutrients release. Hydrogen production by Ethanoligenens harbinense B49 from glucose significantly increased with the concentration of ultrasonic sludge, and reached maximum yield of 1.97 mol H2/mol glucose at sludge concentration of 7.75 g volatile suspended solids/l. Without addition of any other chemicals, waste molasses rich in carbohydrate was efficiently turned into hydrogen with yield of 189.34 ml H2/g total sugar by E. harbinense B49 using ultrasonic sludge as nutrients. The results also showed that hydrogen production using pretreated sludge as multiple nutrients was higher than those using standard nutrients. Acetic acid produced by E. harbinense B49 together with the residual nutrients in the liquid medium were further converted into hydrogen (271.36 ml H2/g total sugar) by Rhodopseudomonas faecalis RLD-53 through photo fermentation, while ethanol was the sole end product with yield of 220.26 mg/g total sugar. Thus, pretreated sludge was an efficient nutrients source for biofuel production, which could replace the standard nutrients. This research provided a novel strategy to achieve environmental friendly sludge disposal and simultaneous efficient biofuel recovery from organic waste. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematic comparison of mechanical and thermal sludge disintegration technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wett, B; Phothilangka, P; Eladawy, A

2010-06-01

This study presents a systematic comparison and evaluation of sewage sludge pre-treatment by mechanical and thermal techniques. Waste activated sludge (WAS) was pre-treated by separate full scale Thermo-Pressure-Hydrolysis (TDH) and ball milling facilities. Then the sludge was processed in pilot-scale digestion experiments. The results indicated that a significant increase in soluble organic matter could be achieved. TDH and ball milling pre-treatment could offer a feasible treatment method to efficiently disintegrate sludge and enhance biogas yield of digestion. The TDH increased biogas production by ca. 75% whereas ball milling allowed for an approximately 41% increase. The mechanisms of pre-treatment were investigated by numerical modeling based on Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) in the MatLab/SIMBA environment. TDH process induced advanced COD-solubilisation (COD(soluble)/COD(total)=43%) and specifically complete destruction of cell mass which is hardly degradable in conventional digestion. While the ball mill technique achieved a lower solubilisation rate (COD(soluble)/COD(total)=28%) and only a partial destruction of microbial decay products. From a whole-plant prospective relevant release of ammonia and formation of soluble inerts have been observed especially from thermal hydrolysis. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the biogas production performance of municipal waste activated sludge via disperser induced microwave disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, S; Rajesh Banu, J; Vinoth Kumar, J; Rajkumar, M

2016-10-01

In this study, the influence of disperser induced microwave pretreatment was investigated to analyze the proficiency of floc disruption on subsequent disintegration and biodegradability process. Initially, the flocs in the sludge was disrupted through disperser at a specific energy input of 25.3kJ/kgTS. The upshot of the microwave disintegration presents that the solids reduction and solubilization of floc disrupted (disperser induced microwave pretreated) sludge was found to be 17.33% and 22% relatively greater than that achieved in microwave pretreated (9.3% and 16%) sludge alone. The biodegradability analysis, affords an evaluation of parameter confidence and correlation determination. The eventual biodegradability of microwave pretreated, and floc disrupted sludges were computed to be 0.15(gCOD/gCOD) and 0.28(gCOD/gCOD), respectively. An economic assessment of this study offers a positive net profit of about 104.8USD/ton of sludge in floc disrupted sample. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancing the functional and economical efficiency of a novel combined thermo chemical disperser disintegration of waste activated sludge for biogas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, S; Jayashree, C; Adish Kumar, S; Kaliappan, S; Rajesh Banu, J

2014-12-01

In this investigation, an effort was made to pretreat surplus waste activated sludge (WAS) inexpensively by a novel combined process involving thermo chemical disperser pretreatment. This pretreatment was found to be efficient at a specific energy (SE) consumption of 3360.94 kJ/kg TS, with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilization of 20%. This was comparatively higher than thermo chemically treated sludge where the solubilization was found to be 15.5% at a specific energy consumption of 10,330 kJ/kg TS respectively. Higher production of volatile fatty acids (VFA) (675 mg/L) in anaerobic fermentation of pretreated WAS indicates better hydrolysis performance. The biogas production potential of sludge pretreated through this combined technique was found to be 0.455 (L/gVS) and comparatively higher than thermo chemically pretreated sludge. Economic investigation provides 90% net energy savings in this combined pretreatment. Therefore, this combined process was considered to be potentially effective and economical in sludge disintegration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative assessment of municipal sewage sludge incineration, gasification and pyrolysis for a sustainable sludge-to-energy management in Greece

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samolada, M.C. [Dept. Secretariat of Environmental and Urban Planning – Decentralized Area Macedonian Thrace, Taki Oikonomidi 1, 54008 Thessaloniki (Greece); Zabaniotou, A.A., E-mail: azampani@auth.gr [Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, University Box 455, University Campus, 541 24 Thessaloniki (Greece)

2014-02-15

Highlights: • The high output of MSS highlights the need for alternative routes of valorization. • Evaluation of 3 sludge-to-energy valorisation methods through SWOT analysis. • Pyrolysis is an energy and material recovery process resulting to ‘zero waste’. • Identification of challenges and barriers for MSS pyrolysis in Greece was investigated. • Adopters of pyrolysis systems face the challenge of finding new product markets. - Abstract: For a sustainable municipal sewage sludge management, not only the available technology, but also other parameters, such as policy regulations and socio-economic issues should be taken in account. In this study, the current status of both European and Greek Legislation on waste management, with a special insight in municipal sewage sludge, is presented. A SWOT analysis was further developed for comparison of pyrolysis with incineration and gasification and results are presented. Pyrolysis seems to be the optimal thermochemical treatment option compared to incineration and gasification. Sewage sludge pyrolysis is favorable for energy savings, material recovery and high added materials production, providing a ‘zero waste’ solution. Finally, identification of challenges and barriers for sewage sludge pyrolysis deployment in Greece was investigated.

Comparative assessment of municipal sewage sludge incineration, gasification and pyrolysis for a sustainable sludge-to-energy management in Greece

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samolada, M.C.; Zabaniotou, A.A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The high output of MSS highlights the need for alternative routes of valorization. • Evaluation of 3 sludge-to-energy valorisation methods through SWOT analysis. • Pyrolysis is an energy and material recovery process resulting to ‘zero waste’. • Identification of challenges and barriers for MSS pyrolysis in Greece was investigated. • Adopters of pyrolysis systems face the challenge of finding new product markets. - Abstract: For a sustainable municipal sewage sludge management, not only the available technology, but also other parameters, such as policy regulations and socio-economic issues should be taken in account. In this study, the current status of both European and Greek Legislation on waste management, with a special insight in municipal sewage sludge, is presented. A SWOT analysis was further developed for comparison of pyrolysis with incineration and gasification and results are presented. Pyrolysis seems to be the optimal thermochemical treatment option compared to incineration and gasification. Sewage sludge pyrolysis is favorable for energy savings, material recovery and high added materials production, providing a ‘zero waste’ solution. Finally, identification of challenges and barriers for sewage sludge pyrolysis deployment in Greece was investigated

Effects of different pretreatment methods on fermentation types and dominant bacteria for hydrogen production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Nan-Qi; Guo, Wan-Qian; Liu, Bing-Feng; Wang, Xing-Zu; Ding, Jie; Chen, Zhao-Bo [State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang (China); Wang, Xiang-Jing; Xiang, Wen-Sheng [Research Center of Life Science and Biotechnology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030 (China)

2008-08-15

In order to enrich hydrogen producing bacteria and to establish high-efficient communities of the mixed microbial cultures, inoculum needs to be pretreated before the cultivation. Four pretreatment methods including heat-shock pretreatment, acid pretreatment, alkaline pretreatment and repeated-aeration pretreatment were performed on the seed sludge which was collected from a secondary settling tank of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. In contrast to the control test without any pretreatment, the heat-shock pretreatment, acid pretreatment and repeated-aeration pretreatment completely suppressed the methanogenic activity of the seed sludge, but the alkaline pretreatment did not. Employing different pretreatment methods resulted in the change in fermentation types as butyric-acid type fermentation was achieved by the heat-shock and alkaline pretreatments, mixed-acid type fermentation was achieved by acid pretreatment and the control, and ethanol-type fermentation was observed by repeated-aeration pretreatment. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles revealed that pretreatment method substantially affected the species composition of microbial communities. The highest hydrogen yield of 1.96 mol/mol-glucose was observed with the repeated-aeration pretreatment method, while the lowest was obtained as the seed sludge was acidified. It is concluded that the pretreatment methods led to the difference in the initial microbial communities which might be directly responsible for different fermentation types and hydrogen yields. (author)

Strategies for characterizing compositions of industrial pulp and paper sludge

Science.gov (United States)

Aslanzadeh, Solmaz; Kemal, Rahmat A.; Pribowo, Amadeus Y.

2018-01-01

The large quantities of waste sludge produced by the pulp and paper industry present significant environmental challenges. In order to minimize the amounts of waste, the pulp sludge should be utilized for productive applications. In order to find feasible solutions, the sludge need to be characterized. In this study, the potential of using acid pretreatment and ashing method to determine the chemical compositions of the sludge is investigated. This study shows that acid pretreatment could be used to dissolve and determine the composition of CaCO3 in the pulp sludge. CaCO3 removal also facilitates the measurement of fiber and ash (clay) contents by using the ashing method. The optimum acid concentration used to completely dissolve CaCO3 was determined using a titration method. Using this method, the measurement of the chemical composition of the sludge sample revealed that it consisted primarily of CaCO3 (55% w/w), clay (25%, w/w), and fibers (18%, w/w). Based on these chemical compositions, potential utilization for the sludge could be determined.

Biological treatment of petroleum sludges in liquid/solids contact reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stroo, H F [Remediation Technologies, Inc., Kent, WA (USA)

1989-10-01

Biological treatment of hazardous wastes (bioremediation) is now recognized as an effective and cost-efficient approach for on-site cleanup of petroleum-contaminated soils and sludges. These strategies may require pretreatment of oily sludges produced as refinery wastes. Recent work has shown that liquid/solids contact (LSC) bioreactors are capable of adequate pretreatment at lower cost than competing technologies. Since LSC operations aim to maximize microbial numbers and activity, inexpensive microbiological monitoring can provide rapid feedback on performance. LSC technology represents a method for rapid biological treatment of petroleum sludges in a contained reactor. The technology has proven highly effective for a variety of oil refinery sludges, with degradation rates up to ten times faster than those observed during land treatment. The most promising use of LSC is a pretreatment. Because biological treatment in LSC can degrade and detoxify contaminants rapidly and relatively inexpensively, with little risk of off-site contamination, this technology should be considered by refiners having to close sites or treat current waste-streams. 7 refs., 1 figs., 1 tab.

Hydrodynamic cavitation as a novel approach for pretreatment of oily wastewater for anaerobic co-digestion with waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Habashi, Nima; Mehrdadi, Nasser; Mennerich, Artur; Alighardashi, Abolghasem; Torabian, Ali

2016-07-01

Application of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) was investigated with the objective of biogas production enhancement from co-digestion of oily wastewater (OWW) and waste activated sludge (WAS). Initially, the effect of HC on the OWW was evaluated in terms of energy consumption and turbidity increase. Then, several mixtures of OWW (with and without HC pretreatment) and WAS with the same concentration of total volatile solid were prepared as a substrate for co-digestion. Following, several batch co-digestion trials were conducted. To compare the biogas production, a number of digestion trials were also conducted with a mono substrate (OWW or WAS alone). The best operating condition of HC was achieved in the shortest retention time (7.5 min) with the application of 3mm diameter orifice and maximum pump rotational speed. Biogas production from all co-digestion reactors was higher than the WAS mono substrate reactors. Moreover, biogas production had a direct relationship with OWW ratio and no major inhibition was observed in any of the reactors. The biogas production was also enhanced by HC pretreatment and almost all of the reactors with HC pretreatment had higher reaction rates than the reactors without pretreatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alkaline-mechanical pretreatment process for enhanced anaerobic digestion of thickened waste activated sludge with a novel crushing device: Performance evaluation and economic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Si-Kyung; Ju, Hyun-Jun; Lee, Jeong-Gyu; Kim, Sang-Hyoun

2014-08-01

Although various pretreatments have been widely investigated to enhance the anaerobic digestion (AD) of waste activated sludge (WAS), economic feasibility issues have limited real-world applications. The authors examined the performance and economic analysis of an alkaline-mechanical process with a novel mechanical crushing device for thickened WAS pretreatment. The pretreatment at 40gTS/L, pH 13, and 90min reaction time achieved 64% of solubilization efficiency and 8.3 times higher CH4 yield than the control. In addition, a synergistic CH4 yield enhancement was observed when the pretreated and raw WAS were used together as feedstock, and the greatest synergy was observed at a volumetric mixture ratio of 50:50. Economic estimates indicate that up to 22% of WAS treatment costs would be saved by the installation of the suggested process. The experimental results clearly indicate that the alkaline-mechanical process would be highly effective and economically feasible for the AD of thickened WAS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of Excess Sludge Ultrasonic, Mechanical and Hybrid Pretreatment in Relation to the Energy Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Łukasz Skórkowski

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Anaerobic digestion is the most common stabilization process at large sewage treatment plants. To improve its effects, a sludge pre-conditioning process called disintegration is recommended. The aim of the presented study was to compare the direct effects of various types of mechanical disintegration, performed for the same excess sludge, in relation to the energy parameters and effectiveness of the process. Four different disintegration methods were used: mechanical disintegration in semi-technical and laboratory scale homogenizing mixers, ultrasonic disintegration (US and combined (hybrid process. The disintegration was performed for volumetric energy EV = 4.67–100 kWh m−3, the results were evaluated based on dispersion (kdCOD, kdCST, lysis (kdSCOD, acidification (kdVFA and nutrient release (kdTN, kdTP disintegration indicators. The statistical analysis of the results indicates the influence of disintegrator type (mixer/US/hybrid, scale (laboratory/semi-technical and energy input on the direct results of disintegration. Hybrid disintegration delivered better direct results than two pre-treatment processes used separately. The efficiency of the hybrid process defined as the increase of the indicator (disintegration products—∆FCOD, ∆SCOD per unit of energy was considerably higher than for a single stage disintegration process.

Exploiting the energy potential of waste activated sludge with MicroSludge[Manure, biosolids, and organic industrial/commercial residuals in land applications programs : improving beneficial reuse and protection of water quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephenson, R.; Laliberte, S. [Paradigm Environmental Technologies, Vancouver, BC (Canada); Nemeth, L. [Earth Tech Canada Inc., Burnaby, BC (Canada)

2007-07-01

When waste activated sludge (WAS) is efficiently converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion, the energy potential and economic value of WAS can be exploited. This paper discussed the chemical and pressure pre-treatment process using MicroSludge. MicroSludge uses alkaline pre-treatment to weaken cell membranes and a high-pressure homogenizer to liquefy the cells, enabling the anaerobic digester to work at a higher rate and more efficiently, destroying pathogens and generating less biosolids for disposal, with corresponding higher volumes of methane from which to generate added electrical power and/or produce added heat. MicroSludge was demonstrated at the Chilliwack waste water treatment plant (WWTP), located 115 km east of Vancouver. The paper provided a description of the Chilliwack WWTP and discussed the application of MicroSludge at a full-scale prototype plant. The MicroSludge plant was capable of pre-treating all of the waste secondary sludge generated at the Chilliwack WWTP prior to anaerobic digestion. The paper also discussed digester hydraulic retention time; scanning electron microscope images; temperature; pH; mass loading of primary sludge and waste activated sludge; total volatile solids concentrations; and digester gas composition. Operating and maintenance costs were also outlined along with electrical power costs, maintenance costs and chemical costs. Last, the paper presented the energy benefits for WWTPs when using MicroSludge. It was concluded that the economic benefits of MicroSludge are greater for plants with higher biosolids disposal costs and higher electrical utility costs. 6 refs., 8 tabs., 10 figs.

Thermochemical biorefinery based on dimethyl ether as intermediate: Technoeconomic assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haro, P.; Ollero, P.; Villanueva Perales, A.L.; Gómez-Barea, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A thermochemical biorefinery based on bio-DME as intermediate is studied. ► The assessed concepts (12) lead to multi-product generation (polygeneration). ► In all concepts DME is converted by carbonylation or hydrocarbonylation. ► Rates of return are similar to or higher than plants producing a single product. -- Abstract: Thermochemical biorefinery based on dimethyl ether (DME) as an intermediate is studied. DME is converted into methyl acetate, which can either be hydrogenated to ethanol or sold as a co-product. Considering this option together with a variety of technologies for syngas upgrading, 12 different process concepts are analyzed. The considered products are ethanol, methyl acetate, H 2 , DME and electricity. The assessment of each alternative includes biomass pretreatment, gasification, syngas clean-up and conditioning, DME synthesis and conversion, product separation, and heat and power integration. A plant size of 500 MW th processing poplar chips is taken as a basis. The resulting energy efficiency to products ranges from 34.9% to 50.2%. The largest internal rate of return (28.74%) corresponds to a concept which produces methyl acetate, DME and electricity (exported to grid). A sensitivity analysis with respect to total plant investment (TPI), total operation costs (TOC) and market price of products was carried out. The overall conclusion is that, despite its greater complexity, this kind of thermochemical biorefinery is more profitable than thermochemical bioprocesses oriented to a single product.

Impact of initial biodegradability on sludge anaerobic digestion enhancement by thermal pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrère, Hélène; Bougrier, Claire; Castets, Delphine; Delgenès, Jean Philippe

2008-11-01

Thermal treatments with temperature ranging from 60 to 210 degrees C were applied to 6 waste-activated sludge samples originating from high or medium load, extended aeration wastewater treatment processes that treated different wastewaters (urban, urban and industrial or slaughterhouse). COD sludge solubilisation was linearly correlated with the treatment temperature on the whole temperature range and independently of the sludge samples. Sludge batch mesophilic biodegradability increased with treatment temperature up to 190 degrees C. In this temperature range, biodegradability enhancement or methane production increase by thermal hydrolysis was shown to be a function of sludge COD solubilisation but also of sludge initial biodegradability. The lower the initial biodegradability means the higher efficiency of thermal treatment.

Hazard Analysis for the Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sullivan, Robin S.; Geeting, John GH; Lawrence, Wesley E.; Young, Jonathan

2008-07-10

The Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) is designed to perform a demonstration on an engineering scale to confirm the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Pretreatment Facility (PTF) leaching and filtration process equipment design and sludge treatment process. The system will use scaled prototypic equipment to demonstrate sludge water wash, caustic leaching, oxidative leaching, and filtration. Unit operations to be tested include pumping, solids washing, chemical reagent addition and blending, heating, cooling, leaching, filtration, and filter cleaning. In addition, the PEP will evaluate potential design changes to the ultrafiltration process system equipment to potentially enhance leaching and filtration performance as well as overall pretreatment throughput. The skid-mounted system will be installed and operated in the Processing Development Laboratory-West at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington.

Visible light photocatalytic disintegration of waste activated sludge for enhancing biogas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Anjum, Muzammil; Al-Talhi, Hasan A; Mohamed, Saleh A; Kumar, Rajeev; Barakat, M A

2018-06-15

Biogas production using waste activated sludge (WAS) is one of the most demanding technologies for sludge treatment and generating energy in sustainable manner. The present study deals with the photocatalytic pretreatment of WAS using ZnO-ZnS@polyaniline (ZnO-ZnS@PANI) nanocomposite as means for increasing its degradability for improved biogas production by anaerobic digestion (AD). Photocatalysis accelerated the hydrolysis of WAS and increased the sCOD by 6.7 folds after 6 h and transform tCOD into bioavailable sCOD. After the AD of WAS, a removal of organic matter (60.6%) and tCOD (69.3%) was achieved in photocatalytic pretreated sludge. The biogas production was 1.6 folds higher in photocatalytic sludge with accumulative biogas up to 1645.1 ml L -1 vs after 45 days compared with the raw sludge (1022.4 ml L -1 VS ). Moreover, the photocatalysis decrease the onset of methanogenesis from 25 to 12 days while achieve the maximum conversion rate of reducing sugars into organic acids at that time. These results suggested that photocatalysis is an efficient pretreatment method and ZnO-ZnS@PANI can degrade sludge efficiently for enhance biogas production in anaerobic digestion process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cement stabilization of hazardous and radioactive electroplating sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langton, C.A.; Pickett, J.B.; Martin, M.L.

1991-01-01

Cement stabilization was evaluated for treatment of nickel and uranium in electroplating sludge at the Savannah River Site. Waste forms were prepared by pretreating the sludge and the solidifying it in a variety of cement, cement plus flyash, and cement-flyash-slag mixes. The sludge was also treated by one-step filtration-solidification. Leaching results and processing data indicate the cement solidification is an effective method of treating hazardous-low-level electroplating waste

Washing and caustic leaching of Hanford tank sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumetta, G.J.; Rapko, B.M.; Colton, N.G.

1994-01-01

Methods are being developed to treat and dispose of large volumes of radioactive wastes stored in underground tanks at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site. The wastes will be partitioned into high-level waste (HLW) and low-level waste (LLW) fractions. The HLW will be vitrified into borosilicate glass and disposed of in a geologic repository, while the LLW will be immobilized in a glass matrix and will likely be disposed of by shallow burial at the Hanford Site. The wastes must be pretreated to reduce the volume of the HLW fraction, so that vitrification and disposal costs can be minimized. The current baseline process for pretreating Hanford tank sludges is to leach the sludge under caustic conditions, then remove the solubilized components of the sludge by water washing. Tests of this method have been performed with samples taken from several different tanks at Hanford. The results of these tests are presented in terms of the composition of the sludge before and after leaching. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron dispersive x-ray techniques have been used to identify the phases in the untreated and treated sludges

Microwave assisted acid and alkali pretreatment of Miscanthus biomass for biorefineries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zongyuan Zhu

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Miscanthus is a major bioenergy crop in Europe and a potential feedstock for second generation biofuels. Thermochemical pretreatment is a significant step in the process of converting lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. In this work, microwave energy was applied to facilitate NaOH and H2SO4 pretreatments of Miscanthus. This was carried out at 180 ℃ in a monomode microwave cavity at 300 W. Our results show that H2SO4 pretreatment contributes to the breakdown of hemicelluloses and cellulose, leading to a high glucose yield. The maximum sugar yield from available carbohydrates during pretreatment is 75.3% (0.2 M H2SO4 20 Min, and glucose yield is 46.7% under these conditions. NaOH and water pretreatments tend to break down only hemicellulose in preference to cellulose, contributing to high xylose yield. Compared to conventional heating NaOH/H2SO4 pretreatment, 12 times higher sugar yield was obtained by using microwave assisted pretreatment within half the time. NaOH pretreatments lead to a significantly enhanced digestibility of the residue, because the effective removal of lignin and hemicellulose makes cellulose fibres more accessible to cellulases. Morphological study of biomass shows that the tightly packed fibres in the Miscanthus were dismantled and exposed under NaOH condition. We studied sugar degradation under microwave assisted H2SO4 conditions. The results shows that 6-8% biomass was converted into levulinic acid (LA during pretreatment, showing the possibility of using microwave technology to produce LA from biomass. The outcome of this work shows great potential for using microwave in the thermo-chemical pretreatment for biomass and also selective production of LA from biomass.

Washing and caustic leaching of Hanford tank sludge: Results of FY 1997 studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumetta, G.J.; Burgeson, I.E.; Wagner, M.J.; Liu, J.; Chen, Y.L.

1997-08-01

The current plan for remediating the Hanford tank farms consists of waste retrieval, pretreatment, treatment (immobilization), and disposal. The tank wastes will be partitioned into high-level and low-level fractions. The HLW will be immobilized in a borosilicate glass matrix; the resulting glass canisters will then be disposed of in a geologic repository. Because of the expected high cost of HLW vitrification and geologic disposal, pretreatment processes will be implemented to reduce the volume of immobilized high-level waste (IHLW). Caustic leaching (sometimes referred to as enhanced sludge washing or ESW) represents the baseline method for pretreating Hanford tank sludges. Caustic leaching is expected to remove a large fraction of the Al, which is present in large quantities in Hanford tank sludges. A significant portion of the P is also expected to be removed from the sludge by metathesis of water-insoluble metal phosphates to insoluble hydroxides and soluble Na 3 PO 4 . Similar metathesis reactions can occur for insoluble sulfate salts, allowing the removal of sulfate from the HLW stream. This report describes the sludge washing and caustic leaching tests performed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in FY 1996. The sludges used in this study were taken from Hanford tanks AN-104, BY-108, S-101, and S-111

Effect of sonically induced deflocculation on the efficiency of ozone mediated partial sludge disintegration for improved production of biogas.

Science.gov (United States)

Sowmya Packyam, G; Kavitha, S; Adish Kumar, S; Kaliappan, S; Yeom, Ick Tae; Rajesh Banu, J

2015-09-01

In this study, ultrasonication was used for sludge deflocculation, followed by cell disintegration using ozone. The effect of this phase separated sono-ozone pretreatment is evaluated based on extra polymeric substances release, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the medium, solubilization of intra cellular components and suspended solids (SS) reduction. Ultrasonically induced deflocculation was optimized at an energy dosage of 76.4(log 1.88)kJ/kg TS. During cell disintegration (ozone dosage 0.0011 mgO3/mgSS), chemical oxygen demand solubilization (COD) and SS reduction of sonic mediated ozone pretreated sludge were 25.4% and 17.8% comparatively higher than ozone pretreated sludge, respectively. Further, biogas production potential of control (raw), flocculated (ozone pretreated), and deflocculated (sonic mediated ozone pretreated) sludges were observed to be 0.202, 0.535 and 0.637 L/(gVS), respectively. Thus, the phase separated pretreatment at lower ultrasonic specific energy and low dose ozone proved to enhance the anaerobic biodegradability efficiently. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accelerating the sludge disintegration potential of a novel bacterial strain Planococcus jake 01 by CaCl2 induced deflocculation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, S; Saranya, T; Kaliappan, S; Adish Kumar, S; Yeom, Ick Tae; Rajesh Banu, J

2015-01-01

The present study investigates the impacts of phase separated disintegration through CaCl2 (calcium chloride) mediated biosurfactant producing bacterial pretreatment. In the initial phase of the study, the flocs were disintegrated (deflocculation) with 0.06g/gSS of CaCl2. In the subsequent phase, the sludge biomass was disintegrated (cell disintegration) through potent biosurfactant producing new novel bacteria, Planococcus jake 01. The pretreatment showed that suspended solids reduction and chemical oxygen demand solubilization for deflocculated - bacterially pretreated sludge was found to be 17.14% and 14.14% which were comparatively higher than flocculated sludge (treated with bacteria alone). The biogas yield potential of deflocculated - bacterially pretreated, flocculated, and control sludges were observed to be 0.322(L/gVS), 0.225(L/gVS) and 0.145(L/gVS) respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study to present the thorough knowledge of biogas production potential through a novel phase separated biosurfactant bacterial pretreatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of sludge reduction and methane production by removing extracellular polymeric substances from waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Minh Tuan; Mohd Yasin, Nazlina Haiza; Miyazaki, Toshiki; Maeda, Toshinari

2014-12-01

The management of waste activated sludge (WAS) recycling is a concern that affects the development of the future low-carbon society, particularly sludge reduction and biomass utilization. In this study, we investigated the effect of removing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which play important roles in the adhesion and flocculation of WAS, on increased sludge disintegration, thereby enhancing sludge reduction and methane production by anaerobic digestion. EPS removal from WAS by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) significantly enhanced sludge reduction, i.e., 49 ± 5% compared with 27 ± 1% of the control at the end the digestion process. Methane production was also improved in WAS without EPS by 8881 ± 109 CH4 μmol g(-1) dry-weight of sludge. Microbial activity was determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time polymerase chain reaction, which showed that the hydrolysis and acetogenesis stages were enhanced by pretreatment with 2% EDTA, with a larger methanogenic community and better methane production. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improvement of anaerobic digestion of sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dohanyos, Michael; Zabranska, Jana; Kutil, Josef; Jenicek, Pavel

2003-07-01

Anaerobic digestion improvement can be accomplished by different methods. Besides optimization of process conditions is frequently used pretreatment of input sludge and increase of process temperature. Thermophilic process brings a higher solids reduction and biogas production, the high resistance to foaming, no problems with odour, the higher effect of destroying pathogens and the improvement of the energy balance of the whole treatment plant. Disintegration of excess activated sludge in lysate centrifuge was proved in full-scale conditions causing increase of biogas production. The rapid thermal conditioning of digested sludge is acceptable method of particulate matter disintegration and solubilization. (author)

Optimization of municipal sludge and grease co-digestion using disintegration technologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchy, L; Pérez, A; Camacho, P; Rubio, P; Silvestre, G; Fernández, B; Cano, R; Polanco, M; Díaz, N

2012-01-01

Many drivers tend to foster the development of renewable energy production in wastewater treatment plants as many expectations rely upon energy recovery from sewage sludge, for example through biogas use. This paper is focused on the assessment of grease waste (GW) as an adequate substrate for co-digestion with municipal sludge, as it has a methane potential of 479-710 LCH(4)/kg VS, as well as the evaluation of disintegration technologies as a method to optimize the co-digestion process. With this objective three different pre-treatments have been selected for evaluation: thermal hydrolysis, ultrasound and enzymatic treatment. Results have shown that co-digestion processes without pre-treatment had a maximum increment of 128% of the volumetric methane productivity when GW addition was 23% inlet (at 20 days of HRT and with an OLR of 3.0 kg COD/m(3)d), compared with conventional digestion of sewage sludge alone. Concerning the application of the selected disintegration technologies, all pre-treatments showed improvements in terms of methane yield (51.8, 89.5 and 57.6% more for thermal hydrolysis, ultrasound and enzymatic treatment, respectively, compared with non-pretreated wastes), thermal hydrolysis of GW and secondary sludge being the best configuration as it improved the solubilization of the organic matter and the hydrodynamic characteristics of digestates.

Outlook of thermal sludge digestion/pretreatment??; Verkenning thermische slibontsluiting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berkhof, D.C. [DHV, Amersfoort (Netherlands)

2011-09-15

This (mid-term) report sketches an image of thermal sludge digestion: the benefits are shown of this new technique as well as the critical factors for making the technique successful in the Netherlands. Moreover, research aspects for pilot research have been formulated that are part of the STOWA research on thermal sludge digestion. Thermal digestion aims to increase the dry mater degradation in the digestion of the biogas production. Next to an increase in the energy production from biogas, a decrease in the amount of sludge to be sold is realized [Dutch] In dit (tussen)rapport wordt een beeld geschetst van thermische slibontsluiting: onder meer de voordelen van deze nieuwe techniek en de kritische factoren om de techniek in Nederland succesvol te laten zijn. Er zijn tevens onderzoeksaspecten voor pilotonderzoeken geformuleerd die deel uitmaken van het STOWA-onderzoek naar thermische slibontsluiting. Met thermische ontsluiting wordt een verhoging van de drogestofafbraak in de gisting en van de biogasproductie beoogd. Naast een verhoging van de energieproductie uit biogas wordt een verlaging van de hoeveelheid af te zetten slib bereikt.

Comparison of ozone and thermal hydrolysis combined with anaerobic digestion for municipal and pharmaceutical waste sludge with tetracycline resistance genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Jin; Yao, Hong; Wang, Hui; Ren, Jia; Yu, Xiaohua

2016-08-01

Biosolids from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) are environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes, which attract great concerns on their efficient treatments. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is widely used for sewage sludge treatment but its effectiveness is limited due to the slow hydrolysis. Ozone and thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment were employed to improve AD efficiency and reduce antibiotic-resistant genes in municipal and pharmaceutical waste sludge (MWS and PWS, respectively) in this study. Sludge solubilization achieved 15.75-25.09% and 14.85-33.92% after ozone and thermal hydrolysis, respectively. Both pre-treatments improved cumulative methane production and the enhancements were greater on PWS than MWS. Five tetracycline-resistant genes (tet(A), tet(G), tet(Q), tet(W), tet(X)) and one mobile element (intI1) were qPCR to assess pre-treatments. AD of pre-treated sludge reduced more tet genes than raw sludge for both ozonation and thermal hydrolysis in PWS and MWS. Thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment was more efficient than ozone for reduction after AD. Results of this study help support management options for reducing the spread of antibiotic resistance from biosolids. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Sludge Treatment and Extraction Technology Development: Results of FY 1993 studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumetta, G.J.; Wagner, M.J.; Barrington, R.J.; Rapko, B.M.; Carlson, C.D.

1994-03-01

This report describes experimental results from work conducted in FY 1993 under the Sludge Treatment and Extraction Technology Development Task of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Pretreatment Technology Development Project at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). Experiments were conducted in the following six general areas: (1) sludge washing, (2) sludge leaching, (3) sludge dissolution, (4) actinide separation by solvent extraction and extraction chromatography, (5) Sr separation by solvent extraction, and (6) extraction of Cs from acidic solution

Physico-chemical pre-treatment and biotransformation of wastewater and wastewater sludge--fate of bisphenol A.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohapatra, D P; Brar, S K; Tyagi, R D; Surampalli, R Y

2010-02-01

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disrupting compound largely used in plastic and paper industry, ends up in aquatic systems via wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) among other sources. The identification and quantification of BPA in wastewater (WW) and wastewater sludge (WWS) is of major interest to assess the endocrine activity of treated effluent discharged into the environment. Many treatment technologies, including various pre-treatment methods, such as hydrolysis, Fenton oxidation, peroxidation, ultrasonication and ozonation have been developed in order to degrade BPA in WW and WWS and for the production of WWS based value-added products (VAPs). WWS based VAPs, such as biopesticides, bioherbicides, biofertilizers, bioplastics and enzymes are low cost biological alternatives that can compete with chemicals or other cost intensive biological products in the current markets. However, this field application is disputable due to the presence of these organic compounds which has been discussed with a perspective of simultaneous degradation. The pre-treatment produces an impact on rheology as well as value-addition which has been reviewed in this paper. Various analytical techniques available for the detection of BPA in WW and WWS are also discussed. Presence of heavy metals and possible thermodynamical behavior of the compound in WW and WWS can have major impact on BPA removal, which is also included in the review.

Effect of deflocculation on the efficiency of disperser induced dairy waste activated sludge disintegration and treatment cost.

Science.gov (United States)

Devi, T Poornima; Ebenezer, A Vimala; Kumar, S Adish; Kaliappan, S; Banu, J Rajesh

2014-09-01

Excess sludge disintegration by energy intensive processes like mechanical pretreatment is considered to be high in cost. In this study, an attempt has been made to disintegrate excess sludge by disperser in a cost effective manner by deflocculating the sludge using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) at a concentration of 0.04 g/g SS. The disperser pretreatment was effective at a specific energy input of 5013 kJ/kg TS where deflocculated sludge showed higher chemical oxygen demand solubilisation and suspended solids reduction of 26% and 22.9% than flocculated sludge and was found to be 18.8% and 18.6% for former and latter respectively. Higher accumulation of volatile fatty acid (700 mg/L) in deflocculated sludge indicates better hydrolysis of sludge by proposed method. The anaerobic biodegradability resulted in higher biogas production potential of 0.522 L/(g VS) for deflocculated sludge. Cost analysis of the study showed 43% net energy saving in deflocculated sludge. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Concomitant degradation of bisphenol A during ultrasonication and Fenton oxidation and production of biofertilizer from wastewater sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohapatra, D P; Brar, S K; Tyagi, R D; Surampalli, R Y

2011-09-01

Degradation of bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, from wastewater sludge (WWS) has attracted great interest recently. In the present study, the effects of different pre-treatment methods, including ultrasonication (US), Fenton's oxidation (FO) and ferro-sonication (FS) was assessed in terms of increase in solubilization of WWS and simultaneous degradation of BPA. Among US, FO and FS pre-treatment, higher suspended solids (SS), volatile suspended solids (VSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and soluble organic carbon (SOC) solubilization (39.7%, 51.2%, 64.5% and 17.6%, respectively) was observed during a ferro-sonication pre-treatment process carried out for 180 min, resulting in higher degradation of BPA (82.7%). In addition, the effect of rheological parameters (viscosity and particle size) and zeta potential on the degradation of BPA in raw and different pre-treated sludges were also investigated. The results showed that a decrease in viscosity and particle size and an increase in zeta potential resulted in higher degradation of BPA. BPA degradation by laccases produced by Sinorhizobium meliloti in raw and pre-treated sludge was also determined. Higher activity of laccases (207.9 U L(-1)) was observed in ferro-sonicated pre-treated sludge (180 min ultrasonic time), resulting in higher removal of BPA (0.083 μg g(-1)), suggesting concomitant biological degradation of BPA. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

K Basin Sludge Conditioning Process Testing Project. Results from Test 4, ''Acid Digestion of Mixed-Bed Ion Exchange Resin''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pool, K.H.; Delegard, C.H.; Schmidt, A.J.; Thornton, B.M.; Silvers, K.L.

1998-06-01

Approximately 73 m 3 of heterogeneous solid material, ''sludge,'' (upper bound estimate, Packer 1997) have accumulated at the bottom of the K Basins in the 100 K Area of the Hanford Site. This sludge is a mixture of spent fuel element corrosion products, ion exchange materials (organic and inorganic), graphite-based gasket materials, iron and aluminum metal corrosion products, sand, and debris (Makenas et al. 1996, 1997). In addition, small amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found. Ultimately, it is planned to transfer the K Basins sludge to the Hanford double shell tanks (DSTs). The Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel (HSNF) project has conducted a number of evaluations to examine technology and processing alternatives to pretreat K Basin sludge to meet storage and disposal requirements. From these evaluations, chemical pretreatment has been selected to address criticality issues, reactivity, and the destruction or removal of PCBs before the K Basin sludge can be transferred to the DSTs. Chemical pretreatment, referred to as the K Basin sludge conditioning process, includes nitric acid dissolution of the sludge (with removal of acid insoluble solids), neutrons absorber addition, neutralization, and reprecipitation. Laboratory testing is being conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to provide data necessary to develop the sludge conditioning process

Improving biogas production from continuous co-digestion of oily wastewater and waste-activated sludge by hydrodynamic cavitation pre-treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Habashi, Nima; Alighardashi, Abolghasem; Mennerich, Artur; Mehrdadi, Nasser; Torabian, Ali

2018-04-01

Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) was evaluated as a pretreatment for synthetic oily wastewater (OWW) to be co-digested with waste-activated sludge (WAS). The main objective of the present research was the enhancement of biogas production by the application of HC pretreatment. HC was applied to the OWW, and the OWW and WAS were added to a 50 L continuous digestion reactor. As a control system, an identical digestion reactor was set up for co-digestion of the WAS and the OWW without pretreatment. The reactors were initially filled with inoculum and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was set to 22 d. The HRT was gradually reduced to 19, 16, and finally 13 d, but the substrate quality was kept constant. The loading rate, accordingly, increased from 0.86 to 1.46 g TVS/(L d). The biogas volume was recorded online and its quality was analyzed regularly. The HC improved biogas production up to 43% at 22 d of HRT. Reducing the HRT decreased biogas production from the main reactor while that of the control reactor was more or less constant. HC also increased the biogas methane content; the methane concentration of the main reactor was about 3% higher than the methane concentration of the control reactor. The main reactor experienced no clogging or accumulation of fatty materials.

Biohydrogen production using waste activated sludge disintegrated by gamma irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, Yanan; Wang, Jianlong

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The waste activated sludge could be disintegrated by gamma irradiation. • The disintegrated sludge could be used for biohydrogen production. • Combined alkali-irradiation treatment achieved the highest solubilization of sludge. - Abstract: The biohydrogen production using the disintegrated and dissolved sludge by gamma irradiation was studied. The experimental results showed that gamma irradiation and irradiation combined with alkali pretreatment could disintegrate and dissolve waste activated sludge for biohydrogen production. The alkali-irradiation treatment of the sludge at pH = 12 and 20 kGy achieved the highest disintegration and dissolution, i.e., it could destroy the cell walls and release organic matters (such as soluble COD, polysaccharides and protein) into the solution. The disintegrated sludge could be used as a low-cost substrate for biohydrogen production

Energetic assessment of air-steam gasification of sewage sludge and of the integration of sewage sludge pyrolysis and air-steam gasification of char

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gil-Lalaguna, N.; Sánchez, J.L.; Murillo, M.B.; Atienza-Martínez, M.; Gea, G.

2014-01-01

Thermo-chemical treatment of sewage sludge is an interesting option for recovering energy and/or valuable products from this waste. This work presents an energetic assessment of pyrolysis and gasification of sewage sludge, also considering the prior sewage sludge thermal drying and the gasification of the char derived from the pyrolysis stage. Experimental data obtained from pyrolysis of sewage sludge, gasification of sewage sludge and gasification of char (all of these performed in a lab-scale fluidized reactor) were used for the energetic calculations. The results show that the energy contained in the product gases from pyrolysis and char gasification is not enough to cover the high energy consumption for thermal drying of sewage sludge. Additional energy could be obtained from the calorific value of the pyrolysis liquid, but some of its properties must be improved facing towards its use as fuel. On the other hand, the energy contained in the product gas of sewage sludge gasification is enough to cover the energy demand for both the sewage sludge thermal drying and the gasification process itself. Furthermore, a theoretical study included in this work shows that the gasification efficiency is improved when the chemical equilibrium is reached in the process. - Highlights: • 4 MJ kg −1 for thermal drying of sewage sludge (SS) from 65 to 6.5 wt.% of moisture. • 0.15 MJ kg −1 for thermal decomposition of sewage sludge during fast pyrolysis. • Not enough energy in gases from SS pyrolysis and char gasification for thermal drying. • Enough energy in SS gasification gas for thermal drying and gasification process. • Gasification efficiency improves when equilibrium is reached in the process

Feasibility of bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge using defined microbial consortium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shireen Meher Kotay; Debabrata Das [Fermentation Technology Lab., Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, W.B., INDIA-721302 (India)

2006-07-01

Biological hydrogen production potential of a defined microbial consortium consisting of three facultative anaerobes, Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08, Citrobacter freundii IIT-BT L139 and Bacillus coagulans IIT-BT S1 was studied. In this investigation their individual and combinatorial H{sub 2} production capabilities have been studied on defined media and pretreated sewage sludge. Defined medium, MYG (1% w/v Malt extract, 0.4% w/v yeast extract and 1% w/v glucose) with glucose as limiting substrate has been found to be most suitable for hydrogen production. Individually E. cloacae clearly gave higher yield (276 ml H{sub 2}/ g COD reduced) using defined medium than the other two strains. There was no considerable difference in maximal yield of hydrogen from individual and combinatorial (1:1:1 consortium) modes suggesting that E. cloacae dominated in the consortia on defined medium. Contradictorily, B. coagulans gave better bio-hydrogen yield (37.16 ml H{sub 2}/g COD consumed) than the other two strains when activated sewage sludge was used as substrate. The pretreatment of sludge included sterilization, (15% v/v) dilution and supplementation with 0.5%w/v glucose which was found to be essential to screen out the hydrogen consuming bacteria and ameliorate the hydrogenation. Considering (1:1:1) consortium as inoculum, interestingly yield of hydrogen was recorded to increase to 41.23 ml H{sub 2}/ g COD reduced inferring that in consortium, the substrate utilization was significantly higher. The hydrogen yield from pretreated sludge obtained in this study (35.54 ml H{sub 2} g sludge) has been found to be distinctively higher than the earlier reports (8.1 - 16.9 ml H{sub 2}/g sludge). However it was lower compared to the yield obtained from co-digestion of (83:17) food waste and sewage sludge (122 ml H{sub 2}/g carbohydrate COD). Employing formulated microbial consortia for bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge was an attempt to augment the hydrogen yield from sludge

Feasibility of bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge using defined microbial consortium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shireen Meher Kotay; Debabrata Das [Fermentation Technology Lab., Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, W.B., INDIA-721302 (India)

2006-07-01

Biological hydrogen production potential of a defined microbial consortium consisting of three facultative anaerobes, Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08, Citrobacter freundii IIT-BT L139 and Bacillus coagulans IIT-BT S1 was studied. In this investigation their individual and combinatorial H{sub 2} production capabilities have been studied on defined media and pretreated sewage sludge. Defined medium, MYG (1% w/v Malt extract, 0.4% w/v yeast extract and 1% w/v glucose) with glucose as limiting substrate has been found to be most suitable for hydrogen production. Individually E. cloacae clearly gave higher yield (276 ml H{sub 2}/ g COD reduced) using defined medium than the other two strains. There was no considerable difference in maximal yield of hydrogen from individual and combinatorial (1:1:1 consortium) modes suggesting that E. cloacae dominated in the consortia on defined medium. Contradictorily, B. coagulans gave better bio-hydrogen yield (37.16 ml H{sub 2}/ g COD consumed) than the other two strains when activated sewage sludge was used as substrate. The pretreatment of sludge included sterilization, (15% v/v) dilution and supplementation with 0.5% w/v glucose which was found to be essential to screen out the hydrogen consuming bacteria and ameliorate the hydrogenation. Considering (1:1:1) consortium as inoculum, interestingly yield of hydrogen was recorded to increase to 41.23 ml H{sub 2}/ g COD reduced inferring that in consortium, the substrate utilization was significantly higher. The hydrogen yield from pretreated sludge obtained in this study (35.54 ml H{sub 2}/ g sludge) has been found to be distinctively higher than the earlier reports (8.1 - 16.9 ml H{sub 2} / g sludge). However it was lower compared to the yield obtained from co-digestion of (83:17) food waste and sewage sludge (122 ml H{sub 2}/ g carbohydrate COD). Employing formulated microbial consortia for bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge was an attempt to augment the hydrogen yield from

Feasibility of bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge using defined microbial consortium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shireen Meher Kotay; Debabrata Das

2006-01-01

Biological hydrogen production potential of a defined microbial consortium consisting of three facultative anaerobes, Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08, Citrobacter freundii IIT-BT L139 and Bacillus coagulans IIT-BT S1 was studied. In this investigation their individual and combinatorial H 2 production capabilities have been studied on defined media and pretreated sewage sludge. Defined medium, MYG (1% w/v Malt extract, 0.4% w/v yeast extract and 1% w/v glucose) with glucose as limiting substrate has been found to be most suitable for hydrogen production. Individually E. cloacae clearly gave higher yield (276 ml H 2 / g COD reduced) using defined medium than the other two strains. There was no considerable difference in maximal yield of hydrogen from individual and combinatorial (1:1:1 consortium) modes suggesting that E. cloacae dominated in the consortia on defined medium. Contradictorily, B. coagulans gave better bio-hydrogen yield (37.16 ml H 2 /g COD consumed) than the other two strains when activated sewage sludge was used as substrate. The pretreatment of sludge included sterilization, (15% v/v) dilution and supplementation with 0.5%w/v glucose which was found to be essential to screen out the hydrogen consuming bacteria and ameliorate the hydrogenation. Considering (1:1:1) consortium as inoculum, interestingly yield of hydrogen was recorded to increase to 41.23 ml H 2 / g COD reduced inferring that in consortium, the substrate utilization was significantly higher. The hydrogen yield from pretreated sludge obtained in this study (35.54 ml H 2 g sludge) has been found to be distinctively higher than the earlier reports (8.1 - 16.9 ml H 2 /g sludge). However it was lower compared to the yield obtained from co-digestion of (83:17) food waste and sewage sludge (122 ml H 2 /g carbohydrate COD). Employing formulated microbial consortia for bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge was an attempt to augment the hydrogen yield from sludge. (authors)

Feasibility of bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge using defined microbial consortium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shireen Meher Kotay; Debabrata Das

2006-01-01

Biological hydrogen production potential of a defined microbial consortium consisting of three facultative anaerobes, Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08, Citrobacter freundii IIT-BT L139 and Bacillus coagulans IIT-BT S1 was studied. In this investigation their individual and combinatorial H 2 production capabilities have been studied on defined media and pretreated sewage sludge. Defined medium, MYG (1% w/v Malt extract, 0.4% w/v yeast extract and 1% w/v glucose) with glucose as limiting substrate has been found to be most suitable for hydrogen production. Individually E. cloacae clearly gave higher yield (276 ml H 2 / g COD reduced) using defined medium than the other two strains. There was no considerable difference in maximal yield of hydrogen from individual and combinatorial (1:1:1 consortium) modes suggesting that E. cloacae dominated in the consortia on defined medium. Contradictorily, B. coagulans gave better bio-hydrogen yield (37.16 ml H 2 / g COD consumed) than the other two strains when activated sewage sludge was used as substrate. The pretreatment of sludge included sterilization, (15% v/v) dilution and supplementation with 0.5% w/v glucose which was found to be essential to screen out the hydrogen consuming bacteria and ameliorate the hydrogenation. Considering (1:1:1) consortium as inoculum, interestingly yield of hydrogen was recorded to increase to 41.23 ml H 2 / g COD reduced inferring that in consortium, the substrate utilization was significantly higher. The hydrogen yield from pretreated sludge obtained in this study (35.54 ml H 2 / g sludge) has been found to be distinctively higher than the earlier reports (8.1 - 16.9 ml H 2 / g sludge). However it was lower compared to the yield obtained from co-digestion of (83:17) food waste and sewage sludge (122 ml H 2 / g carbohydrate COD). Employing formulated microbial consortia for bio-hydrogen production from sewage sludge was an attempt to augment the hydrogen yield from sludge. (authors)

Inactivation of poliovirus by gamma irradiation of wastewater sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaupert, Norma L.; Burgi, Elsa; Scolaro, L.

1999-01-01

The effect of gamma radiation on poliovirus infectivity seeded in sludge samples was investigated in order to determine the radiation dose required to inactivate 90% of viral infectivity (D 10 ). Sludges were obtained from anaerobic pretreated sewages produced by San Felipe, a wastewater treatment facility located at the Tucuman province, Argentina. A D 10 of 3.34 kGy was determined for poliovirus type III, Sabin strain, suspended in sludge samples. This value dropped to 1.92 kGy when the virus was suspended in water. A virucidal effect associated to sludges was also demonstrated. These results will be of interest when considering the dose of gamma radiation to be applied to wastewater sludges in order to preserve the environment from viral contamination. (author)

Pretreatment and Anaerobic Co-digestion of Selected PHB and PLA Bioplastics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas Benn

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Conventional petroleum-derived plastics are recalcitrant to biodegradation and can be problematic as they accumulate in the environment. In contrast, it may be possible to add novel, biodegradable bioplastics to anaerobic digesters at municipal water resource recovery facilities along with primary sludge to produce more biomethane. In this study, thermal and chemical bioplastic pretreatments were first investigated to increase the rate and extent of anaerobic digestion. Subsequently, replicate, bench-scale anaerobic co-digesters fed synthetic primary sludge with and without PHB bioplastic were maintained for over 170 days. Two polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB, one poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate and one polylactic acid (PLA bioplastic were investigated. Biochemical methane potential (BMP assays were performed using both untreated bioplastic as well as bioplastic pretreated at elevated temperature (35–90°C under alkaline conditions (8pretreatment increased average BMP values up to over 100%. Average PHB lag time before methane production started decreased when pretreatment was performed. Bench-scale anaerobic co-digesters fed synthetic primary sludge with PHB bioplastic resulted in 80–98% conversion of two PHB bioplastics to biomethane and a 5% biomethane production increase at the organic loadings employed (sludge OLR = 3.6 g COD per L of reactor volume per day [g COD/LR-d]; bioplastic OLR = 0.75 g theoretical oxygen demand per L of reactor volume per day [ThOD/LR-d] compared to digesters not fed bioplastics. Anaerobic digestion or co-digestion is a feasible management option for biodegradable plastics.

Thermo-Chemical Conversion of Microwave Activated Biomass Mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Barmina, I.; Kolmickovs, A.; Valdmanis, R.; Vostrikovs, S.; Zake, M.

2018-05-01

Thermo-chemical conversion of microwave activated wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets is studied experimentally with the aim to provide more effective application of wheat straw for heat energy production. Microwave pre-processing of straw pellets is used to provide a partial decomposition of the main constituents of straw and to activate the thermo-chemical conversion of wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets. The experimental study includes complex measurements of the elemental composition of biomass pellets (wheat straw, wood, peat), DTG analysis of their thermal degradation, FTIR analysis of the composition of combustible volatiles entering the combustor, the flame temperature, the heat output of the device and composition of the products by comparing these characteristics for mixtures with unprocessed and mw pre-treated straw pellets. The results of experimental study confirm that mw pre-processing of straw activates the thermal decomposition of mixtures providing enhanced formation of combustible volatiles. This leads to improvement of the combustion conditions in the flame reaction zone, completing thus the combustion of volatiles, increasing the flame temperature, the heat output from the device, the produced heat energy per mass of burned mixture and decreasing at the same time the mass fraction of unburned volatiles in the products.

Effect of sludge solids to mono-sodium titanate (MST) ratio on MST-treated sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saito, H.H.

1999-01-01

The Salt Disposition Systems Engineering Team has selected two cesium removal technologies for further development to replace the In-Tank Precipitation process: small tank tetraphenylborate (TPB) precipitation and crystalline silicotitanate (CST) ion exchange. In the CST ion exchange process, incoming salt solution from storage tanks containing entrained sludge solids is pretreated with monosodium titanate (MST) to adsorb strontium and plutonium. The resulting slurry is filtered using a cross-flow filter, with the permeate sent forward to CST ion exchange columns for cesium removal prior to conversion into Class A grout at the Saltstone Facility. The MST and sludge solids are to be sent for vitrification at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). The High Level Waste Division (HLWD) requested that the Waste Processing Technology Section (WPTS) study varying the insoluble sludge solids to MST ratio to determine the relative impact of sludge and MST on filter performance. The purpose of this study was not for an exhaustive comprehensive search for an optimized insoluble sludge solids to monosodium titanate (MST) ratio, but as a scoping study to identify any effects of having an excess of either material. This document reports the results obtained

Comparing the Bio-Hydrogen Production Potential of Pretreated Rice Straw Co-Digested with Seeded Sludge Using an Anaerobic Bioreactor under Mesophilic Thermophilic Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asma Sattar

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Three common pretreatments (mechanical, steam explosion and chemical used to enhance the biodegradability of rice straw were compared on the basis of bio-hydrogen production potential while co-digesting rice straw with sludge under mesophilic (37 °C and thermophilic (55 °C temperatures. The results showed that the solid state NaOH pretreatment returned the highest experimental reduction of LCH (lignin, cellulose and hemi-cellulose content and bio-hydrogen production from rice straw. The increase in incubation temperature from 37 °C to 55 °C increased the bio-hydrogen yield, and the highest experimental yield of 60.6 mL/g VSremoved was obtained under chemical pretreatment at 55 °C. The time required for maximum bio-hydrogen production was found on the basis of kinetic parameters as 36 h–47 h of incubation, which can be used as a hydraulic retention time for continuous bio-hydrogen production from rice straw. The optimum pH range of bio-hydrogen production was observed to be 6.7 ± 0.1–5.8 ± 0.1 and 7.1 ± 0.1–5.8 ± 0.1 under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, respectively. The increase in temperature was found useful for controlling the volatile fatty acids (VFA under mechanical and steam explosion pretreatments. The comparison of pretreatment methods under the same set of experimental conditions in the present study provided a baseline for future research in order to select an appropriate pretreatment method.

Effect of hydrothermal pre-treatment (HTP) on poultry slaughterhouse waste (PSW) sludge for the enhancement of the solubilization, physical properties, and biogas production through anaerobic digestion.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Seyong; Yoon, Young-Man; Han, Seong Kuk; Kim, Daegi; Kim, Ho

2017-06-01

This study is an assessment of the hydrothermal pre-treatment (HTP) of poultry slaughterhouse waste (PSW) sludge for the enhancement of the solubilization, physical properties, and biogas production through anaerobic digestion. This assessment was carried out to ascertain the optimal HTP temperature. The solubilization and physical properties efficacy was investigated by capillary suction time (CST), time to filter (TTF), and particle size. In addition, the anaerobic digestion was investigated through biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests and subsequent statistical analysis using the modified Gompertz model. HTP was found to have improved the solubilization of the PSW sludge with increasing HTP temperature. In addition, the results of the CST, TTF, and particle size decreased with increasing HTP temperature. These results of the assessment that was conducted in this study confirm that the HTP process indeed modifies the physical properties of PSWs to enhance the solubilization of organic solids. Nevertheless, the results of the BMP tests and the modified Gompertz model analysis show that the optimal HTP temperature of PSWs for anaerobic digestion is 190°C. These findings show that to achieve high conversion efficiency, an accurately designed pre-treatment step must be included in the overall anaerobic digestion process for wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A study on torrefaction of sewage sludge to enhance solid fuel qualities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poudel, Jeeban; Ohm, Tae-In; Lee, Sang-Hoon; Oh, Sea Cheon

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The physio chemical variation of sewage sludge during torrefaction was studied. • Compounds with oxygen were emitted at a temperature lower than that for C x H y . • Sewage sludge torrefaction range was defined between 300 and 350 °C. - Abstract: Torrefaction is a treatment which serves to improve the properties of biomass in relation to thermochemical processing techniques for energy generation. In this study, the torrefaction of sewage sludge, which is a non-lignocellulosic waste was investigated in a horizontal tubular reactor under nitrogen flow at temperature ranging from 150 to 400 °C, for torrefaction residence time varying from 0 to 50 min. The torrefaction kinetics of sewage sludge was studied to obtain the kinetic parameters. The torrefied sewage sludge products were characterized in terms of their elemental composition, energy yield, ash content and volatile fraction. The energy and mass yields decreased with an increase in the torrefaction temperature. From an elemental analysis, the weight percentage of carbon in the sewage sludge increased with an increase in the torrefaction temperature. On the other hand, the weight percentages of hydrogen and oxygen tended to decrease. The gaseous products from torrefaction of sewage sludge were also analyzed. From this work, it was found that the compounds with oxygen were emitted at a temperature lower than that for hydrocarbon gases and the temperatures of 300–350 °C were the optimum torrefaction temperatures for sewage sludge

A study on torrefaction of sewage sludge to enhance solid fuel qualities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poudel, Jeeban [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kongju National University, 1223-24 Cheonan-Daero, Seobuk, Chungnam 330-717 (Korea, Republic of); Ohm, Tae-In [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanbat National University, 125 Dongseo-Daero, Yuseong, Daejeon, 330-717 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang-Hoon [Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, 135-502 Teheran-ro 114gil 14, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Sea Cheon, E-mail: ohsec@kongju.ac.kr [Department of Environmental Engineering, Kongju National University, 1223-24 Cheonan-Daero, Seobuk, Chungnam 330-717 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-15

Highlights: • The physio chemical variation of sewage sludge during torrefaction was studied. • Compounds with oxygen were emitted at a temperature lower than that for C{sub x}H{sub y}. • Sewage sludge torrefaction range was defined between 300 and 350 °C. - Abstract: Torrefaction is a treatment which serves to improve the properties of biomass in relation to thermochemical processing techniques for energy generation. In this study, the torrefaction of sewage sludge, which is a non-lignocellulosic waste was investigated in a horizontal tubular reactor under nitrogen flow at temperature ranging from 150 to 400 °C, for torrefaction residence time varying from 0 to 50 min. The torrefaction kinetics of sewage sludge was studied to obtain the kinetic parameters. The torrefied sewage sludge products were characterized in terms of their elemental composition, energy yield, ash content and volatile fraction. The energy and mass yields decreased with an increase in the torrefaction temperature. From an elemental analysis, the weight percentage of carbon in the sewage sludge increased with an increase in the torrefaction temperature. On the other hand, the weight percentages of hydrogen and oxygen tended to decrease. The gaseous products from torrefaction of sewage sludge were also analyzed. From this work, it was found that the compounds with oxygen were emitted at a temperature lower than that for hydrocarbon gases and the temperatures of 300–350 °C were the optimum torrefaction temperatures for sewage sludge.

Effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the characteristic evolutions of drinking water treatment sludge and its impact on coagulation property of sludge recycling process.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zhiwei; Yang, Yanling; Li, Xing

2015-11-01

Large amounts of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) are produced during the flocculation or flotation process. The recycling of DWTS is important for reducing and reclaiming the waste residues from drinking water treatment. To improve the coagulation step of the DWTS recycling process, power ultrasound was used as a pretreatment to disintegrate the DWTS and degrade or inactivate the constituents that are difficult to remove by coagulation. The effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the characteristics of DWTS, including the extent of disintegration, variation in DWTS floc characteristics, and DWTS dewaterability, were investigated. The capacity of the recycling process to remove particulates and organic matter from low-turbidity surface water compared to a control treatment process without DWTS was subsequently evaluated. The coagulation mechanism was further investigated by analyzing the formation, breakage, and re-growth of re-coagulated flocs. Our results indicated that under the low energy density applied (0.03-0.033 W/mL) for less than 15 min at a frequency of 160 kHz, the level of organic solubilization was less elevated, which was evidenced by the lower release of proteins and polysaccharides and lower fluorescence intensities of humic- and protein-like substances. The applied ultrasound conditions had an adverse effect on the dewaterability of the DWTS. Ultrasound pretreatment had no significant impact on the pH or surface charge of the DWTS flocs, whereas particle size decreased slightly and the specific surface area was moderately increased. The pollution removal capacity decreased somewhat for the recycled sonicated DWTS treatment, which was primarily ascribed to organic solubilization rather than variability in the floc characteristics of sonicated DWTS. The main coagulation mechanism was floc sweeping and physical adsorption. The breakage process of the flocs formed by the recycling process displayed distinct irreversibility, and the flocs were

CFD Studies on Biomass Thermochemical Conversion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lifeng Yan

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Thermochemical conversion of biomass offers an efficient and economically process to provide gaseous, liquid and solid fuels and prepare chemicals derived from biomass. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD modeling applications on biomass thermochemical processes help to optimize the design and operation of thermochemical reactors. Recent progression in numerical techniques and computing efficacy has advanced CFD as a widely used approach to provide efficient design solutions in industry. This paper introduces the fundamentals involved in developing a CFD solution. Mathematical equations governing the fluid flow, heat and mass transfer and chemical reactions in thermochemical systems are described and sub-models for individual processes are presented. It provides a review of various applications of CFD in the biomass thermochemical process field.

Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation of biologically pretreated Lurgi coal gasification wastewater using sewage sludge based activated carbon supported manganese and ferric oxides as catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuang, Haifeng; Han, Hongjun; Hou, Baolin; Jia, Shengyong; Zhao, Qian

2014-08-01

Sewage sludge of biological wastewater treatment plant was converted into sewage sludge based activated carbon (SBAC) with ZnCl₂ as activation agent, which supported manganese and ferric oxides as catalysts (including SBAC) to improve the performance of ozonation of real biologically pretreated Lurgi coal gasification wastewater. The results indicated catalytic ozonation with the prepared catalysts significantly enhanced performance of pollutants removal and the treated wastewater was more biodegradable and less toxic than that in ozonation alone. On the basis of positive effect of higher pH and significant inhibition of radical scavengers in catalytic ozonation, it was deduced that the enhancement of catalytic activity was responsible for generating hydroxyl radicals and the possible reaction pathway was proposed. Moreover, the prepared catalysts showed superior stability and most of toxic and refractory compounds were eliminated at successive catalytic ozonation runs. Thus, the process with economical, efficient and sustainable advantages was beneficial to engineering application. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Maize Biomass Composition on the Optimization of Dilute-Acid Pretreatments and Enzymatic Saccharification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Torres Salvador, A.F.; Weijde, van der R.T.; Dolstra, O.; Visser, R.G.F.; Trindade, L.M.

2013-01-01

At the core of cellulosic ethanol research are innovations leading to reductions in the chemical and energetic stringency of thermochemical pretreatments and enzymatic saccharification. In this study, key compositional features of maize cell walls influencing the enzymatic conversion of biomass into

Hygienization performances of innovative sludge treatment solutions to assure safe land spreading.

Science.gov (United States)

Levantesi, C; Beimfohr, C; Blanch, A R; Carducci, A; Gianico, A; Lucena, F; Tomei, M C; Mininni, G

2015-05-01

The present research aims at the evaluation of the hygienization performances of innovative sludge treatment processes applied for the separated treatment of secondary sludge. Namely, two digestion pretreatments (sonication and thermal hydrolysis) and two sequential biological processes (mesophilic/thermophilic and anaerobic/aerobic digestion) were compared to the mesophilic (MAD) and thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD). Microbial indicators (Escherichia coli, somatic coliphages and Clostridium perfringens spores) and pathogens (Salmonella and enteroviruses), which show different resistances to treatment processes, were monitored in untreated and treated sludge. Overall, microbial load in secondary sludge was shown to be similar or lower than previously reported in literature for mixed sludge. Notably, the anaerobic/aerobic digestion process increased the removal of E. coli and somatic coliphages compared to the simple MAD and always achieved the hygienization requirement (2-log-unit removal of E. coli) proposed by EU Commission in the 3rd Working Document on sludge (April 2000) for the use of treated sludges in agriculture with restriction on their application. The microbial quality limits for the unrestricted use of sludge in agriculture (no Salmonella in 50 g wet weight (WW) and E. coli <500 CFU/g) were always met when thermal digestion or pretreatment was applied; however, the required removal level (6-log-unit removal of E. coli) could not be assessed due to the low level of this microorganism in raw sludge. Observed levels of indicator removal showed a higher resistance of viral particles to thermal treatment compared with bacterial cells and confirmed the suitability of somatic coliphages as indicators in thermal treatment processes.

Quality assessment of digested sludges produced by advanced stabilization processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Braguglia, C M; Coors, A; Gallipoli, A; Gianico, A; Guillon, E; Kunkel, U; Mascolo, G; Richter, E; Ternes, T A; Tomei, M C; Mininni, G

2015-05-01

The European Union (EU) Project Routes aimed to discover new routes in sludge stabilization treatments leading to high-quality digested sludge, suitable for land application. In order to investigate the impact of different enhanced sludge stabilization processes such as (a) thermophilic digestion integrated with thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (TT), (b) sonication before mesophilic/thermophilic digestion (UMT), and (c) sequential anaerobic/aerobic digestion (AA) on digested sludge quality, a broad class of conventional and emerging organic micropollutants as well as ecotoxicity was analyzed, extending the assessment beyond the parameters typically considered (i.e., stability index and heavy metals). The stability index was improved by adding aerobic posttreatment or by operating dual-stage process but not by pretreatment integration. Filterability was worsened by thermophilic digestion, either alone (TT) or coupled with mesophilic digestion (UMT). The concentrations of heavy metals, present in ranking order Zn > Cu > Pb > Cr ~ Ni > Cd > Hg, were always below the current legal requirements for use on land and were not removed during the processes. Removals of conventional and emerging organic pollutants were greatly enhanced by performing double-stage digestion (UMT and AA treatment) compared to a single-stage process as TT; the same trend was found as regards toxicity reduction. Overall, all the digested sludges exhibited toxicity to the soil bacterium Arthrobacter globiformis at concentrations about factor 100 higher than the usual application rate of sludge to soil in Europe. For earthworms, a safety margin of factor 30 was generally achieved for all the digested samples.

Tank Focus Area pretreatment activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGinnis, C.P.; Welch, T.D.; Manke, K.L.

1997-01-01

Plans call for the high-level wastes to be retrieved from the tanks and immobilized in a stable waste form suitable for long-term isolation. Chemistry and chemical engineering operations are required to retrieve the wastes, to condition the wastes for subsequent steps, and to reduce the costs of the waste management enterprise. Pretreatment includes those processes between retrieval and immobilization, and includes preparation of suitable feed material for immobilization and separations to partition the waste into streams that yield lower life-cycle costs. Some of the technologies being developed by the Tank Focus Area (TFA) to process these wastes are described. These technologies fall roughly into three areas: (1) solid/liquid separation (SLS), (2) sludge pretreatment, and (3) supernate pretreatment

Fermentation of sewage sludge using the MixAlco process

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nafiisah

Sewage sludge consists mainly of the excess biomass produced during biological treatment ... The traditional method of converting biomass to alcohol is by simultaneous saccharification .... Lime pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of corn ...

Revisiting the BaO2/BaO redox cycle for solar thermochemical energy storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrillo, A J; Sastre, D; Serrano, D P; Pizarro, P; Coronado, J M

2016-03-21

The barium peroxide-based redox cycle was proposed in the late 1970s as a thermochemical energy storage system. Since then, very little attention has been paid to such redox couples. In this paper, we have revisited the use of reduction-oxidation reactions of the BaO2/BaO system for thermochemical heat storage at high temperatures. Using thermogravimetric analysis, reduction and oxidation reactions were studied in order to find the main limitations associated with each process. Furthermore, the system was evaluated through several charge-discharge stages in order to analyse its possible degradation after repeated cycling. Through differential scanning calorimetry the heat stored and released were also determined. Oxidation reaction, which was found to be slower than reduction, was studied in more detail using isothermal tests. It was observed that the rate-controlling step of BaO oxidation follows zero-order kinetics, although at high temperatures a deviation from Arrhenius behaviour was observed probably due to hindrances to anionic oxygen diffusion caused by the formation of an external layer of BaO2. This redox couple was able to withstand several redox cycles without deactivation, showing reaction conversions close to 100% provided that impurities are previously eliminated through thermal pre-treatment, demonstrating the feasibility of this system for solar thermochemical heat storage.

Thermochemical surface engineering of steels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thermochemical Surface Engineering of Steels provides a comprehensive scientific overview of the principles and different techniques involved in thermochemical surface engineering, including thermodynamics, kinetics principles, process technologies and techniques for enhanced performance of steels...

Biohydrogen production from dual digestion pretreatment of poultry slaughterhouse sludge by anaerobic self-fermentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sittijunda, Sureewan [Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Technology, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Reungsang, Alissara [Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Technology, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Fermentation Research Center for Value Added Agricultural Products, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); O-thong, Sompong [Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Thaksin University, Patthalung 93110 (Thailand)

2010-12-15

Poultry slaughterhouse sludge from chicken processing wastewater treatment plant was tested for their suitability as a substrate and inoculum source for fermentation hydrogen production. Dual digestion of poultry slaughterhouse sludge was employed to produce hydrogen by batch anaerobic self-fermentation without any extra-seeds. The sludge (5% TS) was dual digested by aerobic thermophilic digestion at 55 C with the varying retention time before using as substrate in anaerobic self-fermentation. The best digestion time for enriching hydrogen-producing seeds was 48 h as it completely repressed methanogenic activity and gave the maximum hydrogen yield of 136.9 mL H{sub 2}/g TS with a hydrogen production rate of 2.56 mL H{sub 2}/L/h. The hydrogen production of treated sludge at 48 h (136.9 mL H{sub 2}/g TS) was 15 times higher than that of the raw sludge (8.83 mL H{sub 2}/g TS). With this fermentation process, tCOD value in the activated sludge could be reduced up to 30%. (author)

Anaerobic digestion of thermal pre-treated emulsified slaughterhouse wastes (TESW): Effect of trace element limitation on process efficiency and sludge metabolic properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Eftaxias, Alexandros; Diamantis, Vasileios; Aivasidis, Alexandros

2018-06-01

Slaughterhouse solid wastes, characterized by a high lipid content, are considered a valuable resource for energy production by means of anaerobic digestion technologies. Aim of this study was to examine the effect of trace element limitation on the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of thermally pre-treated emulsified slaughterhouse wastes (TESW). Under two distinct experimental periods (Period I - low and Period II - high trace element dosage respectively) a CSTR with sludge recirculation was operated at increasing organic loading rate (OLR) from 1.5 to 10 g L -1  d -1 . Under optimum conditions, COD removal was higher than 96%, biogas yield equal to 0.53 L g -1  COD feed and the biogas methane content 77%. Trace element limitation however, resulted in a dramatic decline in process efficiency, with VFA accumulation and events of extreme sludge flotation, despite that the soluble concentration of Ni, Co and Mo were between 12 and 28 μg L -1 . This is indicative of mass transfer limitations caused by lipids adsorption onto the anaerobic biomass. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced sludge washing evaluation plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, R.D.

1994-09-01

The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program mission is to store, treat, and immobilize highly radioactive Hanford Site waste (current and future tank waste and the strontium/cesium capsules) in an environmentally sound, safe, and cost-effective manner. The scope of the TWRS Waste Pretreatment Program is to treat tank waste and separate that waste into HLW and LLW fractions and provide additional treatment as required to feed LLW and HLW immobilization facilities. Enhanced sludge washing was chosen as the baseline process for separating Hanford tank waste sludge. Section 1.0 briefly discusses the purpose of the evaluation plan and provides the background that led to the choice of enhanced sludge washing as the baseline process. Section 2.0 provides a brief summary of the evaluation plan details. Section 3.0 discusses, in some detail, the technical work planned to support the evaluation of enhanced sludge washing. Section 4.0 briefly discusses the potential important of policy issues to the evaluation. Section 5.0 discusses the methodology to be used in the evaluation process. Section 6.0 summarizes the milestones that have been defined to complete the enhanced sludge washing evaluation and provides a summary schedule to evaluate the performance of enhanced sludge washing. References are identified in Section 7.0, and additional schedule and milestone information is provided in the appendices.

Enhanced sludge washing evaluation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, R.D.

1994-09-01

The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program mission is to store, treat, and immobilize highly radioactive Hanford Site waste (current and future tank waste and the strontium/cesium capsules) in an environmentally sound, safe, and cost-effective manner. The scope of the TWRS Waste Pretreatment Program is to treat tank waste and separate that waste into HLW and LLW fractions and provide additional treatment as required to feed LLW and HLW immobilization facilities. Enhanced sludge washing was chosen as the baseline process for separating Hanford tank waste sludge. Section 1.0 briefly discusses the purpose of the evaluation plan and provides the background that led to the choice of enhanced sludge washing as the baseline process. Section 2.0 provides a brief summary of the evaluation plan details. Section 3.0 discusses, in some detail, the technical work planned to support the evaluation of enhanced sludge washing. Section 4.0 briefly discusses the potential important of policy issues to the evaluation. Section 5.0 discusses the methodology to be used in the evaluation process. Section 6.0 summarizes the milestones that have been defined to complete the enhanced sludge washing evaluation and provides a summary schedule to evaluate the performance of enhanced sludge washing. References are identified in Section 7.0, and additional schedule and milestone information is provided in the appendices

Mechanisms and kinetics models for ultrasonic waste activated sludge disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fen; Wang, Yong; Ji, Min

2005-08-31

Ultrasonic energy can be applied as pre-treatment to disintegrate sludge flocs and disrupt bacterial cells' walls, and the hydrolysis can be improved, so that the rate of sludge digestion and methane production is improved. In this paper, by adding NaHCO3 to mask the oxidizing effect of OH, the mechanisms of disintegration are investigated. In addition, kinetics models for ultrasonic sludge disintegration are established by applying multi-variable linear regression method. It has been found that hydro-mechanical shear forces predominantly responsible for the disintegration, and the contribution of oxidizing effect of OH increases with the amount of the ultrasonic density and ultrasonic intensity. It has also been inferred from the kinetics model which dependent variable is SCOD+ that both sludge pH and sludge concentration significantly affect the disintegration.

Biomass Thermochemical Conversion Program: 1986 annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schiefelbein, G.F.; Stevens, D.J.; Gerber, M.A.

1987-01-01

Wood and crop residues constitute a vast majority of the biomass feedstocks available for conversion, and thermochemical processes are well suited for conversion of these materials. Thermochemical conversion processes can generate a variety of products such as gasoline hydrocarbon fuels, natural gas substitutes, or heat energy for electric power generation. The US Department of Energy is sponsoring research on biomass conversion technologies through its Biomass Thermochemical Conversion Program. Pacific Northwest Laboratory has been designated the Technical Field Management Office for the Biomass Thermochemical Conversion Program with overall responsibility for the Program. This report briefly describes the Thermochemical Conversion Program structure and summarizes the activities and major accomplishments during fiscal year 1986. 88 refs., 31 figs., 5 tabs.

Optimization of combined in-vessel composting process and chemical oxidation for remediation of bottom sludge of crude oil storage tanks.

Science.gov (United States)

Koolivand, Ali; Naddafi, Kazem; Nabizadeh, Ramin; Saeedi, Reza

2017-07-31

In this research, removal of petroleum hydrocarbons from oily sludge of crude oil storage tanks was investigated under the optimized conditions of in-vessel composting process and chemical oxidation with H 2 O 2 and Fenton. After determining the optimum conditions, the sludge was pre-treated with the optimum state of the oxidation process. Then, the determined optimum ratios of the sludge to immature compost were composted at a C:N:P ratio of 100:5:1 and moisture content of 55% for a period of 10 weeks. Finally, both pre-treated and composted mixtures were again oxidized with the optimum conditions of the oxidants. Results showed that total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) removal of the 1:8 and 1:10 composting reactors which were pre-treated with H 2 O 2 were 88.34% and 90.4%, respectively. In addition, reduction of TPH in 1:8 and 1:10 composting reactors which were pre-treated with Fenton were 83.90% and 84.40%, respectively. Without applying the pre-treatment step, the composting reactors had a removal rate of about 80%. Therefore, pre-treatment of the reactors increased the TPH removal. However, post-oxidation of both pre-treated and composted mixtures reduced only 13-16% of TPH. Based on the results, remarkable overall removal of TPH (about 99%) was achieved by using chemical oxidation and subsequent composting process. The study showed that chemical oxidation with H 2 O 2 followed by in-vessel composting is a viable choice for the remediation of the sludge.

Cavitation for improved sludge conversion into biogas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stoop, A.H.; Bakker, T.W.; Kramer, H.J.M.

2015-01-01

In several studies the beneficial influence of pre-treatment of waste activated sludge with cavitation on the biogas production was demonstrated. It is however, still not fully certain whether this effect should be mainly contributed to an increase in conversion rate of organics into biogas by

Sludge Treatment Evaluation: 1992 Technical progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, L.J.; Felmy, A.R.; Ding, E.R.

1993-01-01

This report documents Fiscal Year 1992 technical progress on the Sludge Treatment Evaluation Task, which is being conducted by Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The objective of this task is to develop a capability to predict the performance of pretreatment processes for mixed radioactive and hazardous waste stored at Hanford and other US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. Significant cost savings can be achieved if radionuclides and other undesirable constituents can be effectively separated from the bulk waste prior to final treatment and disposal. This work is initially focused on chemical equilibrium prediction of water washing and acid or base dissolution of Hanford single-shell tank (SST) sludges, but may also be applied to other steps in pretreatment processes or to other wastes. Although SST wastes contain many chemical species, there are relatively few constituents -- Na, Al, NO 3 , NO 2 , PO 4 , SO 4 , and F -- contained in the majority of the waste. These constituents comprise 86% and 74% of samples from B-110 and U-110 SSTS, respectively. The major radionuclides of interest (Cs, Sr, Tc, U) are present in the sludge in small molal quantities. For these constituents, and other important components that are present in small molal quantities, the specific ion-interaction terms used in the Pitzer or NRTL equations may be assumed to be zero for a first approximation. Model development can also be accelerated by considering only the acid or base conditions that apply for the key pretreatment steps. This significantly reduces the number of chemical species and chemical reactions that need to be considered. Therefore, significant progress can be made by developing all the specific ion interactions for a base model and an acid dissolution model

Sludge Treatment Evaluation: 1992 Technical progress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, L J; Felmy, A R; Ding, E R

1993-01-01

This report documents Fiscal Year 1992 technical progress on the Sludge Treatment Evaluation Task, which is being conducted by Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The objective of this task is to develop a capability to predict the performance of pretreatment processes for mixed radioactive and hazardous waste stored at Hanford and other US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. Significant cost savings can be achieved if radionuclides and other undesirable constituents can be effectively separated from the bulk waste prior to final treatment and disposal. This work is initially focused on chemical equilibrium prediction of water washing and acid or base dissolution of Hanford single-shell tank (SST) sludges, but may also be applied to other steps in pretreatment processes or to other wastes. Although SST wastes contain many chemical species, there are relatively few constituents -- Na, Al, NO[sub 3], NO[sub 2], PO[sub 4], SO[sub 4], and F -- contained in the majority of the waste. These constituents comprise 86% and 74% of samples from B-110 and U-110 SSTS, respectively. The major radionuclides of interest (Cs, Sr, Tc, U) are present in the sludge in small molal quantities. For these constituents, and other important components that are present in small molal quantities, the specific ion-interaction terms used in the Pitzer or NRTL equations may be assumed to be zero for a first approximation. Model development can also be accelerated by considering only the acid or base conditions that apply for the key pretreatment steps. This significantly reduces the number of chemical species and chemical reactions that need to be considered. Therefore, significant progress can be made by developing all the specific ion interactions for a base model and an acid dissolution model.

Evaluation of pretreatment methods on mixed inoculum for both batch and continuous thermophilic biohydrogen production from cassava stillage.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Gang; Xie, Li; Zou, Zhonghai; Wang, Wen; Zhou, Qi

2010-02-01

Anaerobic sludges, pretreated by chloroform, base, acid, heat and loading-shock, as well as untreated sludge were evaluated for their thermophilic fermentative hydrogen-producing characters from cassava stillage in both batch and continuous experiments. Results showed that the highest hydrogen production was obtained by untreated sludge and there were significant differences (pstillage.

Enhancing biogas production of corn stover by fast pyrolysis pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fang; Zhang, Deli; Wu, Houkai; Yi, Weiming; Fu, Peng; Li, Yongjun; Li, Zhihe

2016-10-01

A new thermo-chemical pretreatment by a lower temperature fast pyrolysis (LTFP) was applied to promote anaerobic digestion (AD) efficiency of corn stover (CS). The pretreatment experiment was performed by a fluidized bed pyrolysis reactor at 180, 200 and 220°C with a carrier gas flow rate of 4 and 3m(3)/h. The components characteristics, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images and Crystal Intensity (CrI) of the pretreated CS were tested to explore effectiveness of the pretreatment. The results showed that the cumulative methane production at 180°C for 4 and 3m(3)/h were 199.8 and 200.3mL/g TS, respectively. As compared to the untreated CS, the LTFP pretreatment significantly (a<0.05) increased the methane production by 18.07% and 18.33%, respectively. Methane production was well fitted by the Gompertz models, and the maximum methane potential and AD efficiency was obtained at 180°C for 3m(3)/h. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A laboratory manual for the determination of inorganic chemical contaminants and nutrients in sewage sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, R.

1984-01-01

In addition to a brief discussion on sewage sludge disposal, sludge contaminants, and the potential beneficial and adverse effects of the various inorganic chemical contaminants and nutrients commonly present in sewage sludge, this technical guide presents a scheme of analysis for the determination of the major inorganic contaminants and nutrients. Safety and simplicity were the main criteria considered in the selection of the various sample pretreatment procedures and analytical techniques

Life cycle assessment of alternative sewage sludge disposal methods; Oekobilanz von Klaerschlammentsorgungsalternativen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fehrenbach, H. [Institut fuer Energie- und Umweltforschung (ifeu), Heidelberg (Germany)

1994-10-01

At present there are three principal options for sewage sludge disposal in use or under discussion: agricultural utilisation - landfilling - cold pretreatment prior to disposal or utilisation (e.g., composting or fermentation) - thermal pretreatment prior to disposal or utilisation (e.g., monocombustion, co-combustion, pyrolysis, gasification). 10% of sewage sludge is currently combusted, 60% is landfilled, and 30% is used for agriculture. The ifeu Institute has carried out several studies which examine and compare the environmental impact of sewage sludge disposal options. [Deutsch] Zur Entsorgung bzw. Verwertung von Klaerschlamm stehen derzeit drei grundsaetzliche Optionen in Anwendung oder werden diskutiert: - Landwirtschaftliche Verwertung - Deponierung - kalte Vorbehandlung vor Deponierung oder Verwertung (z.B. Kompostierung oder Vergaerung) - thermische Vorbehandlung vorn Deponierung oder Verwertung (z.B. Mono- oder Mitverbrennung, Pyrolyse, Vergasung). Verbrannt werden gegenwaertig etwa 10%, 60% deponiert und 30% landwirschaftlich verwertet. Das ifeu-Institut hat in verschiedenen Arbeiten die Umweltauswirkungen von Klaerschlammentsorgungsoptionen untersucht und gegenuebergestellt. (orig./SR)

Synergetic pretreatment of waste activated sludge by hydrodynamic cavitation combined with Fenton reaction for enhanced dewatering.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Meiqiang; Hu, Jianqiang; Lian, Guanghu; Xiao, Ruiyang; Song, Zhijun; Jin, Micong; Dong, Chunying; Wang, Quanyuan; Luo, Dewen; Wei, Zongsu

2018-04-01

The dewatering of waste activated sludge by integrated hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) and Fenton reaction was explored in this study. We first investigated the effects of initial pH, sludge concentration, flow rate, and H 2 O 2 concentration on the sludge dewaterability represented by water content, capillary suction time and specific resistance to filtration. The results of dewatering tests showed that acidic pH and low sludge concentration were favorable to improve dewatering performance in the HC/Fenton system, whereas optimal flow rate and H 2 O 2 concentration applied depended on the system operation. To reveal the synergism of HC/Fenton treatment, a suite of analysis were implemented: three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (3-DEEM) spectra of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) such as proteins and polysaccharides, zeta potential and particle size of sludge flocs, and SEM/TEM imaging of sludge morphology. The characterization results indicate a three-step mechanism, namely HC fracture of different EPS in sludge flocs, Fenton oxidation of the released EPS, and Fe(III) re-flocculation, that is responsible for the synergistically enhanced sludge dewatering. Results of current study provide a basis to improve our understanding on the sludge dewatering performance by HC/Fenton treatment and possible scale-up of the technology for use in wastewater treatment plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Conversion of alkaline pretreated empty palm fruit bunch (EPFB) to phenols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nor Aishah Saidina Amin; Roslindawati Haron

2010-01-01

Various efforts on green chemistry are being directed at producing renewable chemicals. Chemicals derived from biomass can be the basis for building blocks in the chemicals industry. Phenols, traditionally produced from petroleum, can be derived from biomass for naturally-sourced solvents. Lignocellulose biomass consists of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. Lignocellulose components can be altered by various chemical pretreatment methods. EFB contains about 60% cellulose and almost equal portions of lignin and hemicelluloses. Pretreatment of EFB fragmentized and degraded the lignocellulose structure in order to produce chemicals under thermochemical process. In this work, EFB was chemically pretreated with different sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentrations to concentrated lignocellulose before being pyrolyzed to produce solid, gas and liquid products. Pyrolysis was conducted after the pretreatment step to evaluate the effects of pretreatment process on production and compositions of the bio-oil. The conversions of EFB were reported to be 61wt%, 47wt% and 42 wt%, after pretreatment with 5 wt%, 15 wt% and 25 wt%,NaOH concentrations, respectively. GCMS analysis results revealed the crude bio-oil contained dominantly phenol. Pyrolysis of the alkaline pretreated EFB seemed potential to produce biomass-based phenols. (author)

Sewage sludge disintegration by combined treatment of alkaline+high pressure homogenization.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuxuan; Zhang, Panyue; Zhang, Guangming; Ma, Weifang; Wu, Hao; Ma, Boqiang

2012-11-01

Alkaline pretreatment combined with high pressure homogenization (HPH) was applied to promote sewage sludge disintegration. For sewage sludge with a total solid content of 1.82%, sludge disintegration degree (DD(COD)) with combined treatment was higher than the sum of DD(COD) with single alkaline and single HPH treatment. NaOH dosage ⩽0.04mol/L, homogenization pressure ⩽60MPa and a single homogenization cycle were the suitable conditions for combined sludge treatment. The combined sludge treatment showed a maximum DD(COD) of 59.26%. By regression analysis, the combined sludge disintegration model was established as 11-DD(COD)=0.713C(0.334)P(0.234)N(0.119), showing that the effect of operating parameters on sludge disintegration followed the order: NaOH dosage>homogenization pressure>number of homogenization cycle. The energy efficiency with combined sludge treatment significantly increased compared with that with single HPH treatment, and the high energy efficiency was achieved at low homogenization pressure with a single homogenization cycle. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of activated sludge disintegration and dewaterability by Fenton process

Science.gov (United States)

Heng, G. C.; Isa, M. H.

2016-06-01

Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants produce large amounts of sludge. This excess sludge is an inevitable drawback inherent to the activated sludge process. In this study, the waste activated sludge was obtained from the campus wastewater treatment plant at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Malaysia. Fenton pretreatment was optimized by using the response surface methodology (RSM) to study the effects of three operating conditions including the dosage of H2O2 (g H2O2/kg TS), the molar ratio of H2O2/Fe2+ and reaction time. The optimum operating variables to achieve MLVSS removal 65%, CST reduction 28%, sCOD 11000 mg/L and EPS 500 mg/L were: 1000 g H2O2/kg TS, H2O2/Fe2+ molar ratio 70 and reaction time 45 min. Fenton process was proved to be able to enhance the sludge disintegration and dewaterability.

Assessing the Effect of Pretreatments on the Structure and Functionality of Microbial Communities for the Bioconversion of Microalgae to Biogas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olivia Córdova

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Microalgae biomethanization is driven by anaerobic sludge associated microorganisms and is generally limited by the incomplete hydrolysis of the microalgae cell wall, which results in a low availability of microalgal biomass for the methanogenic community. The application of enzymatic pretreatments, e.g., with hydrolytic enzymes, is among the strategies used to work around the incomplete hydrolysis of the microalgae cell wall. Despite the proven efficacy of these pretreatments in increasing biomethanization, the changes that a given pretreatment may cause to the anaerobic sludge associated microorganisms during biomethanization are still unknown. This study evaluated the changes in the expression of the metatranscriptome of anaerobic sludge associated microorganisms during Chlorella sorokiniana biomethanization without pretreatment (WP (control and pretreated with commercial cellulase in order to increase the solubilization of the microalgal organic matter. Pretreated microalgal biomass experienced significant increases in biogas the production. The metatranscriptomic analysis of control samples showed functionally active microalgae cells, a bacterial community dominated by γ- and δ-proteobacteria, and a methanogenic community dominated by Methanospirillum hungatei. In contrast, pretreated samples were characterized by the absence of active microalgae cells and a bacteria population dominated by species of the Clostridia class. These differences are also related to the differential activation of metabolic pathways e.g., those associated with the degradation of organic matter during its biomethanization.

Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge co-incineration in a coal-based power station.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Jingmin; Xu, Changqing; Hong, Jinglan; Tan, Xianfeng; Chen, Wei

2013-09-01

A life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic effects of sewage sludge co-incineration in a coal-fired power plant. The general approach employed by a coal-fired power plant was also assessed as control. Sewage sludge co-incineration technology causes greater environmental burden than does coal-based energy production technology because of the additional electricity consumption and wastewater treatment required for the pretreatment of sewage sludge, direct emissions from sludge incineration, and incinerated ash disposal processes. However, sewage sludge co-incineration presents higher economic benefits because of electricity subsidies and the income generating potential of sludge. Environmental assessment results indicate that sewage sludge co-incineration is unsuitable for mitigating the increasing pressure brought on by sewage sludge pollution. Reducing the overall environmental effect of sludge co-incineration power stations necessitates increasing net coal consumption efficiency, incinerated ash reuse rate, dedust system efficiency, and sludge water content rate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-temperature pretreatment of biogas substrate by using district heating to increase the biogas production; Hoegtemperaturfoerbehandling av biogassubstrat med fjaerrvaerme foer oekad biogasproduktion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Del Pilar Castillo, Maria; Ascue, Johnny [JTI, Uppsala (Sweden); Olsson, Marcus; Henriksson, Gunilla; Nordman, Roger [SP, Boraas (Sweden)

2011-12-15

In this study, we have shown that pre-heating sludge from a waste water treatment plant can give a higher biogas production rate. However, pretreatment showed no effect on substrate from a biogas plant at the conditions tested in this study. The study has also shown that there is potential of using district heating in the biogas industry for thermal pretreatment of sludge.

Impact of mild alkali dosage on immobilized Exiguobacterium spp. mediated cost and energy efficient sludge disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajesh Banu, J; Ushani, U; Rajkumar, M; Naresh Kumar, R; Parthiba Karthikeyan, O

2017-12-01

Approaches to (extracellular polymeric substance) EPS removal were studied with major aim to enhance the biodegradability and sludge solubilization. In this study, a novel approach of entrapment of bacterial strain was carried out to achieve long term activity of protease secreting bacteria Exiguobacterium sp. A mild treatment of potassium hydroxide (KOH) was applied to remove EPS which was followed by entrapment under the biological pretreatment. The efficiency of Exiguobacterium was predicted through dissolvable organic and suspended solids (SS) reduction. The maximum dissolvable organic matter released was 2300mg/L with the solubilization of 23% which was obtained for sludge without EPS (SWOE). For dissolvable organic release, SWOE showed higher final methane production of 232mL/g COD at the production rate of 16.2mL/g COD.d. The SWOE pretreatment was found to be cost effective and less energy intensive beneficial in terms of energy and cost (43.9KWh and -8.2USD) when compared to sludge with EPS (SWE) pretreatment (-177.6KWh and -91.23USD). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laboratory Report on Performance Evaluation of Key Constituents during Pre-Treatment of High Level Waste Direct Feed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huber, Heinz J.

2013-06-24

The analytical capabilities of the 222-S Laboratory are tested against the requirements for an optional start up scenario of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant on the Hanford Site. In this case, washed and in-tank leached sludge would be sent directly to the High Level Melter, bypassing Pretreatment. The sludge samples would need to be analyzed for certain key constituents in terms identifying melter-related issues and adjustment needs. The analyses on original tank waste as well as on washed and leached material were performed using five sludge samples from tanks 241-AY-102, 241-AZ-102, 241-AN-106, 241-AW-105, and 241-SY-102. Additionally, solid phase characterization was applied to determine the changes in mineralogy throughout the pre-treatment steps.

Laboratory Report on Performance Evaluation of Key Constituents during Pre-Treatment of High Level Waste Direct Feed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, Heinz J.

2013-01-01

The analytical capabilities of the 222-S Laboratory are tested against the requirements for an optional start up scenario of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant on the Hanford Site. In this case, washed and in-tank leached sludge would be sent directly to the High Level Melter, bypassing Pretreatment. The sludge samples would need to be analyzed for certain key constituents in terms identifying melter-related issues and adjustment needs. The analyses on original tank waste as well as on washed and leached material were performed using five sludge samples from tanks 241-AY-102, 241-AZ-102, 241-AN-106, 241-AW-105, and 241-SY-102. Additionally, solid phase characterization was applied to determine the changes in mineralogy throughout the pre-treatment steps

Documentation of a decision framework to support enhanced sludge washing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brothers, A.J.

1995-01-01

This document describes a proposed decision model that, if developed to its fullest, can provide a wide range of analysis options and insights to pretreatment/sludge washing alternatives. A recent decision has been made to terminate this work

Water washes and caustic leaches of sludge from Hanford Tank S-101 and water washes of sludge from Hanford Tank C-103

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunt, R.D.; Collins, J.L.; Chase, C.W.

1998-07-01

In 1993, the Department of Energy (DOE) selected the enhanced sludge washing (ESW) process as the baseline for pretreatment of Hanford tank sludges. The ESW process uses a series of water washes and caustic leaches to separate nonradioactive components such as aluminum, chromium, and phosphate from the high-level waste sludges. If the ESW process is successful, the volume of immobilized high-level waste will be significantly reduced. The tests on the sludge from Hanford Tank S-101 focused on the effects of process variables such as sodium hydroxide concentration (1 and 3 M), temperature (70 and 95 C), and leaching time (5, 24, 72, and 168 h) on the efficacy of the ESW process with realistic liquid-to-solid ratios. Another goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of water washes on a sludge sample from hanford Tank C-103. The final objective of this study was to test potential process control monitors during the water washes and caustic leaches with actual sludge. Both 137 Cs activity and conductance were measured for each of the water washes and caustic leaches. Experimental procedures, a discussion of results, conclusions and recommendations are included in this report

Underground storage tank integrated demonstration: Evaluation of pretreatment options for Hanford tank wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumetta, G.J.; Wagner, M.J.; Colton, N.G.; Jones, E.O.

1993-06-01

Separation science plays a central role inn the pretreatment and disposal of nuclear wastes. The potential benefits of applying chemical separations in the pretreatment of the radioactive wastes stored at the various US Department of Energy sites cover both economic and environmental incentives. This is especially true at the Hanford Site, where the huge volume (>60 Mgal) of radioactive wastes stored in underground tanks could be partitioned into a very small volume of high-level waste (HLW) and a relatively large volume of low-level waste (LLW). The cost associated with vitrifying and disposing of just the HLW fraction in a geologic repository would be much less than those associated with vitrifying and disposing of all the wastes directly. Futhermore, the quality of the LLW form (e.g., grout) would be improved due to the lower inventory of radionuclides present in the LLW stream. In this report, we present the results of an evaluation of the pretreatment options for sludge taken from two different single-shell tanks at the Hanford Site-Tanks 241-B-110 and 241-U-110 (referred to as B-110 and U-110, respectively). The pretreatment options examined for these wastes included (1) leaching of transuranic (TRU) elements from the sludge, and (2) dissolution of the sludge followed by extraction of TRUs and 90 Sr. In addition, the TRU leaching approach was examined for a third tank waste type, neutralized cladding removal waste

Effect of chemo-mechanical disintegration on sludge anaerobic digestion for enhanced biogas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, S; Pray, S Saji; Yogalakshmi, K N; Kumar, S Adish; Yeom, Ick-Tae; Banu, J Rajesh

2016-02-01

The effect of combined surfactant-dispersion pretreatment on dairy waste activated sludge (WAS) reduction in anaerobic digesters was investigated. The experiments were performed with surfactant, Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 g/g suspended solids (SS) and disperser with rpm of 5000-25,000. The COD (chemical oxygen demand) solubilization, suspended solids reduction, and biogas generation increased for an energy input of 7377 kJ/kg total solids (TS) (12,000 rpm, 0.04 g/g SS, and 30 min) and were found to be 38, 32, and 75 %, higher than that of control. The pretreated sludge improved the performance of semicontinuous anaerobic digesters of 4 L working volume operated at four different SRTs (sludge retention time). SRT of 15 days was found to be appropriate showing 49 and 51 % reduction in SS and volatile solids (VS), respectively. The methane yield of the pretreated sample was observed to be 50 mL/g VS removed which was observed to be comparatively higher than the control (12 mL/g VS removed) at optimal SRT of 15 days. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to be reported and not yet been documented in literature.

Effect of low solids retention time and focused pulsed pre-treatment on anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Il-Su; Rittmann, Bruce E

2011-02-01

The interacting effects of Focused Pulsed (FP) treatment and solids retention time (SRT) were evaluated in laboratory-scale digesters operated at SRTs of 2-20 days. Anaerobic digestion and methanogenesis of waste activated sludge (WAS) were stable for SRT ≥ 5 days, but the effluent soluble organic compounds increased significantly for SRT=2 days due to a combination of faster hydrolysis kinetics and washout of methanogens. FP treatment increased the CH(4) production rate and TCOD removal efficiency by up to 33% and 18%, respectively, at a SRT of 20 days. These effects were the result of an increase in the hydrolysis rate, since the concentrations of soluble components remained low for SRT ≥ 5 days. Alternately, FP pre-treatment of WAS allowed the same conversion of TCOD to CH(4) with a smaller SRT and digester size: e.g., 40% size savings with a CH(4) conversion of 0.23 g CH(4)-COD/g COD(in). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on removal of Cu2+ from wastewater by excess sludge

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Ruimin; Liu, Dong; Bu, Qingwei; Wang, Minxiang; Zhao, Yanli

2018-01-01

With the social development, the increasing sludge and its subsequent treatment are very severe environmental problems.The adsorption experiments were carried out using different pretreated exess sludge as adsorbent for Cu2+. The sludge of NaOH-H2O2 treated improve the adsorption capacity which reached 56.12mg/g, however the adsorption capacity of the sludge using ZnCl2-Carbonization treated decrease.Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models fit the adsorption data well with the three types of sludge . The value of R2 exceeds 0.96 in most cases. Relative to the Pseudo first order kinetic model,the pseudo second orderkinetic model fit the adsorption data more well with the adsorbents. The value of R2 reached about 1. The maximum adsorption efficiency for optimum pH is about 6. With the increase of adsorption mass, the removal efficiency of sludge increases.For 150mL copper ion solution which concentration was 100 mg/L,the optimum sludge mass corresponds to maximum adsorption efficiency was found to be 1.5g.

Enhanced high-solids anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge by the addition of scrap iron.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yaobin; Feng, Yinghong; Yu, Qilin; Xu, Zibin; Quan, Xie

2014-05-01

Anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge usually requires pretreatment procedure to improve the bioavailability of sludge, which involves considerable energy and high expenditures. This study proposes a cost-effective method for enhanced anaerobic digestion of sludge without a pretreatment by directly adding iron into the digester. The results showed that addition of Fe(0) powder could enhance 14.46% methane yield, and Fe scrap (clean scrap) could further enhance methane yield (improving rate 21.28%) because the scrap has better mass transfer efficiency with sludge and liquid than Fe(0) powder. The scrap of Fe with rust (rusty scrap) could induce microbial Fe(III) reduction, which resulted in achieving the highest methane yield (improving rate 29.51%), and the reduction rate of volatile suspended solids (VSS) was also highest (48.27%) among Fe powder, clean scrap and rusty scrap. PCR-DGGE proved that the addition of rusty scrap could enhance diversity of acetobacteria and enrich iron-reducing bacteria to enhance degradation of complex substrates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hybrid Thermochemical/Biological Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Robert C.

The conventional view of biorefineries is that lignocellulosic plant material will be fractionated into cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and terpenes before these components are biochemically converted into market products. Occasionally, these plants include a thermochemical step at the end of the process to convert recalcitrant plant components or mixed waste streams into heat to meet thermal energy demands elsewhere in the facility. However, another possibility for converting high-fiber plant materials is to start by thermochemically processing it into a uniform intermediate product that can be biologically converted into a bio-based product. This alternative route to bio-based products is known as hybrid thermochemical/biological processing. There are two distinct approaches to hybrid processing: (a) gasification followed by fermentation of the resulting gaseous mixture of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2) and (b) fast pyrolysis followed by hydrolysis and/or fermentation of the anhydrosugars found in the resulting bio-oil. This article explores this "cart before the horse" approach to biorefineries.

Status and progress in sludge washing: A pivotal pretreatment method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barton, W.B.; MacLean, G.T.; Meng, C.D.; Winkler, C.M.

1995-01-01

Separation of the bulk soluble chemical salts from the insoluble metal hydroxides and radionuclides is central to the strategy of disposing Hanford tank waste. Sludge washing and caustic leaching have been selected as the primary methods for processing the 230 million L (61,000,000 gal) of Hanford tank waste. These processes are very similar to those selected for processing waste at the West Valley Site in New York and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The purpose of sludge washing is to dissolve and remove the soluble salts in the waste. Leaching of the insoluble solids with caustic will be used to dissolve aluminum hydroxide and chromium hydroxide, and convert insoluble bismuth phosphate to soluble phosphate. The waste will be separated into a high-level solids fraction and a liquid fraction that can be disposed of as low-level waste after cesium removal. The washing and leaching operations involve batchwise mixing, settling, and decanting within the existing underground storage tanks

Mechanism of waste biomass pyrolysis: Effect of physical and chemical pre-treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Oisik; Sarmah, Ajit K.

2015-01-01

To impart usability in waste based biomass through thermo-chemical reactions, several physical and chemical pre-treatments were conducted to gain an insight on their mode of action, effect on the chemistry and the change in thermal degradation profiles. Two different waste biomasses (Douglas fir, a softwood and hybrid poplar, a hardwood) were subjected to four different pre-treatments, namely, hot water pre-treatment, torrefaction, acid (sulphuric acid) and salt (ammonium phosphate) doping. Post pre-treatments, the changes in the biomass structure, chemistry, and thermal makeup were studied through electron microscopy, atomic absorption/ultra violet spectroscopy, ion exchange chromatography, and thermogravimetry. The pre-treatments significantly reduced the amounts of inorganic ash, extractives, metals, and hemicellulose from both the biomass samples. Furthermore, hot water and torrefaction pre-treatment caused mechanical disruption in biomass fibres leading to smaller particle sizes. Torrefaction of Douglas fir wood yielded more solid product than hybrid poplar. Finally, the salt pre-treatment increased the activation energies of the biomass samples (especially Douglas fir) to a great extent. Thus, salt pre-treatment was found to bestow thermal stability in the biomass. - Highlights: • Pre-treatments reduce ash, extractives, alkalines and hemicellulose from biomass. • Torrefaction of Douglas fir yields more solid product than hybrid poplar. • Salt pretreatment significantly increases the activation energy of biomass. • Acid and salt pretreatment bestows thermal stability in biomass.

Mechanism of waste biomass pyrolysis: Effect of physical and chemical pre-treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, Oisik [Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman 99164-6120, WA (United States); Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142 (New Zealand); Sarmah, Ajit K., E-mail: a.sarmah@auckland.ac.nz [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142 (New Zealand)

2015-12-15

To impart usability in waste based biomass through thermo-chemical reactions, several physical and chemical pre-treatments were conducted to gain an insight on their mode of action, effect on the chemistry and the change in thermal degradation profiles. Two different waste biomasses (Douglas fir, a softwood and hybrid poplar, a hardwood) were subjected to four different pre-treatments, namely, hot water pre-treatment, torrefaction, acid (sulphuric acid) and salt (ammonium phosphate) doping. Post pre-treatments, the changes in the biomass structure, chemistry, and thermal makeup were studied through electron microscopy, atomic absorption/ultra violet spectroscopy, ion exchange chromatography, and thermogravimetry. The pre-treatments significantly reduced the amounts of inorganic ash, extractives, metals, and hemicellulose from both the biomass samples. Furthermore, hot water and torrefaction pre-treatment caused mechanical disruption in biomass fibres leading to smaller particle sizes. Torrefaction of Douglas fir wood yielded more solid product than hybrid poplar. Finally, the salt pre-treatment increased the activation energies of the biomass samples (especially Douglas fir) to a great extent. Thus, salt pre-treatment was found to bestow thermal stability in the biomass. - Highlights: • Pre-treatments reduce ash, extractives, alkalines and hemicellulose from biomass. • Torrefaction of Douglas fir yields more solid product than hybrid poplar. • Salt pretreatment significantly increases the activation energy of biomass. • Acid and salt pretreatment bestows thermal stability in biomass.

Disintegration of excess activated sludge--evaluation and experience of full-scale applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Zábranská, J; Dohányos, M; Jenícek, P; Kutil, J

2006-01-01

Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge can be improved by introducing a disintegration of excess activated sludge as a pretreatment process. The disintegration brings a deeper degradation of organic matter and less amount of output sludge for disposal, a higher production of biogas and consequently energy yield, in some cases suppression of digesters foaming and better dewaterability. The full-scale application of disintegration by a lysate-thickening centrifuge was monitored long term in three different WWTPs. The evaluation of contribution of disintegration to biogas production and digested sludge quality was assessed and operational experience is discussed. Increment of specific biogas production was evaluated in the range of 15-26%, organic matter in digested sludge significantly decreased to 48-49%. Results proved that the installation of a disintegrating centrifuge in WWTPs of different sizes and conditions would be useful and beneficial.

Application of dielectric constant measurement in microwave sludge disintegration and wastewater purification processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kovács, Petra Veszelovszki; Lemmer, Balázs; Keszthelyi-Szabó, Gábor; Hodúr, Cecilia; Beszédes, Sándor

2018-05-01

It has been numerously verified that microwave radiation could be advantageous as a pre-treatment for enhanced disintegration of sludge. Very few data related to the dielectric parameters of wastewater of different origins are available; therefore, the objective of our work was to measure the dielectric constant of municipal and meat industrial wastewater during a continuous flow operating microwave process. Determination of the dielectric constant and its change during wastewater and sludge processing make it possible to decide on the applicability of dielectric measurements for detecting the organic matter removal efficiency of wastewater purification process or disintegration degree of sludge. With the measurement of dielectric constant as a function of temperature, total solids (TS) content and microwave specific process parameters regression models were developed. Our results verified that in the case of municipal wastewater sludge, the TS content has a significant effect on the dielectric constant and disintegration degree (DD), as does the temperature. The dielectric constant has a decreasing tendency with increasing temperature for wastewater sludge of low TS content, but an adverse effect was found for samples with high TS and organic matter contents. DD of meat processing wastewater sludge was influenced significantly by the volumetric flow rate and power level, as process parameters of continuously flow microwave pre-treatments. It can be concluded that the disintegration process of food industry sludge can be detected by dielectric constant measurements. From technical purposes the applicability of dielectric measurements was tested in the purification process of municipal wastewater, as well. Determination of dielectric behaviour was a sensitive method to detect the purification degree of municipal wastewater.

Microbial hydrogen production from sewage sludge bioaugmented with a constructed microbial consortium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotay, Shireen Meher; Das, Debabrata [Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302 (India)

2010-10-15

A constructed microbial consortium was formulated from three facultative H{sub 2}-producing anaerobic bacteria, Enterobacter cloacae IIT-BT 08, Citrobacter freundii IIT-BT L139 and Bacillus coagulans IIT-BT S1. This consortium was tested as the seed culture for H{sub 2} production. In the initial studies with defined medium (MYG), E. cloacae produced more H{sub 2} than the other two strains and it also was found to be the dominant member when consortium was used. On the other hand, B. coagulans as a pure culture gave better H{sub 2} yield (37.16 ml H{sub 2}/g COD{sub consumed}) than the other two strains using sewage sludge as substrate. The pretreatment of sludge included sterilization (15% v/v), dilution and supplementation with 0.5% w/v glucose, which was found to be essential to screen out the H{sub 2} consuming bacteria and ameliorate the H{sub 2} production. Considering (1:1:1) defined consortium as inoculum, COD reduction was higher and yield of H{sub 2} was recorded to be 41.23 ml H{sub 2}/g COD{sub reduced}. Microbial profiling of the spent sludge showed that B. coagulans was the dominant member in the constructed consortium contributing towards H{sub 2} production. Increase in H{sub 2} yield indicated that in consortium, the substrate utilization was significantly higher. The H{sub 2} yield from pretreated sludge (35.54 ml H{sub 2}/g sludge) was comparatively higher than that reported in literature (8.1-16.9 ml H{sub 2}/g sludge). Employing formulated microbial consortium for biohydrogen production is a successful attempt to augment the H{sub 2} yield from sewage sludge. (author)

Status Report on Phase Identification in Hanford Tank Sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapko, B.M.; Lumetta, G.J.

2000-01-01

The US Department of Energy plans to vitrify Hanford's tank wastes. The vitrified wastes will be divided into low-activity and high-level fractions. There is an effort to reduce the quantity of high-activity wastes by removing nonradioactive components because of the high costs involved in treating high-level waste. Pretreatment options, such as caustic leaching, to selectively remove nonradioactive components are being investigated. The effectiveness of these proposed processes for removing nonradioactive components depends on the chemical phases in the tank sludges. This review summarizes the chemical phases identified to date in Hanford tank sludges

Review of enhanced processes for anaerobic digestion treatment of sewage sludge

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xinyuan; Han, Zeyu; Yang, Jie; Ye, Tianyi; Yang, Fang; Wu, Nan; Bao, Zhenbo

2018-02-01

Great amount of sewage sludge had been produced each year, which led to serious environmental pollution. Many new technologies had been developed recently, but they were hard to be applied in large scales. As one of the traditional technologies, anaerobic fermentation process was capable of obtaining bioenergy by biogas production under the functions of microbes. However, the anaerobic process is facing new challenges due to the low fermentation efficiency caused by the characteristics of sewage sludge itself. In order to improve the energy yield, the enhancement technologies including sewage sludge pretreatment process, co-digestion process, high-solid digestion process and two-stage fermentation process were widely studied in the literatures, which were introduced in this article.

Thermal treatment of sewage sludge from waste water. Tratamiento termico de lodos procedentes de aguas residuales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andreottola, G. (Universidad de Trento (Italy)); Canziani, R.; Ragazzi, M. (Politicnico de Milan (Italy))

1994-01-01

Thermal Treatment of sewage sludge can be beneficial as a pre-treatment step of many treatment/disposal options, but above all, it allows the recovery of the energetic content sludge. Energy recovery from sewage sludge can be performed in many ways; direct incineration thermal drying followed by incineration and co-combustion with municipal solid wastes or other non conventional fuels. Another option is the recovery of waste energy (e.g. from an endo thermal engine using biogas as fuel) to dry sludge wich, in turn can be used as a fuel. The paper will evaluate several options of thermal treatment of sewage sludge, with particular emphasis on the energetic yield from different processes. (Author)

Effects of hydrothermal treatment of sewage sludge on pyrolysis and steam gasification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Jihong; Mun, Tae-Young; Yang, Won; Lee, Uendo; Hwang, Jungho; Jang, Ensuk; Choi, Changsik

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hydrothermal treatment (HT) is energy efficient and increases fuel energy density. • Pyrolysis and steam gasification were performed with sewage sludge before/after HT. • Product gases resembled those from wood chips, particularly at high temperature. • HT increases sludge lignin content, possibly enhancing methane yield of product gas. • HT can improve sewage sludge for use as an alternative to biomass and fossil fuels. - Abstract: Hydrothermal treatment is a promising option for pretreatment drying of organic waste, due to its low energy consumption and contribution to increasing fuel energy density. In this study, the characteristics of hydrothermally treated sewage sludge were investigated, and pyrolysis and steam gasification were performed with the sludge before and after hydrothermal treatment. The overall composition of product gases from treated sludge was similar to that obtained from steam gasification of wood chips, particularly under high-temperature conditions. In addition, the increase in lignin content of sewage sludge following hydrothermal treatment could help enhance methane yield in product gas during pyrolysis and steam gasification. The findings suggest that hydrothermal treatment is an appropriate method for improving sewage sludge for use as an alternative to biomass and fossil fuels

Biomass thermochemical conversion program: 1987 annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schiefelbein, G.F.; Stevens, D.J.; Gerber, M.A.

1988-01-01

The objective of the Biomass Thermochemical Conversion Program is to generate a base of scientific data and conversion process information that will lead to establishment of cost-effective processes for conversion of biomass resources into clean fuels. To accomplish this objective, in fiscal year 1987 the Thermochemical Conversion Program sponsored research activities in the following four areas: Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels Technology; Gasification Technology; Direct Combustion Technology; Program Support Activities. In this report an overview of the Thermochemical Conversion Program is presented. Specific research projects are then described. Major accomplishments for 1987 are summarized.

Biomass thermochemical conversion program. 1985 annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schiefelbein, G.F.; Stevens, D.J.; Gerber, M.A.

1986-01-01

Wood and crop residues constitute a vast majority of the biomass feedstocks available for conversion, and thermochemical processes are well suited for conversion of these materials. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring research on this conversion technology for renewable energy through its Biomass Thermochemical Conversion Program. The Program is part of DOE's Biofuels and Municipal Waste Technology Division, Office of Renewable Technologies. This report briefly describes the Thermochemical Conversion Program structure and summarizes the activities and major accomplishments during fiscal year 1985. 32 figs., 4 tabs.

Characterization, Leaching, and Filtrations Testing of Ferrocyanide Tank sludge (Group 8) Actual Waste Composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiskum, Sandra K.; Billing, Justin M.; Crum, J.V.; Daniel, Richard C.; Edwards, Matthew K.; Shimskey, Rick W.; Peterson, Reid A.; MacFarlan, Paul J.; Buck, Edgar C.; Draper, Kathryn E.; Kozelisky, Anne E.

2009-01-01

This is the final report in a series of eight reports defining characterization, leach, and filtration testing of a wide variety of Hanford tank waste sludges. The information generated from this series is intended to supplement the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) project understanding of actual waste behaviors associated with tank waste sludge processing through the pretreatment portion of the WTP. The work described in this report presents information on a high-iron waste form, specifically the ferrocyanide tank waste sludge. Iron hydroxide has been shown to pose technical challenges during filtration processing; the ferrocyanide tank waste sludge represented a good source of the high-iron matrix to test the filtration processing

Characterization, Leaching, and Filtrations Testing of Ferrocyanide Tank sludge (Group 8) Actual Waste Composite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiskum, Sandra K.; Billing, Justin M.; Crum, J. V.; Daniel, Richard C.; Edwards, Matthew K.; Shimskey, Rick W.; Peterson, Reid A.; MacFarlan, Paul J.; Buck, Edgar C.; Draper, Kathryn E.; Kozelisky, Anne E.

2009-02-28

This is the final report in a series of eight reports defining characterization, leach, and filtration testing of a wide variety of Hanford tank waste sludges. The information generated from this series is intended to supplement the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) project understanding of actual waste behaviors associated with tank waste sludge processing through the pretreatment portion of the WTP. The work described in this report presents information on a high-iron waste form, specifically the ferrocyanide tank waste sludge. Iron hydroxide has been shown to pose technical challenges during filtration processing; the ferrocyanide tank waste sludge represented a good source of the high-iron matrix to test the filtration processing.

Separations/pretreatment considerations for Hanford privatization phase 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, R.D.; McGinnis, C.P.; Welch, T.D.

1998-05-01

The Tank Focus Area is funded to develop, demonstrate, and deploy technologies that will assist in the treatment and closure of its nuclear waste tanks. Pretreatment technologies developed to support the privatization effort by the Department of Energy are reviewed. Advancements in evaporation, solid-liquid separation, sludge treatment, solids controls, sodium management, and radionuclide removal are considered.

Bibliographic Review about Solar Hydrogen Production Through Thermochemical Cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez Saavedra, R.

2007-01-01

This report presents a summary of the different thermical processes used to obtain hydrogen through solar energy, paying more attention to the production of hydrogen from water through thermochemical cycles. In this aspect, it is briefly described the most interesting thermochemical cycles, focusing on thermochemical cycles based on oxides. (Author) 25 refs

Selective pyrolysis of paper mill sludge by using pretreatment processes to enhance the quality of bio-oil and biochar products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reckamp, Joseph M.; Garrido, Rene A.; Satrio, Justinus A.

2014-01-01

Paper mill sludge (PMS) is a residual biomass that is generated at paper mills in large quantities. Currently, PMS is commonly disposed in landfills, which causes environmental issues through chemical leaching and greenhouse gas production. In this research, we are exploring the potential of fast pyrolysis process for converting PMS into useful bio-oil and biochar products. We demonstrate that by subjecting PMS to a combination of acid hydrolysis and torrefaction pre-treatment processes it is possible to alter the physicochemical properties and composition of the feedstock material. Fast pyrolysis of pretreated PMS produced bio-oil with significantly higher selectivity to levoglucosenone and significantly reduced the amount of ketone, aldehyde, and organic acid components. Pretreatment of PMS with combined 4% mass fraction phosphoric acid hydrolysis and 220 °C torrefaction processed prior to fast pyrolysis resulted in a 17 times increase of relative selectivity towards levoglucosenone in bio-oil product along with a reduction of acids, ketones, and aldehydes combined from 21 % to 11 %. Biochar, produced in higher yield, has characteristics that potentially make the solid byproduct ideal for soil amendment agent or sorbent material. This work reveals a promising process system to convert PMS waste into useful bio-based products. More in-depth research is required to gather more data information for assessing the economic and sustainability aspects of the process. - Highlights: • Acid hydrolysis and torrefaction reduce bio-oil yield, but improve quality. • Dilute acid conditions provide optimal treatment for bio-oil quality and yield. • Pyrolysis of treated PMS produces high selectivity to levoglucosenone formation. • Treated PMS produces bio-oil with reduced acid, ketone, and aldehyde content. • Pyrolysis of treated PMS produces biochar with low volatile matter in high yield

Bioethanol production from paperboard mill sludge using acid-catalyzed bio-derived choline acetate ionic liquid pretreatment followed by fermentation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farghaly, Ahmed; Elsamadony, Mohamed; Ookawara, Shinichi; Tawfik, Ahmed

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Total reducing sugar concentration depends on [ChO][OAc] ionic liquid to biomass ratio. • Acid-catalyzed ionic liquid significantly enhance pretreatment process. • Prolonged pretreatment duration degraded sugars into furans compounds. • Maximum net energy of 5.36 ± 0.30 kJ/g PMS obtained by using acid catalyst IL. - Abstract: Paperboard mill sludge (PMS) composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and ash contents of 36.72 ± 2.81, 32.91 ± 1.75, 22.89 ± 0.56, and 7.48 ± 0.39%, respectively. Enzymatic hydrolysis process followed by fermentation of native PMS provided an ethanol yield of 0.36 ± 0.01 g/L which equivalent to net gain energy of −0.84 ± 0.03 kJ/g PMS . Choline acetate ionic liquid [Cho][OAc] IL was extensively used as a solvent for PMS to upgrade the performance. Pretreatment with [Cho][OAc] IL/PMS ratio of 10% (w/w) for 1.0 h, at a temperature of 120 °C exhibited hemicellulose and lignin removal efficiency of 5.05 ± 0.52 and 14.71 ± 1.22%, respectively with 89.19 ± 5.62% cellulose recovery. This corresponded to net gain energy of 0.60 ± 0.04 kJ/g PMS based on ethanol yield from enzymatic saccharification process which was quite low due to a limited hemicellulose removal and glucose yield of 24.1 ± 1.4 g/L. [Cho][OAc] IL/PMS ratio of 10% (w/w) supplemented with 1% (v/v) HCl substantially improved the removal efficiency of hemicellulose (36.38 ± 4.51%), lignin (17.42 ± 1.19%) and cellulose (82.17 ± 4.28%) which provided the maximum net energy of 5.36 ± 0.30 kJ/g PMS .

Alternatives generation and analysis for the phase 1 high-level waste pretreatment process selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manuel, A.F.

1997-01-01

This report evaluates the effects of enhanced sludge washing and sludge washing without caustic leaching during the preparation of the Phase 1 high-level waste feeds. The pretreatment processing alternatives are evaluated against their ability to satisfy contractual, cost minimization, and other criteria. The information contained in this report is consistent with, and supplemental to, the Tank Waste Remediation System Operation and Utilization Plan (Kirkbride et al. 1997)

Alternatives generation and analysis for the phase 1 high-level waste pretreatment process selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manuel, A.F.

1997-10-02

This report evaluates the effects of enhanced sludge washing and sludge washing without caustic leaching during the preparation of the Phase 1 high-level waste feeds. The pretreatment processing alternatives are evaluated against their ability to satisfy contractual, cost minimization, and other criteria. The information contained in this report is consistent with, and supplemental to, the Tank Waste Remediation System Operation and Utilization Plan (Kirkbride et al. 1997).

Co-digestion of sewage sludge from external small WWTP's in a large plant

Science.gov (United States)

Miodoński, Stanisław

2017-11-01

Improving energy efficiency of WWTPs (Waste Water Treatment Plants) is crucial action of modern wastewater treatment technology. Technological treatment process optimization is important but the main goal will not be achieved without increasing production of renewable energy from sewage sludge in anaerobic digestion process which is most often used as sludge stabilization method on large WWTP's. Usually, anaerobic digestion reactors used for sludge digestion were designed with reserve and most of them is oversized. In many cases that reserve is unused. On the other hand, smaller WWTPs have problem with management of sewage sludge due to lack of adequately developed infrastructure for sludge stabilization. Paper shows an analysis of using a technological reserve of anaerobic digestion reactors at large WWTP (1 million P.E.) for sludge stabilization collected from smaller WWTP in a co-digestion process. Over 30 small WWTPs from the same region as the large WWTP were considered in this study. Furthermore, performed analysis included also evaluation of potential sludge disintegration pre-treatment for co-digestion efficiency improvement.

Development of a seasonal thermochemical storage system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cuypers, R.; Maraz, N.; Eversdijk, J.; Finck, C.J.; Henquet, E.M.P.; Oversloot, H.P.; Spijker, J.C. van 't; Geus, A.C. de

2012-01-01

In our laboratories, a seasonal thermochemical storage system for dwellings and offices is being designed and developed. Based on a thermochemical sorption reaction, space heating, cooling and generation of domestic hot water will be achieved with up to 100% renewable energy, by using solar energy

Cavitation for improved sludge conversion into biogas

Science.gov (United States)

Stoop, A. H.; Bakker, T. W.; Kramer, H. J. M.

2015-12-01

In several studies the beneficial influence of pre-treatment of waste activated sludge with cavitation on the biogas production was demonstrated. It is however, still not fully certain whether this effect should be mainly contributed to an increase in conversion rate of organics into biogas by anaerobic bacteria, and how much cavitation increases the total biogas yield. An increase in yield is only the case if cavitation can further disrupt otherwise inaccessible cell membrane structures and long chain organic molecules. In this study the influence of hydrodynamic cavitation on sludge that was already digested for 30 days was investigated. The total biogas yield could indeed be increased. The effect of the backpressure behind the venturi tube on the yield could not yet be established.

Cost comparison for REDC pretreatment project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, S.M.; Homan, F.J.

1997-06-01

This analysis has been prepared to support the planned expenditure to provide the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC) with the capability to pretreat their liquid low-level waste (LLLW) before discharging it to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) LLLW system. Pretreatment will remove most of the radioactivity, particularly the transuranic isotopes and Cs-137 from the waste to be discharged. This will render the supernates that accumulate in the storage tanks low-activity Class B low-level wastes rather than high-activity Class B or Class C wastes. The sludges will be Class C rather than remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) wastes. When REDC wastes are commingled with other ORNL LLLW, the present-worth treatment and transport costs are higher by a factor of 1.3 for the no-pretreatment cases. This result is consistent with data from similar studies conducted at other sites. Based on the information presented in this analysis, the recommendation is to proceed with REDC treatment projects

Thermochemical evaluation and preparation of cesium uranates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takano, Masahide; Minato, Kazuo; Fukuda, Kousaku; Sato, Seichi; Ohashi, Hiroshi.

1997-03-01

Two kinds of cesium uranates, Cs 2 UO 4 and Cs 2 U 2 O 7 , which are predicted by thermochemical estimation to be formed in irradiated oxide fuels, were prepared from U 3 O 8 and Cs 2 CO 3 for measurements of the thermal expansions and thermal conductivities. In advance of the preparation, thermochemical calculations for the formation and decomposition of these cesium uranates were performed by Gibbs free energy minimizer. The preparation temperatures for Cs 2 UO 4 and Cs 2 U 2 O 7 were determined from the results of the thermochemical calculations. The prepared samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, which showed that the single phases of Cs 2 UO 4 and Cs 2 U 2 O 7 were formed. Thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis were also performed on these samples, and the decomposition temperatures were evaluated. The experimental results were in good agreement with those of the thermochemical calculations. (author)

Options for reducing oil content of sludge from a petroleum wastewater treatment plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Tae-Soon; Lee, Jae-Young

2015-10-01

Wastewater treatment plants at petroleum refineries often produce substantial quantities of sludge with relatively high concentrations of oil. Disposal of this waste is costly, in part because the high oil content requires use of secure disposal methods akin to handling of hazardous wastes. This article examines the properties of oily sludge and evaluates optional methods for reducing the oil content of this sludge to enable use of lower cost disposal methods. To reduce the oil content or break the structure of oily sludge, preliminary lab-scale experiments involving mechanical treatment, surfactant extraction, and oxidation are conducted. By applying surfactants, approximately 36% to 45% of oils are extracted from oily sludge. Of this, about 33% of oils are rapidly oxidised via radiation by an electron beam within 10 s of exposure. The Fenton reaction is effective for destruction of oily sludge. It is also found that 56% of oils were removed by reacting oily sludge with water containing ozone of 0.5 mg l(-1) over a period of 24 h. Oxidation using ozone thus can also be effectively used as a pretreatment for oily sludge. © The Author(s) 2015.

Mesophilic and thermophilic activated sludge post-treatment of paper mill process water

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vogelaar, J.C.T.; Bouwhuis, E.; Klapwijk, A.; Spanjers, H.; Lier, van J.B.

2002-01-01

Increasing system closure in paper mills and higher process water temperatures make the applicability of thermophilic treatment systems increasingly important. The use of activated sludge as a suitable thermophilic post-treatment system for anaerobically pre-treated paper process water from a paper

Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution by dried activated sludge biomass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Jun; Zhang Hua; He Pinjing; Yao Qian; Shao Liming

2010-01-01

Batch experiments were conducted to remove Cr(VI) from aqueous solution using activated sludge biomass. The effects of acid pretreatment of the biomass, initial pH, biomass and Cr(VI) concentrations on Cr(VI) removal efficiency were investigated. Proton consumption during the removal process and the reducing capacity of sludge biomass were studied. The results show that acid pretreatment could significantly improve Cr(VI) removal efficiency and increase Cr(VI) reducing capacity by 20.4%. Cr(VI) removal was remarkably pH-dependent; lower pH (pH = 1, 2) facilitated Cr(VI) reduction while higher pH (pH = 3, 4) favored sorption of the converted Cr(III). Lower Cr(VI) concentration as well as higher biomass concentration could accelerate Cr(VI) removal. Cr(VI) reduction was not the only reason for proton consumption in the removal process. Pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic model could successfully simulate Cr(VI) removal except under higher pH conditions (pH = 3, 4).

Assessment of a closed thermochemical energy storage using energy and exergy methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abedin, Ali Haji; Rosen, Marc A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Thermodynamics assessments are reported for a general closed thermochemical thermal energy storage system. ► Energy and exergy efficiencies of various processes in a closed thermochemical TES are evaluated and compared. ► Understanding is enhanced of thermochemical TES technologies and their potential implementations. ► Exergy analysis is observed to be useful when applied to thermochemical TES, with or in place of energy analysis. - Abstract: Thermal energy storage (TES) is an important technology for achieving more efficient and environmentally benign energy systems. Thermochemical TES is a type of TES with the potential for high energy density and is only recently being considered intensively. To improve understanding of thermochemical TES systems and their implementation, energy and exergy analyses are beneficial. Here, thermodynamics assessments are presented for a general closed thermochemical TES system, including assessments and comparisons of the efficiencies of the overall thermochemical TES cycle and its charging, storing and discharging processes. Locations and causes of thermodynamic losses in thermochemical TES systems are being specified using exergy analysis. The analytical methodology applied in this study identifies that energy and exergy efficiencies differ for thermochemical TESs, e.g. the energy efficiency for a case study is approximately 50% while the exergy efficiency is about 10%. Although the focus is to evaluate thermodynamic efficiencies, other design parameters such as cost, and environmental impact also need to be examined in assessing thermochemical storage. The efficiencies for thermochemical TES provided here should be helpful for designing these energy systems and enhancing their future prospects.

Below and above boiling point comparison of microwave irradiation and conductive heating for municipal sludge digestion under identical heating/cooling profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini Koupaie, E; Eskicioglu, C

2015-01-01

This research provides a comprehensive comparison between microwave (MW) and conductive heating (CH) sludge pretreatments under identical heating/cooling profiles at below and above boiling point temperatures. Previous comparison studies were constrained to an uncontrolled or a single heating rate due to lack of a CH equipment simulating MW under identical thermal profiles. In this research, a novel custom-built pressure-sealed vessel which could simulate MW pretreatment under identical heating/cooling profiles was used for CH pretreatment. No statistically significant difference was proven between MW and CH pretreatments in terms of sludge solubilization, anaerobic biogas yield and organics biodegradation rate (p-value>0.05), while statistically significant effects of temperature and heating rate were observed (p-value<0.05). These results explain the contradictory results of previous studies in which only the final temperature (not heating/cooling rates) was controlled. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermochemical evaluation and preparation of cesium uranates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takano, Masahide; Minato, Kazuo; Fukuda, Kousaku [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Sato, Seichi; Ohashi, Hiroshi

1997-03-01

Two kinds of cesium uranates, Cs{sub 2}UO{sub 4} and Cs{sub 2}U{sub 2}O{sub 7}, which are predicted by thermochemical estimation to be formed in irradiated oxide fuels, were prepared from U{sub 3}O{sub 8} and Cs{sub 2}CO{sub 3} for measurements of the thermal expansions and thermal conductivities. In advance of the preparation, thermochemical calculations for the formation and decomposition of these cesium uranates were performed by Gibbs free energy minimizer. The preparation temperatures for Cs{sub 2}UO{sub 4} and Cs{sub 2}U{sub 2}O{sub 7} were determined from the results of the thermochemical calculations. The prepared samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, which showed that the single phases of Cs{sub 2}UO{sub 4} and Cs{sub 2}U{sub 2}O{sub 7} were formed. Thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis were also performed on these samples, and the decomposition temperatures were evaluated. The experimental results were in good agreement with those of the thermochemical calculations. (author)

Advances in hydrogen production by thermochemical water decomposition: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosen, Marc A.

2010-01-01

Hydrogen demand as an energy currency is anticipated to rise significantly in the future, with the emergence of a hydrogen economy. Hydrogen production is a key component of a hydrogen economy. Several production processes are commercially available, while others are under development including thermochemical water decomposition, which has numerous advantages over other hydrogen production processes. Recent advances in hydrogen production by thermochemical water decomposition are reviewed here. Hydrogen production from non-fossil energy sources such as nuclear and solar is emphasized, as are efforts to lower the temperatures required in thermochemical cycles so as to expand the range of potential heat supplies. Limiting efficiencies are explained and the need to apply exergy analysis is illustrated. The copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle is considered as a case study. It is concluded that developments of improved processes for hydrogen production via thermochemical water decomposition are likely to continue, thermochemical hydrogen production using such non-fossil energy will likely become commercial, and improved efficiencies are expected to be obtained with advanced methodologies like exergy analysis. Although numerous advances have been made on sulphur-iodine cycles, the copper-chlorine cycle has significant potential due to its requirement for process heat at lower temperatures than most other thermochemical processes.

Microencapsulation of salts for enhanced thermochemical storage materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cuypers, R.; Jong, A.J. de; Eversdijk, J.; Spijker, J.C. van 't; Oversloot, H.P.; Ingenhut, B.L.J.; Cremers, R.K.H.; Papen-Botterhuis, N.E.

2013-01-01

Thermochemical storage is a new and emerging long-term thermal storage for residential use (cooling, heating & domestic hot water generation), offering high thermal storage density without the need for thermal insulation during storage (Fig. 1). However, existing materials for thermochemical storage

Mechanism and Parameter Optimization of Fenton's Reagent Integrated with Surfactant Pretreatment to Improve Sludge Dewaterability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Xing

Full Text Available Sludge dewatering can effectively reduce the volume and mass of sludge for subsequent treatment and disposal. The work validated the potential of Fenton's reagent combined with dodecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (DDBAC in improving sludge dewaterability and proposed the mechanism of joint conditioning. The composite conditioner dosage was optimized using response surface methodology. Results indicated the good conditioning capability of the composite conditioners. The optimum dosages for H2O2, Fe2+, and DDBAC were 44.6, 39.6, and 71.0 mg/g, respectively, at which a sludge cake water content of 59.67% could be achieved. Moreover, a second-order polynomial equation was developed to describe the behavior of joint conditioning. Analysis of the reaction mechanism showed that Fenton oxidation effectively decomposed extracellular polymeric substance (EPS, including loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS, into dissolved organics, such as proteins and polysaccharides. The process facilitated the conversion of the bound water into free water. Furthermore, DDBAC further released the bound water through solubilization of TB-EPS and LB-EPS after the Fenton reaction. The bound water content of the sludge conditioned with Fenton's reagent decreased from 3.15 to 1.36 g/g and further decreased to 1.08 g/g with the addition of DDBAC. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis verified that the composite conditioning could oxidize and hydrolyze EPS into low-molecular-mass organics (e.g., formic and acetic acid, thereby facilitating the release of bound water.

The pretreatment of corn stover with Gloeophyllum trabeum KU-41 for enzymatic hydrolysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gao Ziqing

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pretreatment is an essential step in the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass for bio-ethanol production. The dominant concern in this step is how to decrease the high cost of pretreatment while achieving a high sugar yield. Fungal pretreatment of biomass was previously reported to be effective, with the advantage of having a low energy requirement and requiring no application of additional chemicals. In this work, Gloeophyllum trabeum KU-41 was chosen for corn stover pretreatment through screening with 40 strains of wood-rot fungi. The objective of the current work is to find out which characteristics of corn stover pretreated with G. trabeum KU-41 determine the pretreatment method to be successful and worthwhile to apply. This will be done by determining the lignin content, structural carbohydrate, cellulose crystallinity, initial adsorption capacity of cellulase and specific surface area of pretreated corn stover. Results The content of xylan in pretreated corn stover was decreased by 43% in comparison to the untreated corn stover. The initial cellulase adsorption capacity and the specific surface area of corn stover pretreated with G. trabeum were increased by 7.0- and 2.5-fold, respectively. Also there was little increase in the cellulose crystallinity of pretreated corn stover. Conclusion G. trabeum has an efficient degradation system, and the results indicated that the conversion of cellulose to glucose increases as the accessibility of cellulose increases due to the partial removal of xylan and the structure breakage of the cell wall. This pretreatment method can be further explored as an alternative to the thermochemical pretreatment method.

Heavy-metal removal from petroleum oily sludge using lemon- scented geraniums[General Conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badawieh, A.; Elektorowicz, M. [Concordia Univ., Montreal, PQ (Canada). Dept. of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering

2006-07-01

Finding an acceptable method to manage oily sludge generated during petroleum processes is one of the challenges currently facing the petroleum industry. This study investigated the response of plants to heavy-metal removal from oily sludge to determine the feasibility of using phytoremediation technologies as a treatment method for oily sludge. In particular, scented geraniums (Pelargonium sp. Frensham) have shown a strong capability to survive harsh conditions such as poor soil, high/low temperatures, high heavy-metal concentrations and low water content. In response to this observation, this feasibility study placed scented geraniums in a series of pots containing oily sludge where heavy-metal concentrations were artificially increased up to 2000 ppm. Plants were grown in two systems over a period of 50 days. The first system included oily sludge and soil while the second system included oily sludge, soil and compost. The study revealed that the scented geraniums accumulated up to 1600 mg, 1000 mg, and 1200 mg, of cadmium, nickel and vanadium respectively per 1 kg of the plant's dry weight. The results suggest that phytoremediation technology may be a potential method for successfully treating or pretreating oily sludge in the field.

Optimization and microbial community analysis of anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludge based on microwave pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Junya; Lv, Chen; Tong, Juan; Liu, Jianwei; Liu, Jibao; Yu, Dawei; Wang, Yawei; Chen, Meixue; Wei, Yuansong

2016-01-01

The effects of microwave pretreatment (MW) on co-digestion of food waste (FW) and sewage sludge (SS) have never been investigated. In this study, a series of mesophilic biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were conducted to determine the optimized ratio of FW and SS based on MW, and the evolution of bacterial and archaeal community was investigated through high-throughput sequencing method. Results showed that the optimized ratio was 3:2 for co-digestion of FW and SS based on MW, and the methane production was 316.24 and 338.44mLCH4/gVSadded for MW-FW and MW-SS, respectively. The MW-SS was superior for methane production compared to MW-FW, in which accumulation of propionic acid led to the inhibition of methanogenesis. Proteiniborus and Parabacteroides were responsible for proteins and polysaccharides degradation for all, respectively, while Bacteroides only dominated in co-digestion. Methanosphaera dominated in MW-FW at the active methane production phase, while it was Methanosarcina in MW-SS and mono-SS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Full-scale production of VFAs from sewage sludge by anaerobic alkaline fermentation to improve biological nutrients removal in domestic wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, He; Han, Peng; Liu, Hongbo; Zhou, Guangjie; Fu, Bo; Zheng, Zhiyong

2018-07-01

A full-scale project of thermal-alkaline pretreatment and alkaline fermentation of sewage sludge was built to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs) which was then used as external carbon source for improving biological nitrogen and phosphorus removals (BNPR) in wastewater plant. Results showed this project had efficient and stable performances in VFA production, sludge reduce and BNPR. Hydrolysis rate in pretreatment, VFAs yield in fermentation and total VS reduction reached 68.7%, 261.32 mg COD/g VSS and 54.19%, respectively. Moreover, fermentation liquid with VFA presented similar efficiency as acetic acid in enhancing BNPR, obtaining removal efficiencies of nitrogen and phosphorus up to 72.39% and 89.65%, respectively. Finally, the project also presented greater economic advantage than traditional processes, and the net profits for VFAs and biogas productions are 9.12 and 3.71 USD/m 3 sludge, respectively. Long-term operation indicated that anaerobic alkaline fermentation for VFAs production is technically and economically feasible for sludge carbon recovery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal integration of SCWR nuclear and thermochemical hydrogen plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Z.; Naterer, G.F.; Gabriel, K.S.

2010-01-01

In this paper, the intermediate heat exchange between a Generation IV supercritical water-cooled nuclear reactor (SCWR) and a thermochemical hydrogen production cycle is discussed. It is found that the maximum and range of temperatures of a thermochemical cycle are the dominant parameters that affect the design of its coupling with SCWR. The copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) thermochemical cycle is a promising cycle that can link with SCWRs. The location of extracting heat from a SCWR to a thermochemical cycle is investigated in this paper. Steam bypass lines downstream of the SCWR core are suggested for supplying heat to the Cu-Cl hydrogen production cycle. The stream extraction location is strongly dependent on the temperature requirements of the chemical steps of the thermochemical cycle. The available quantity of heat exchange at different hours of a day is also studied. It is found that the available heat at most hours of power demand in a day can support an industrial scale steam methane reforming plant if the SCWR power station is operating at full design capacity. (author)

Effect of ultrasonic and microwave disintegration on physico-chemical and biodegradation characteristics of waste-activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Doğruel, Serdar; Özgen, Aslı Sedem

2017-04-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ultrasonic and microwave disintegration on physico-chemical and biodegradability properties of waste-activated sludge (WAS) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Another aim was to carry out particle size distribution (PSD) analysis as an integral component of sludge characterization to highlight the transformation mechanisms involved in pretreatment processes and better understand the biodegradation patterns of sonicated and irradiated WAS liquids examined by means of respirometric measurements. Various combinations of sonication and microwave irradiation parameters were applied to optimize operating conditions. The optimum ultrasonic density was determined as 1.5 W/mL, and energy dosages lower than 30,000 kJ/kg TS resulted in a fairly linear increase in the soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) release. An irradiation time of 10 min and a temperature of 175°C were selected as the optimum microwave pretreatment conditions for sludge liquefaction. The most apparent impact of ultrasonication on the PSD of COD was the shifting of the peak at the particulate fraction (>1600 nm) toward the lowest size range (<2 nm). Microwave heating at the selected experimental conditions and ultrasonic pretreatment at 30,000 kJ/kg TS exhibited comparable size distribution and biodegradation characteristics to those of domestic sewage.

Effect of γ-irradiation and pasteurization of sewage sludge to the microbiological properties and the mineralization in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, T.; Schurmann, G.; Suess, A.

1977-01-01

Hygienic aspects of sewage sludge application in agricultural practice are of increasing importance. Because parasites are extremely sensitive to γ-irradiation a dose of 300 krad is quivalent to pasteurization. The total bacteria count of the sewage sludge is reduced by this dosage by 90 to 99%. Enzymic activity is reduced after radiation at a rate of about 39%. Especially amylase, catalase, and alkaline phosphatase are extremely sensitive to irradiation. Mineralization studies of sewage sludge with different pretreatments in different soil types indicated no significant differences. (orig.) [de

Thermochemical Surface Engineering: A Playground for Science and Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Thomas Lundin; Dahl, Kristian Vinter; Jellesen, Morten Stendahl

2017-01-01

Surface engineering by thermochemical processing is the intentional change of the composition of a material at elevated temperature with the purpose to improve materials performance. In thermochemical processing components from the starting material are essential in the development of the phases...... at the surface. Current research and innovation activities are used to exemplify thermochemical surface engineering and the interplay of science and innovation. The examples given encompass aspects of the synthesis of extremely porous materials, low temperature surface hardening of stainless steel, surface...

Department of Energy pretreatment of high-level and low-level wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGinnis, C.P.; Hunt, R.D.

1995-01-01

The remediation of the 1 x 10 8 gal of highly radioactive waste in the underground storage tanks (USTs) at five US Department of Energy (DOE) sites is one of DOE's greatest challenges. Therefore, the DOE Office of Environmental Management has created the Tank Focus Area (TFA) to manage an integrated technology development program that results in the safe and efficient remediation of UST waste. The TFA has divided its efforts into five areas, which are safety, characterization, retrieval/closure, pretreatment, and immobilization. All DOE pretreatment activities are integrated by the Pretreatment Technical Integration Manager of the TFA. For FY 1996, the 14 pretreatment tasks are divided into 3 systems: supernate separations, sludge treatment, and solid/liquid separation. The plans and recent results of these TFA tasks, which include two 25,000-gal demonstrations and two former TFA tasks on Cs removal, are presented. The pretreatment goals are to minimize the volume of high-level waste and the radioactivity in low-level waste

Thermochemical transformations of anthracite fractions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belkina, T.V.; Privalov, V.E.; Stepanenko, atM.A.

1979-08-01

Research on the nature of thermochemical transformations of anthracite fractions and the possibility of increasing their activity and identifying conditions for their use in the electrode pitch process is described. From research done on different anthracite fractions processed at varying temperatures it was concluded that accumulations of condensates from heating anthracite fractions occur significantly slower in comparison with pitch. As a result the electrode pitch process is prolonged. Thermal treatment of an anthracite fraction causes the formation and accumulation of condensates and promotes thermochemical transformations. Lastly, the use of thermally treated anthracite fractions apparently intensifies the electrode pitch process and improves its quality. (16 refs.) (In Russian)

Anaerobic digestion of chicken feather with swine manure or slaughterhouse sludge for biogas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Yun; Massé, Daniel I; McAllister, Tim A; Beaulieu, Carole; Ungerfeld, Emilio

2012-03-01

Biogas production from anaerobic digestion of chicken feathers with swine manure or slaughterhouse sludge was assessed in two separate experiments. Ground feathers without any pre-treatment were added to 42-L digesters inoculated with swine manure or slaughterhouse sludge, representing 37% and 23% of total solids, respectively and incubated at 25°C in batch mode. Compared to the control without feather addition, total CH(4) production increased by 130% (Pswine manure and the slaughterhouse sludge digesters, respectively. Mixed liquor NH(4)N concentration increased (Pdigestion to 6.9 and 3.5 g/L at the end of digestion in the swine manure and the slaughterhouse sludge digesters, respectively. The fraction of proteolytic microorganisms increased (Pdigestion from 12.5% to 14.5% and 11.3% to 13.0% in the swine manure and the slaughterhouse sludge digesters with feather addition, respectively, but decreased in the controls. These results are reflective of feather digestion. Feather addition did not affect CH(4) yields of the swine manure digesters (P=0.082) and the slaughterhouse sludge digesters (P=0.21), indicating that feathers can be digested together with swine manure or slaughterhouse sludge without negatively affecting the digestion of swine manure and slaughterhouse sludge. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technology Development And Deployment Of Systems For The Retrieval And Processing Of Remote-Handled Sludge From Hanford K-West Fuel Storage Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raymond, R.E.

2011-01-01

In 2011, significant progress was made in developing and deploying technologies to remove, transport, and interim store remote-handled sludge from the 105-K West Fuel Storage Basin on the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. The sludge in the 105-K West Basin is an accumulation of degraded spent nuclear fuel and other debris that collected during long-term underwater storage of the spent fuel. In 2010, an innovative, remotely operated retrieval system was used to successfully retrieve over 99.7% of the radioactive sludge from 10 submerged temporary storage containers in the K West Basin. In 2011, a full-scale prototype facility was completed for use in technology development, design qualification testing, and operator training on systems used to retrieve, transport, and store highly radioactive K Basin sludge. In this facility, three separate systems for characterizing, retrieving, pretreating, and processing remote-handled sludge were developed. Two of these systems were successfully deployed in 2011. One of these systems was used to pretreat knockout pot sludge as part of the 105-K West Basin cleanup. Knockout pot sludge contains pieces of degraded uranium fuel ranging in size from 600 μm to 6350 μm mixed with pieces of inert material, such as aluminum wire and graphite, in the same size range. The 2011 pretreatment campaign successfully removed most of the inert material from the sludge stream and significantly reduced the remaining volume of knockout pot product material. Removing the inert material significantly minimized the waste stream and reduced costs by reducing the number of transportation and storage containers. Removing the inert material also improved worker safety by reducing the number of remote-handled shipments. Also in 2011, technology development and final design were completed on the system to remove knockout pot material from the basin and transport the material to an onsite facility for interim storage. This system is scheduled

K Basin sludge polychlorinated biphenyl removal technology assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashworth, S.C.

1998-01-01

The two Hanford K Basins are water-filled concrete pools that contain over 2,100 metric tons of N Reactor fuel elements stored in aluminum or stainless steel canisters. During the time the fuel has been stored, approximately 50 m3 of heterogeneous solid material have accumulated in the basins. This material, referred to as sludge, is a mixture of fuel corrosion products, metallic bits of spent fuel and zirconium clad iron and metal corrosion products and silica from migrating sands. Some of the sludges also contain PCBs. The congener group of PCBs was identified as Aroclor 1254. The maximum concentration of sludge PCBS was found to be 140 ppm (as settled wet basis). However, the distribution of the PCBs is non-uniform throughout the sludge (i.e., there are regions of high and low concentrations and places where no PCBs are present). Higher concentrations could be present at various locations. Aroclors 1016/1242, 1221, 1248, 1254, and 1260 were identified and quantified in K West (KW) Canister sludge. In some of these samples, the concentration of 1260 was higher than 1254. The sludge requires pre-treatment to meet tank farm waste acceptance criteria, Among the numerous requirements, the sludge should be retreated so that it does not contain regulated levels of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) compounds. Because of their stable chemistry and relative insolubility in water, PCBs are difficult to treat. They also resist degradation from heat and electrical charges. This stability has resulted in environmental persistence which has prompted the development of a variety of new cleanup processes including supercritical processes, advanced oxidation, dehalogenation and others. Hopefully, most of the new processes are discussed herein. Information on new processes are being received and will be evaluated in a future revision

Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: French inventory and state of the art

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reverdy, A.L.; Dieude-Fauvel, E.; Baudez, J.C.; Ferstler, V.

2012-01-01

Following the Kyoto Protocol and the 'Grenelle de l'environnement', France committed itself to develop renewable energies. Methanization is a process which falls within this objective. Anaerobic digestion of organic material generates biogas made of methane (CH 4 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water (H 2 O). In 2009, electricity generation from biogas represented only 0, 93% of the renewable electricity production in France. An inventory of facilities and a state of the art of the methanization of sewage sludge on wastewater treatment plants with the inhabitant equivalent of more than 30.000 were realized. They were done with bibliography and surveys. In France, 68 installations of sewage sludge methanization were counted. The primary technology used is a mix reactor in which sewage sludge, heated at deg. C 37, are introduced. Biogas is mainly valued to warm those sludges. Electrical valorization is poor, especially on old installations. Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is generally accepted by managers, mainly because of its capacity to reduce sewage sludge quantity and odors. Methanization as listed in France is quite basic. It is performed with digestion series modification, with pretreatments or with co-digestion. Given the quantity of sewage sludge which could be digested, France could increase renewable energies via biogas. However this technology is perfectible in many units because biogas is burned in flares. (authors)

Renewable hydrogen production via thermochemical/electrochemical coupling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ambrosini, Andrea [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Babiniec, Sean Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Miller, James E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-10-01

A coupled electrochemical/thermochemical cycle was investigated to produce hydrogen from renewable resources. Like a conventional thermochemical cycle, this cycle leverages chemical energy stored in a thermochemical working material that is reduced thermally by solar energy. However, in this concept, the stored chemical energy only needs to be partially, but not fully, capable of splitting steam to produce hydrogen. To complete the process, a proton-conducting membrane is driven to separate hydrogen as it is produced, thus shifting the thermodynamics toward further hydrogen production. This novel coupled-cycle concept provides several benefits. First, the required oxidation enthalpy of the reversible thermochemical material is reduced, enabling the process to occur at lower temperatures. Second, removing the requirement for spontaneous steam-splitting widens the scope of materials compositions, allowing for less expensive/more abundant elements to be used. Lastly, thermodynamics calculations suggest that this concept can potentially reach higher efficiencies than photovoltaic-to-electrolysis hydrogen production methods. This Exploratory Express LDRD involved assessing the practical feasibility of the proposed coupled cycle. A test stand was designed and constructed and proton-conducting membranes were synthesized. While the full proof of concept was not achieved, the individual components of the experiment were validated and new capabilities that can be leveraged by a variety of programs were developed.

Process chemistry for the pretreatment of Hanford tank wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumetta, G.J.; Swanson, J.L.; Barker, S.A.

1992-08-01

Current guidelines for disposing radioactive wastes stored in underground tanks at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site call for the vitrification of high-level waste in borosilicate glass and disposal of the glass canisters in a deep geologic repository. Low-level waste is to be cast in grout and disposed of on site in shallow burial vaults. Because of the high cost of vitrification and geologic disposal, methods are currently being developed to minimize the volume of high-level waste requiring disposal. Two approaches are being considered for pretreating radioactive tank sludges: (1) leaching of selected components from the sludge and (2) acid dissolution of the sludge followed by separation of key radionuclides. The leaching approach offers the advantage of simplicity, but the acid dissolution/radionuclide extraction approach has the potential to produce the least number of glass canisters. Four critical components (Cr, P, S, and Al) were leached from an actual Hanford tank waste-Plutonium Finishing Plant sludge. The Al, P, and S were removed from the sludge by digestion of the sludge with 0.1 M NaOH at 100 degrees C. The Cr was leached by treating the sludge with alkaline KMnO 4 at 100 degrees C. Removing these four components from the sludge will dramatically lower the number of glass canisters required to dispose of this waste. The transuranic extraction (TRUEX) solvent extraction process has been demonstrated at a bench scale using an actual Hanford tank waste. The process, which involves extraction of the transuranic elements with octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO), separated 99.9% of the transuranic elements from the bulk components of the waste. Several problems associated with the TRUEX processing of this waste have been addressed and solved

Capabilities to Support Thermochemical Hydrogen Production Technology Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniel M. Ginosar

2009-05-01

This report presents the results of a study to determine if Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has the skilled staff, instrumentation, specialized equipment, and facilities required to take on work in thermochemical research, development, and demonstration currently being performed by the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative (NHI). This study outlines the beneficial collaborations between INL and other national laboratories, universities, and industries to strengthen INL's thermochemical efforts, which should be developed to achieve the goals of the NHI in the most expeditious, cost effective manner. Taking on this work supports INL's long-term strategy to maintain leadership in thermochemical cycle development. This report suggests a logical path forward to accomplish this transition.

Effect of hydrothermal carbonization on migration and environmental risk of heavy metals in sewage sludge during pyrolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tingting; Liu, Zhengang; Zheng, Qingfu; Lang, Qianqian; Xia, Yu; Peng, Nana; Gai, Chao

2018-01-01

The heavy metals distribution during hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of sewage sludge, and pyrolysis of the resultant hydrochar was investigated and compared with raw sludge pyrolysis. The results showed that HTC reduced exchangeable/acid-soluble and reducible fraction of heavy metals and lowered the potential risk of heavy metals in sewage sludge. The pyrolysis favored the transformation of extracted/mobile fraction of heavy metals to residual form especially at high temperature, immobilizing heavy metals in the chars. Compared to the chars from raw sludge pyrolysis, the chars derived from hydrochar pyrolysis was more alkaline and had lower risk and less leachable heavy metals, indicating that pyrolysis imposed more positive effect on immobilization of heavy metals for the hydrochar than for sewage sludge. The present study demonstrated that HTC is a promising pretreatment prior to pyrolysis from the perspective of immobilization of heavy metals in sewage sludge. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of the sludge disintegration and nutrients release by a treatment with potassium ferrate combined with an ultrasonic process.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wei; Yu, Najiaowa; Liu, Qian; Li, Yiran; Ren, Nanqi; Xing, Defeng

2018-09-01

Sludge disintegration by ultrasound is a promising sludge treatment method. In order to enhance the efficiency of the sludge reduction and hydrolysis, potassium ferrate (K 2 FeO 4 ) (PF) was used. A novel method was developed to improve the sludge disintegration-sludge pretreatment by using PF in combination with an ultrasonic treatment (PF + ULT). After a short-term PF + ULT treatment, 17.23% of the volatile suspended solids (VSS) were reduced after a 900-min reaction time, which is 61.3% higher than the VSS reduction for the raw sludge. The supernatant soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), total nitrogen (TN), volatile fatty acids (VFAs), soluble protein and polysaccharides increased by 522.5%, 1029.4%, 878.4%, 2996.6% and 801.9%, respectively. The constituent parts of the dissolved organic matter of the sludge products were released efficiently, which demonstrated the positive effect caused by the PF + ULT. The enhanced sludge disintegration process further alleviates environmental risk and offers a more efficient and convenient method for utilizing sludge. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of briquetting process of sewage sludge with coal to combustion process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kosturkiewicz Bogdan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Energy recovery from sewage sludge can be achieved by several thermal technologies, but before those processes sewage sludge requires special pretreatment. The paper presents the investigation of the sewage sludge with coal briquettes as a fuel for combustion process. Research is conducted at Department of Manufacturing Systems and Department of Thermal Engineering and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology to develop a technology of briquette preparation. The obtained results showed possibility of briquetting of municipal sewage sludge with coal in roll presses, equipped with asymmetric thickening gravity feed system. The following properties were determined for the obtained briquettes: density, drop strength and compressive strength. Based on physical and chemical analysis of prepared briquettes it was confirmed that briquettes have good fuel properties to combustion process. Thermal behaviour of studied sewage sludge and prepared mixture was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TG. For the thermo gravimetric analysis (TG the samples were heated in an alumina crucible from an ambient temperature up to 1000 °C at a constant rates: 10 °C/min, 40 °C/min and 100 °C/min in a 40 ml/min flow of air.

Study on substrate metabolism process of saline waste sludge and its biological hydrogen production potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zengshuai; Guo, Liang; Li, Qianqian; Zhao, Yangguo; Gao, Mengchun; She, Zonglian

2017-07-01

With the increasing of high saline waste sludge production, the treatment and utilization of saline waste sludge attracted more and more attention. In this study, the biological hydrogen production from saline waste sludge after heating pretreatment was studied. The substrate metabolism process at different salinity condition was analyzed by the changes of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), carbohydrate and protein in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and dissolved organic matters (DOM). The excitation-emission matrix (EEM) with fluorescence regional integration (FRI) was also used to investigate the effect of salinity on EPS and DOM composition during hydrogen fermentation. The highest hydrogen yield of 23.6 mL H 2 /g VSS and hydrogen content of 77.6% were obtained at 0.0% salinity condition. The salinity could influence the hydrogen production and substrate metabolism of waste sludge.

Sludge accumulation and conversion to methane in a septic tank treating domestic wastewater or black water.

Science.gov (United States)

Elmitwalli, Tarek

2013-01-01

Although the septic tank is the most applied on-site system for wastewater pre-treatment, limited research has been performed to determine sludge accumulation and biogas production in the tank. Therefore a dynamic mathematical model based on the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) was developed for anaerobic digestion of the accumulated sludge in a septic tank treating domestic wastewater or black water. The results showed that influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the tank mainly control the filling time with sludge, while operational temperature governs characteristics of the accumulated sludge and conversion to methane. For obtaining stable sludge and high conversion, the tank needs to be operated for a period more than a year without sludge wasting. Maximum conversion to methane in the tank is about 50 and 60% for domestic wastewater and black water, respectively. The required period for sludge wasting depends on the influent COD concentration and the HRT, while characteristics of the wasted sludge are affected by operational temperature followed by the influent COD concentration and the HRT. Sludge production from the tank ranges between 0.19 to 0.22 and 0.13 to 0.15 L/(person.d), for the domestic wastewater and black water, respectively.

Electron beam irradiation pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification of used newsprint and paper mill wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.W.; Labrie, J.-P.; McKeown, Joseph

1987-01-01

Electron beam pretreatment of used newsprint, pulp, as well as pulp recovered from clarifier sludge and paper mill sludge, caused the dissociation of cellulose from lignin, and rendered them suitable for enzymatic hydrolysis. A maximum dose of 1 MGy for newsprint and 1.5-2.0 MGy for pulp and paper mill sludge was required to render cellulose present in them in a form which, could be enzymatically saccharified to 90% of completion. Saccharification approaching the theoretical yield was obtained in 2 days with a cellulolytic enzyme system obtained from Trichoderma reesei. As a result of irradiation, water soluble lignin breakdown products, NaOH- soluble lignin, free cellobiose, glucose, mannose, xylose and their polymers, and acetic acid were produced from these materials. (author)

Statement of work for architect-engineer services, initial pretreatment module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sowa, K.B.

1994-01-01

This Statement of Work describes the Architect-Engineer services to be provided by Raytheon/BNFL in providing a conceptual design (Contract TGW-SVV-063869) for the Initial Pretreatment Module (IPM), Project W-236B, at the Hanford site, Richland, Washington. The IPM Project, a radiochemical process facility, will be designed and constructed for an initial phase of waste pretreatment, which will be for the removal of cesium from supernatant wastes to produce a Low-level waste (LLW) stream to a vitrification facility. The design shall also accommodate side streams of High-Level Waste (HLW) fractions that will be directed to suitable, existing storage tanks where they will be recombined with an additional high-activity waste fraction generated from pretreatment of the tank waste sludges and solids. This combined high-activity waste fraction will be immobilized as glass and disposed in a geological repository

System and process for producing fuel with a methane thermochemical cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Diver, Richard B.

2015-12-15

A thermochemical process and system for producing fuel are provided. The thermochemical process includes reducing an oxygenated-hydrocarbon to form an alkane and using the alkane in a reforming reaction as a reducing agent for water, a reducing agent for carbon dioxide, or a combination thereof. Another thermochemical process includes reducing a metal oxide to form a reduced metal oxide, reducing an oxygenated-hydrocarbon with the reduced metal oxide to form an alkane, and using the alkane in a reforming reaction as a reducing agent for water, a reducing agent for carbon dioxide, or a combination thereof. The system includes a reformer configured to perform a thermochemical process.

Anaerobic co-digestion of municipal organic wastes and pre-treatment to enhance biogas production from waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chenxi; Champagne, Pascale; Anderson, Bruce C

2014-01-01

Co-digestion and pre-treatment have been recognized as effective, low-cost and commercially viable approaches to reduce anaerobic digestion process limitations and improve biogas yields. In our previous batch-scale study, fat, oil, and grease (FOG) was investigated as a suitable potential co-substrate, and thermo-chemical pre-treatment (TCPT) at pH = 10 and 55 °C improved CH4 production from FOG co-digestions. In this project, co-digestions with FOG were studied in bench-scale two-stage thermophilic semi-continuous flow co-digesters with suitable TCPT (pH = 10, 55 °C). Overall, a 25.14 ± 2.14 L/d (70.2 ± 1.4% CH4) biogas production was obtained, which was higher than in the two-stage system without pre-treatment. The results could provide valuable fundamental information to support full-scale investigations of anaerobic co-digestion of municipal organic wastes.

The study of leachability and toxicity of sludge after neutralization of Saraka and Robule AMD wastewaters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gardić Vojka

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Acid mine drainage (AMD waters are one of the most important ecological risks at the global level because of its high heavy metals content and strong acidity. Treatment of AMD water is a complex and expensive. One of the most widely used treatment process is the neutralization process of AMD. The result of neutralization is the production of sludge which may contain various other (heavy metals, depending on the chemical characteristics of the mine water treated. In this paper, leachability and toxicity of the sludges obtained during the neutralization process of wastewater from Saraka and Robule acid mine drainage and the sludges after the stabilization process at different temperatures is tested. Sludge produced in the neutralization process of Robule AMD R4 (40 and stabilized on 105°C and 200°C shows a H8-corrosiveness characteristic. Stabilized sludge show tendency to lower leachability of zinc and copper, but without influence on sulphate leachability. Sludges that show a H8-corrosiveness needs additional stabilization/neutralization pretreatment prior temperature treatment.

A novel rotation generator of hydrodynamic cavitation for waste-activated sludge disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Petkovšek, Martin; Mlakar, Matej; Levstek, Marjetka; Stražar, Marjeta; Širok, Brane; Dular, Matevž

2015-09-01

The disintegration of raw sludge is very important for enhancement of the biogas production in anaerobic digestion process as it provides easily degradable substrate for microorganisms to perform maximum sludge treatment efficiency and stable digestion of sludge at lower costs. In the present study the disintegration was studied by using a novel rotation generator of hydrodynamic cavitation (RGHC). At the first stage the analysis of hydrodynamics of the RGHC were made with tap water, where the cavitation extent and aggressiveness was evaluated. At the second stage RGHC was used as a tool for pretreatment of a waste-activated sludge (WAS), collected from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In case of WAS the disintegration rate was measured, where the soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and soluble Kjeldahl nitrogen were monitored and microbiological pictures were taken. The SCOD increased from initial 45 mg/L up to 602 mg/L and 12.7% more biogas has been produced by 20 passes through RGHC. The results were obtained on a pilot bioreactor plant, volume of 400 L. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Laboratory testing in-tank sludge washing, summary letter report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norton, M.V.; Torres-Ayala, F.

1994-09-01

In-tank washing is being considered as a means of pretreating high-level radioactive waste sludges, such as neutralized current acid waste (NCAW) sludge. For this process, the contents of the tank will be allowed to settle, and the supernatant solution will be decanted and removed. A dilute sodium hydroxide/sodium nitrite wash solution will be added to the settled sludge and the tank contents will be mixed with a mixer pump system to facilitate washing of the sludge. After thorough mixing, the mixer pumps will be shut off and the solids will be allowed to re-settle. After settling, the supernatant solution will be withdrawn from the tank, and the wash cycle will be repeated several times with fresh wash solution. Core sample data of double shell tank 241-AZ-101 indicate that settling of NCAW solids may be very slow. A complicating factor is that strong thermal currents are expected to be generated from heat produced by radionuclides in the sludge layer at the bottom of the tank. Additionally, there are concerns that during the settling period (i.e., while mixing pumps and air-lift re-circulators are shut off), the radionuclides may heat the residual interstitial water in the sludge to the extent that violent steam discharges (steam bumping) could occur. Finally, there are concerns that during the washing steps sludge settling may be hindered as a result of the reduced ionic strength of the wash solution. To overcome the postulated reduced settling rates during the second and third washing steps, the use of flocculants is being considered. To address the above concerns and uncertainties associated with in-tank washing, PNL has conducted laboratory testing with simulant tank waste to investigate settling rates, steam bump potential, and the need for and use of flocculating agents

Evaluation of Sludge Pump Clogging Issue for an Industrial Waste Pretreatment Plant in the Ceres Industrial Park, Vicksburg, MS

Science.gov (United States)

2018-04-30

operating issue was that the sludge pump routinely clogs. The system operator, Mr. Vick Hasie, was available to answer questions. The ERDC team also...reason for this is that the tank may contain sludge buildup, and at seven feet, entrainment of this sludge could occur. The ERDC team did not review...this time. However, this is cumbersome and potentially dangerous as a routine method since the equalization tank is very high (estimated around 30

Sludge reduction and water quality improvement in anaerobic lagoons through influent pre-treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Confined swine production generates large volumes of wastewater typically stored and treated in anaerobic lagoons. These lagoons may require cleanup and closure measures in the future. In practice, liquid and sludge need to be removed by pumping, usually at great expense of energy, and land applied ...

Full scale validation of helminth ova (Ascaris suum) inactivation by different sludge treatment processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paulsrud, B.; Gjerde, B.; Lundar, A.

2003-07-01

The Norwegian sewage sludge regulation requires disinfection (hygienisation) of all sludges for land application, and one of the criteria is that disinfected sludge should not contain viable helminth ova. All disinfection processes have to be designed and operated in order to comply with this criteria, and four processes employed in Norway (thermophilic aerobic pre-treatment, pre-pasteurisation, thermal vacuum drying in membrane filter presses and lime treatment) have been tested in full scale by inserting semipermeable bags of Ascaris suum eggs into the processes for certain limes. For lime treatment supplementary laboratory tests have been conducted. The paper presents the results of the experiments, and it could be concluded that all processes, except lime treatment, could be operated at less stringent time-temperature regimes than commonly experienced at Norwegian plants today. (author)

Conversion of sewage sludge to clean solid fuel using hydrothermal carbonization: Hydrochar fuel characteristics and combustion behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Chao; Giannis, Apostolos; Wang, Jing-Yuan

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge process is developed. • Hydrochars are solid fuels with less nitrogen and sulfur contents. • The first order combustion reaction of hydrochars is derived. • Main combustion decomposition of hydrochars is easier and more stable. • Formation pathways of hydrochars during hydrothermal carbonization are proposed. - Abstract: Conventional thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge (SS) is energy-intensive due to its high moisture content. To overcome this drawback, the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process was used to convert SS into clean solid fuel without prior drying. Different carbonization times were applied in order to produce hydrochars possessing better fuel properties. After the carbonization process, fuel characteristics and combustion behaviors of hydrochars were evaluated. Elemental analysis showed that 88% of carbon was recovered while 60% of nitrogen and sulfur was removed. Due to dehydration and decarboxylation reactions, hydrogen/carbon and oxygen/carbon atomic ratios reduced to 1.53 and 0.39, respectively. It was found that the fuel ratio increased to 0.18 by prolonging the carbonization process. Besides, longer carbonization time seemed to decrease oxygen containing functional groups while carbon aromaticity structure increased, thereby rendering hydrochars highly hydrophobic. The thermogravimetric analysis showed that the combustion decomposition was altered from a single stage for raw sludge to two stages for hydrochars. The combustion reaction was best fitted to the first order for both raw sludge and hydrochars. The combustion of hydrochars is expected to be easier and more stable than raw sludge because of lower activation energy and pre-exponential factor

Hybrid alkali-hydrodynamic disintegration of waste-activated sludge before two-stage anaerobic digestion process.

Science.gov (United States)

Grübel, Klaudiusz; Suschka, Jan

2015-05-01

The first step of anaerobic digestion, the hydrolysis, is regarded as the rate-limiting step in the degradation of complex organic compounds, such as waste-activated sludge (WAS). The aim of lab-scale experiments was to pre-hydrolyze the sludge by means of low intensive alkaline sludge conditioning before applying hydrodynamic disintegration, as the pre-treatment procedure. Application of both processes as a hybrid disintegration sludge technology resulted in a higher organic matter release (soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD)) to the liquid sludge phase compared with the effects of processes conducted separately. The total SCOD after alkalization at 9 pH (pH in the range of 8.96-9.10, SCOD = 600 mg O2/L) and after hydrodynamic (SCOD = 1450 mg O2/L) disintegration equaled to 2050 mg/L. However, due to the synergistic effect, the obtained SCOD value amounted to 2800 mg/L, which constitutes an additional chemical oxygen demand (COD) dissolution of about 35 %. Similarly, the synergistic effect after alkalization at 10 pH was also obtained. The applied hybrid pre-hydrolysis technology resulted in a disintegration degree of 28-35%. The experiments aimed at selection of the most appropriate procedures in terms of optimal sludge digestion results, including high organic matter degradation (removal) and high biogas production. The analyzed soft hybrid technology influenced the effectiveness of mesophilic/thermophilic anaerobic digestion in a positive way and ensured the sludge minimization. The adopted pre-treatment technology (alkalization + hydrodynamic cavitation) resulted in 22-27% higher biogas production and 13-28% higher biogas yield. After two stages of anaerobic digestion (mesophilic conditions (MAD) + thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD)), the highest total solids (TS) reduction amounted to 45.6% and was received for the following sample at 7 days MAD + 17 days TAD. About 7% higher TS reduction was noticed compared with the sample after 9

Caustic leaching of composite AZ-101/AZ-102 Hanford tank sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapko, B.M.; Wagner, M.J.

1997-07-01

To reduce the quantity (and hence the cost) of glass canisters needed for disposing of high-level radioactive wastes from the Hanford tank farms, pretreatment processes are needed to remove as much nonradioactive material as possible. This report describes the results of a laboratory-scale caustic leaching test performed on a composite derived from a combination of 241-AZ-101 and 241-AZ-102 Hanford Tank sludges. The goals of this FY 1996 test were to evaluate the effectiveness of caustic leaching on removing key components from the sludge and to evaluate the effectiveness of varying the free-hydroxide concentrations by incrementally increasing the free hydroxide concentration of the leach steps up to 3 M free hydroxide. Particle-size analysis of the treated and untreated sludge indicated that the size and range of the sludge particles remained essentially unchanged by the caustic leaching treatment. Both before and after caustic leaching, a particle range of 0.2 microm to 50 microm was observed, with mean particle diameters of 8.5 to 9 microm based on the volume distribution and mean particle diameters of 0.3 to 0.4 microm based on the number distribution

Enhancement of aerobic biodegradability potential of municipal waste activated sludge by ultrasonic aided bacterial disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, S; Jessin Brindha, G M; Sally Gloriana, A; Rajashankar, K; Yeom, Ick Tae; Rajesh Banu, J

2016-01-01

An investigation was performed to study the influence of ultrasonic aided bacterial disintegration on the aerobic degradability of sludge. In first phase of the study, effective floc disruption was achieved at an ultrasonic specific energy input of 2.45kJ/kg TS with 44.5mg/L of Extracellular Polymeric Substance (EPS) release including 0.035U/mL and 0.025U/mL protease and amylase activity respectively. In second phase, experimental outcomes revealed bacterial disintegration of floc disrupted-sludge showing a maximum solubilization of about 23% and was observed to be superior to bacterially disintegrated (11%) and control (6%), respectively. The result of aerobic biodegradability of ultrasonic aided bacterially pretreated sludge showed volatile solids (VS) degradation of about 40.2%. The kinetic study of aerobic biodegradability through non linear regression modelling reveals that floc disrupted sludge showed better biodegradability with decay constant of about 0.19d(-1) relatively higher than the control (0.14d(-1)) and bacterially disintegrated (0.17d(-1)) sludges. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermochemical data for reactor materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ronchi, C.; Turrini, F.

1990-01-01

This report describes a computer database of thermochemical properties of nuclear reactor materials to be used for source term calculations in reactor accident codes. In the first part, the structure and the content of the computer file is described. In the second part a set of thermochemical data is presented pertaining to chemical reactions occurring during severe nuclear reactor accidents and involving fuel (uranium dioxide), fission products and structural materials. These data are complementary to those collected in the databook recently published by Cordfunke and Potter after a study supported by the Commission of the European Communities. The present data were collected from review articles and databanks and follow a discussion on the uncertainties and errors involved in the calculation of complex chemical equilibria in the extrapolated temperature range

Improving anaerobic sewage sludge digestion by implementation of a hyper-thermophilic prehydrolysis step

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Jingquan; Gavala, Hariklia N.; Skiadas, Ioannis V.

2008-01-01

The present study focuses on a two-step process for treatment and stabilisation of primary sludge. The process consists of a hyperthermophilic hydrolysis step operated at 70 degrees C and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2 clays followed by a thermophilic (55 degrees C) anaerobic digestion step......) with and Without pre-treatment respectively) and up to 115% increase of the methane production rate. Finally it was shown that the extra energy requirements for the operation of a pre-treatment step would be covered by the energy Produced from the extra methane production and in addition there would...

Thermochemical performance analysis of solar driven CO_2 methane reforming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuqiang, Wang; Jianyu, Tan; Huijian, Jin; Yu, Leng

2015-01-01

Increasing CO_2 emission problems create urgent challenges for alleviating global warming, and the capture of CO_2 has become an essential field of scientific research. In this study, a finite volume method (FVM) coupled with thermochemical kinetics was developed to analyze the solar driven CO_2 methane reforming process in a metallic foam reactor. The local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) model coupled with radiative heat transfer was developed to provide more temperature information. A joint inversion method based on chemical process software and the FVM coupled with thermochemical kinetics was developed to obtain the thermochemical reaction parameters and guarantee the calculation accuracy. The detailed thermal and thermochemical performance in the metal foam reactor was analyzed. In addition, the effects of heat flux distribution and porosity on the solar driven CO_2 methane reforming process were analyzed. The numerical results can serve as theoretical guidance for the solar driven CO_2 methane reforming application. - Highlights: • Solar driven CO_2 methane reforming process in metal foam reactor is analyzed. • FVM with chemical reactions was developed to analyze solar CO_2 methane reforming. • A joint inversion method was developed to obtain thermochemical reaction parameters. • Results can be a guidance for the solar driven CO_2 methane reforming application.

Combined Pre-Precipitation, Biological Sludge Hydrolysis and Nitrogen Reduction - A Pilot Demonstration of Integrated Nutrient Removal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, G. H.; Jørgensen, P. E.; Strube, R.

1992-01-01

solubilization was 10-13% of the suspended COD. The liquid phase of the hydrolyzed sludge, the hydrolysate, was separated from the suspended fraction by centrifugation and added to the biological nitrogen removal stage to support denitrification. The hydrolysate COD consisted mainly of volatile fatty acids......A pilot study was performed to investigate advanced wastewater treatment by pre-precipitation in combination with biological nitrogen removal supported by biological sludge hydrolysis. The influent wastewater was pretreated by addition of a pre-polymerized aluminum salt, followed by flocculation......, resulting in high denitrification rates. Nitrogen reduction was performed based on the Bio-Denitro principle in an activated sludge system. Nitrogen was reduced from 45 mg/l to 9 mg/l and phosphorus was reduced from 11 mg/l to 0.5 mg/l. The sludge yield was low, approx. 0.3-0.4 gCOD/gCOD removed...

Profitable ultrasonic assisted microwave disintegration of sludge biomass: Modelling of biomethanation and energy parameter analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, S; Rajesh Banu, J; Kumar, Gopalakrishnan; Kaliappan, S; Yeom, Ick Tae

2018-04-01

In this study, microwave irradiation has been employed to disintegrate the sludge biomass profitably by deagglomerating the sludge using a mechanical device, ultrasonicator. The outcomes of the study revealed that a specific energy input of 3.5 kJ/kg TS was found to be optimum for deagglomeration with limited cell lysis. A higher suspended solids (SS) reduction and biomass lysis efficiency of about 22.5% and 33.2% was achieved through ultrasonic assisted microwave disintegration (UMWD) when compared to microwave disintegration - MWD (15% and 20.9%). The results of biochemical methane potential (BMP) test were used to estimate biodegradability of samples. Among the samples subjected to BMP, UMWD showed better amenability towards anaerobic digestion with higher methane production potential of 0.3 L/g COD representing enhanced liquefaction potential of disaggregated sludge biomass. Economic analysis of the proposed method of sludge biomass pretreatment showed a net profit of 2.67 USD/Ton respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection of hydrothermal pre-treatment conditions of waste sludge destruction using multicriteria decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Shiekh Khalil, Wael; Shanableh, Abdullah; Rigby, Portia; Kokot, Serge

2005-04-01

The effectiveness of hydrothermal treatment for the destruction of the organic content of sludge waste was investigated. The sludge sampled in this study contained approximately 2% solids. The experimental program consisted of hydrothermal treatment experiments conducted in a batch reactor at temperatures between 100 and 250 degrees C, with the addition of an oxidant (hydrogen peroxide) in the range of 0-150% with reference to TCOD, and reaction times of up to 60 min. The results suggested that the availability of oxidant, reaction temperature and reaction time were the determining factors for COD removal. A significant fraction of the COD remaining after treatment consisted of the dissolved COD. The results confirmed that hydrothermal treatment proceeds through hydrolysis resulting in the production of dissolved organic products followed by COD removal through oxidation. Two MCDM chemometrics methods, PROMETHEE and GAIA, were applied to process the large data matrix so as to facilitate the selection of the most suitable hydrothermal conditions for sludge destruction. Two possible scenarios were produced from this analysis-one depended on the use of high temperatures and no oxidant, while the second offered a choice of compromise solutions at lower temperatures but with the use of at least some oxidant. Thus, for the final choice of operating conditions, the decision maker needs local knowledge of the costs and available infrastructure. In principle, such information could be added as further criteria to the data matrix and new rankings obtained.

Lifecycle analysis of renewable natural gas and hydrocarbon fuels from wastewater treatment plants’ sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Uisung [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Han, Jeongwoo [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Urgun Demirtas, Meltem [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Wang, Michael [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Tao, Ling [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-09-01

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) produce sludge as a byproduct when they treat wastewater. In the United States, over 8 million dry tons of sludge are produced annually just from publicly owned WWTPs. Sludge is commonly treated in anaerobic digesters, which generate biogas; the biogas is then largely flared to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Because sludge is quite homogeneous and has a high energy content, it is a good potential feedstock for other conversion processes that make biofuels, bioproducts, and power. For example, biogas from anaerobic digesters can be used to generate renewable natural gas (RNG), which can be further processed to produce compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Sludge can be directly converted into hydrocarbon liquid fuels via thermochemical processes such as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). Currently, the environmental impacts of converting sludge into energy are largely unknown, and only a few studies have focused on the environmental impacts of RNG produced from existing anaerobic digesters. As biofuels from sludge generate high interest, however, existing anaerobic digesters could be upgraded to technology with more economic potential and more environmental benefits. The environmental impacts of using a different anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to convert sludge into energy have yet to be analyzed. In addition, no studies are available about the direct conversion of sludge into liquid fuels. In order to estimate the energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impacts of these alternative pathways (sludge-to-RNG and sludge-to-liquid), this study performed a lifecycle analysis (LCA) using the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET®) model. The energy uses and GHG emissions associated with the RNG and hydrocarbon liquid are analyzed relative to the current typical sludge management case, which consists of a single-stage mesophilic

Properties of ash generated during sewage sludge combustion: A multifaceted analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magdziarz, Aneta; Wilk, Małgorzata; Gajek, Marcin; Nowak-Woźny, Dorota; Kopia, Agnieszka; Kalemba-Rec, Izabela; Koziński, Janusz A.

2016-01-01

This paper presents chemical properties of sewage sludge ashes required for determining their thermal characteristics. A novel approach, linking selected advanced analytical techniques with FactSage modelling, was developed and applied to obtain new information on deposit formation mechanisms that contribute to fouling and slagging. The mineral matter and fusion temperatures were investigated using a variety of analytical techniques including XRF, ICP-MS, XRD, SEM-EDX and AFT. The slagging and fouling indices were calculated and the sintering properties were predicted. The studied ashes were rich in P_2O_5, CaO, SiO_2 and Fe_2O_3, but their concentrations slightly differed. Phase analyses suggested the existence of calcium and phosphorus as main phases. Thermal behaviour of ashes was studied focusing on the mass loss, temperature peaks and thermic effects with the increasing of temperature up to 1200 °C under air atmosphere. The changes in concentration of ash compounds contributed to differences in ash fusion temperatures. FactSage thermochemical equilibrium calculations were used to predict the amount of liquid slag and solid phases, giving information about slagging properties of ashes. The general conclusion based on experimental studies is that sewage sludge ashes cause the slagging and fouling hazard while they reveal low corrosive effect. - Highlights: • Characterisation of sewage sludge ashes were given. • Transformation of inorganic components was determined using XRD and FTIR. • The ash fusion behaviour of ashes was studied experimentally. • Empirical indices were calculated indicating slagging and fouling propensities. • Thermodynamic equilibrium calculation was used.

Treatment of liquid separated from sludge by the method using electron beam and ozone in combination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosono, Masakazu; Arai, Hidehiko; Aizawa, Masaki; Shimooka, Toshio; Shimizu, Ken; Sugiyama, Masashi.

1995-01-01

Since the liquid separated from sludge in the dehydration or concentration process of sewer sludge contains considerable amount of organic compositions that are hard to be decomposed by microorganisms, it has become difficult to be treated by conventional activated sludge process. In the case of discharging the separated liquid into closed water areas, the higher quality treatment is required. The method of using electron beam irradiation and ozone oxidation in combination for cleaning the liquid separated from sludge was examined, therefore, the results are reported. The water quality of the sample from the sludge treatment plant in A City is shown. The method of bio-pretreatment, the treatment method by using electron beam and ozone in combination, and the method of analyzing the water quality are described. The effect of the treatment by activated sludge process, as the effect of the treatment by the combined use of electron beam and ozone, the change of COD and TOC, the change of chromaticity, the change of gel chromatogram, and the reaction mechanism are reported. In this paper, only the basic concept on the model plant for applying the method of the combined use of electron beam and ozone to the treatment of the liquid separated from sludge is discussed. (K.I.)

Alternative Chemical Cleaning Methods for High Level Waste Tanks: Actual Waste Testing with SRS Tank 5F Sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

King, William D. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Hay, Michael S. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2016-08-30

Solubility testing with actual High Level Waste tank sludge has been conducted in order to evaluate several alternative chemical cleaning technologies for the dissolution of sludge residuals remaining in the tanks after the exhaustion of mechanical cleaning and sludge sluicing efforts. Tests were conducted with archived Savannah River Site (SRS) radioactive sludge solids that had been retrieved from Tank 5F in order to determine the effectiveness of an optimized, dilute oxalic/nitric acid cleaning reagent toward dissolving the bulk non-radioactive waste components. Solubility tests were performed by direct sludge contact with the oxalic/nitric acid reagent and with sludge that had been pretreated and acidified with dilute nitric acid. For comparison purposes, separate samples were also contacted with pure, concentrated oxalic acid following current baseline tank chemical cleaning methods. One goal of testing with the optimized reagent was to compare the total amounts of oxalic acid and water required for sludge dissolution using the baseline and optimized cleaning methods. A second objective was to compare the two methods with regard to the dissolution of actinide species known to be drivers for SRS tank closure Performance Assessments (PA). Additionally, solubility tests were conducted with Tank 5 sludge using acidic and caustic permanganate-based methods focused on the “targeted” dissolution of actinide species.

Evaluation of Ion Exchange Materials in K Basin Floor Sludge and Potential Solvents for PCB Extraction from Ion Exchange Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, A.J.; Klinger, G.S.; Bredt, P.R.

1998-01-01

Approximately 73 m 3 of heterogeneous solid material, ''sludge,'' (upper bound estimate, Packer 1997) have accumulated at the bottom of the K Basins in the 100 K Area of the Hanford Site. This sludge is a mixture of spent fuel element corrosion products, ion exchange materials (organic and inorganic), graphite-based gasket materials, iron and aluminum metal corrosion products, sand, and debris (Makenas et al. 1996, 1997). In addition, small amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found. These small amounts are significant from a regulatory standpoint. Ultimately, it is planned to transfer the K Basins sludge to the Hanford double shell tanks (DSTs). Chemical pretreatment is required to address criticality issues and the destruction or removal of PCBs before the K Basin sludge can be transferred to the DSTs. Eleven technologies have been evaluated (Papp 1997) as potential pretreatment methods. Based on the evaluations and engineering studies and limited testing, Fluor Daniel Hanford recommended solvent washing of the K Basin sludge, followed by nitric acid dissolution and, potentially, peroxide addition (FDH 1997). The solvent washing (extraction) and peroxide addition would be used to facilitate PCB removal and destruction. Following solvent extraction, the PCBs could be distilled and concentrated for disposal as a low-level waste. The purpose of the work reported here was to continue investigating solvent extraction, first by better identifying the ion exchange materials in the actual sludge samples and then evaluating various solvents for removing the PCBs or possibly dissolving the resins. This report documents some of the process knowledge on ion exchange materials used and spilled in the K Basins and describes the materials identified from wet sieving KE Basin floor and canister sludge and the results of other analyses. Several photographs are included to compare materials and illustrate material behavior. A summary of previous tests on solvent

Enhanced waste activated sludge digestion using a submerged anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor: performance, sludge characteristics and microbial community

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hongguang; Wang, Zhiwei; Wu, Zhichao; Zhu, Chaowei

2016-02-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) plays an important role in waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment; however, conventional AD (CAD) process needs substantial improvements, especially for the treatment of WAS with low solids content and poor anaerobic biodegradability. Herein, we propose a submerged anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor (AnDMBR) for simultaneous WAS thickening and digestion without any pretreatment. During the long-term operation, the AnDMBR exhibited an enhanced sludge reduction and improved methane production over CAD process. Moreover, the biogas generated in the AnDMBR contained higher methane content than CAD process. Stable carbon isotopic signatures elucidated the occurrence of combined methanogenic pathways in the AnDMBR process, in which hydrogenotrophic methanogenic pathway made a larger contribution to the total methane production. It was also found that organic matter degradation was enhanced in the AnDMBR, thus providing more favorable substrates for microorganisms. Pyrosequencing revealed that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were abundant in bacterial communities and Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta in archaeal communities, which played an important role in the AnDMBR system. This study shed light on the enhanced digestion of WAS using AnDMBR technology.

OPTIMIZED WTE CONVERSION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN SHANGHAI APPLYING THERMOCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES

OpenAIRE

Dai, Siyang

2016-01-01

Thermochemical technologies have been proven effective in treating municipal solid waste (MSW) for many years. China, with a rapid increase of MSW, plans to implement more environmental friendly ways to treat MSW than landfill, which treats about 79 % of total MSW currently. The aim of this master thesis was to find out a suitable thermochemical technology to treat MSW in Shanghai, China. Several different thermochemical technologies are compared in this thesis and plasma gasification was sel...

Evaluating the efficiency of different microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes used as pretreatment for Red Sea water reverse osmosis desalination

KAUST Repository

Almashharawi, Samir; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Al-Ghamdi, M.; Amy, Gary L.

2013-01-01

consistent silt density index, coagulation control at low total suspended solids, and management of higher waste sludge. Recently, there has been a rapid growth in the use of low-pressure membranes as pretreatment for RO systems replacing the conventional

Assessment of nutritional value of single-cell protein from waste-activated sludge as a protein supplement in poultry feed.

Science.gov (United States)

Nkhalambayausi-Chirwa, Evans M; Lebitso, Moses T

2012-12-01

The amount of protein wasted through sludge in Gauteng, South Africa, amounts to 95 000 metric tonne/yr, with the order of magnitude of the national protein requirement of approximately 145 000 metric tonne/yr. Waste-activated sludge (WAS) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that treat domestic wastewater contains protein in a ratio of 2:1 against fishmeal. This protein source has not been utilized because of the high content of toxic heavy metals and other potential carcinogenic pollutants in the sludge. In this study, a pretreatment method of modified aqua regia dilute acid wash was used to lower the metal content by approximately 60%. However, this resulted in a 33% loss of amino acids in the acid-washed WAS. A feed substitution test in poultry with different fishmeal-sludge ratios (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% WAS as percent substitution of fishmeal) showed no impact of sludge single-cell protein (SCP) on mortality rate. However, sludge substitution in the feed yielded weight gains and cost savings up to 46%.

Thermochemical Heat Storage: from Reaction Storage Density to System Storage Density

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, A.J. de; Vliet, L.D. van; Hoegaerts, C.L.G.; Roelands, C.P.M.; Cuypers, R.

2016-01-01

Long-term and compact storage of solar energy is crucial for the eventual transition to a 100% renewable energy economy. For this, thermochemical materials provide a promising solution. The compactness of a long-term storage system is determined by the thermochemical reaction, operating conditions,

Co-conditioning and dewatering of chemical sludge and waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, G R; Liu, J C; Lee, D J

2001-03-01

The conditioning and dewatering behaviors of chemical and waste activated sludges from a tannery were studied. Capillary suction time (CST), specific resistance to filtration (SRF), and bound water content were used to evaluate the sludge dewatering behaviors. Zeta potentials were also measured. Experiments were conducted on each sludge conditioned and dewatered separately, and on the sludge mixed at various ratios. Results indicate that the chemical sludge was relatively difficult to be dewatered, even in the presence of polyelectrolyte. When the waste activated sludge was mixed with the chemical sludge at ratios of 1:1 and 2:1, respectively, the dewaterability of chemical sludge improved remarkably while the relatively better dewaterability of the waste activated sludge deteriorated only to a limited extent. As the mixing ratios became 4:1 and 8:1, the dewaterability of the mixed sludge was equal to that of the waste activated sludge. The optimal polyelectrolyte dosage for the mixed sludge was equal to or less than that of the waste activated sludge. It is proposed that the chemical sludges act as skeleton builders that reduce the compressibility of the mixed sludge whose dewaterability is enhanced. Bound water contents of sludge decreased at low polyelectrolyte dosage and were not significantly affected as polyelectrolyte dosage increased. Advantages and disadvantages of co-conditioning and dewatering chemical sludge and waste activated sludge were discussed.

Production of polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHAs) using milk whey and dairy wastewater activated sludge production of bioplastics using dairy residues.

Science.gov (United States)

Bosco, Francesca; Chiampo, Fulvia

2010-04-01

The production of polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHAs), which are biodegradable plastics, was studied using milk whey and dairy wastewater activated sludge to define a suitable C/N ratio, the pre-treatments required to reduce the protein content, and the effect of pH correction. The results show good production of PHAs at a C/N=50 and without pH correction. The use of dairy wastewater activated sludge has the advantage of not requiring aseptic conditions. Copyright 2009 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biotechnology of intensive aerobic conversion of sewage sludge and food waste into fertilizer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, J.-Y.; Stabnikova, O.; Show, K.-Y.; Ding, H.-B.; Tay, S.T.-L.; Ivanov, V.; Tay, J.-H.

2003-07-01

Biotechnology for intensive aerobic bioconversion of sewage sludge and food waste into fertilizer was developed. The wastes were treated in a closed reactor under controlled aeration, stirring, pH, and temperature at 60{sup o}C, after addition of starter bacterial culture Bacillus thermoamylovorans. The biodegradation of sewage sludge was studied by decrease of volatile solids (VS), content of organic carbon and autofluorescence of coenzyme F{sub 420}. The degradation of anaerobic biomass was faster than biodegradation of total organic matter. The best fertilizer was obtained when sewage sludge was thermally pre-treated, mixed with food waste, chalk, and artificial bulking agent. The content of volatile solid and the content of organic carbon decreased at 24.8% and 13.5% of total solids, respectively, during ten days of bioconversion. The fertilizer was a powder with moisture content of 5%. It was stable, and not toxic for the germination of plant seeds. Addition of 1.0 to 1.5% of this fertilizer to the subsoil increased the growth of different plants tested by 113 to 164 %. The biotechnology can be applied in larger scale for the recycling of sewage sludge and food wastes in Singapore. (author)

Minimization of Excess Sludge in Activated Sludge Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sayed Ali Reza Momeni

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The disposal of excess sludge from wastewater treatment plant represents a rising challenge in activated sludge processes. Hence, the minimization of excess sludge production was investigated by increasing the dissolved oxygen in aeration basin. Units of the pilot include: Primary sedimentation tank, aeration basin, secondary sedimentation tank, and return sludge tank. Volume of aeration basin is 360 l and influent flow rate is 90 L/h. Influent of pilot is taken from effluent of grit chamber of Isfahan's North Wastewater treatment plant. The experiments were done on different parts of pilot during the 5 month of study. Results show that increase of dissolved oxygen in aeration tank affect on decrease of excess sludge. Increase of dissolved oxygen from 0.5 to 4.5 mg/L resulted in 25% decrease of excess sludge. Variation of dissolved oxygen affect on settleability of sludge too. By increase of dissolved oxygen, SVI decreased and then increased. Value of 1-3 mg/L was the adequate range of dissolved oxygen by settleability of sludge and optimum range was 2-2.5 mg/L. It could be concluded by increasing of dissolved oxygen up to of 3 mg/L, sludge settleability significant decreased.

Synthesis, characterization, and secondary sludge dewatering performance of a novel combined silicon–aluminum–iron–starch flocculant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Qintie, E-mail: qintlin@163.com; Peng, Huanlong; Zhong, Songxiong; Xiang, Jiangxin

2015-03-21

Highlights: • Silicon, aluminum, and iron were grafted onto starch chains to synthesize CSiAFS. • The sludge dewatering performance of CSiAFS was superior to PAC, PAM, and FeCl{sub 3}. • CSiAFS exhibited a good dewatering efficiency over a wide range of pH (3.0–11.0). • CSiAFS had a discontinuous surface with channels which helped to sludge dewatering. - Abstract: Flocculation is one of the most widely used cost-effective pretreatment method for sludge dewatering, and a novel environmentally friendly and efficient flocculant is highly desired in the sludge dewatering field. In this study, a novel combined silicon–aluminum–ferric–starch was synthesized by grafting silicon, aluminum, and iron onto a starch backbone. The synthesized starch flocculant was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The dewatering performance of secondary sludge was evaluated according to the capillary suction time, settling volume percentage, and specific resistance to filtration. The results indicated that the copolymer exhibited: (1) a good dewatering efficiency over a wide pH range of 3.0–11.0, (2) superior sludge dewatering performance compared to those of polyaluminum chloride (PACl), polyacrylamide (PAM), ferric chloride, and (3) a discontinuous surface with many channels or voids that helps to mobilize the impermeable thin layer of secondary sludge during filter pressing. Such a novel copolymer is a promising green flocculant for secondary sludge dewatering applications.

Dual vapor extraction on acidic sludge tar at a former refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lear, P.R.; Beall, P.; Townsend, S.

1996-01-01

OHM Remediation Services Corp conducted a pilot-scale demonstration for a novel application of dual vapor extraction technology for the pretreatment of the acid tar sludge material. The acid tar sludge comprised of approximately 60% asphaltene hydrocarbon material, 20% clay, and up to 20% sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ). The liquid layer in the bottom of the pits has a low pH ( 2 ) gas which is released with the sludge material is excavated or handled. The objective of the dual vapor extraction was to remove the SO 2 vapors and liquid layer containing sulfuric acid prior to any further treatment. The dual vapor extraction would reduce the amount of alkaline reagent required for neutralization while eliminating the health and safety concerns. Overall, the DVE pilot demonstration successfully showed that both liquids and vapors could be removed from the acid tar sludge material. The liquid present in the lower portions of the pits will have pH values of 1.0 or less and acidities on the order of 5% H 2 SO 4 . The liquid removed from the acid tar sludge material by a DVE system will have slightly higher pH (∼1.5) and lower alkalinities (∼3% H 2 SO 4 ). The SO 2 concentration in the vapors removed by the DVE system will be variable with initial levels approaching 1,200 ppmv SO 2 . The SO 2 concentration in the vapor phase should decrease with time. A caustic scrubber solution will remove any SO 2 from the vapor phase. After DVE treatment, the acid tar sludge material would have a slightly increased pH and a decreased SO 2 concentration

Co-digestion of cattle manure with food waste and sludge to increase biogas production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marañón, E.; Castrillón, L.; Quiroga, G.; Fernández-Nava, Y.; Gómez, L.; García, M.M.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Small increase in methane production was observed applying sonication pretreatment. ► Biogas productions between 720 and 1100 mL/Lreactor day were achieved. ► Volatile solids removal efficiencies ranged between 53% and 60%. ► Lower methane yields were obtained when operating under thermophilic conditions. ► Optimum OLR in lab-scale CSTR was 1.2–1.3 g VS/L day (HRT: 20 days). - Abstract: Anaerobic co-digestion strategies are needed to enhance biogas production, especially when treating certain residues such as cattle/pig manure. This paper presents a study of co-digestion of cattle manure with food waste and sewage sludge. With the aim of maximising biogas yields, a series of experiments were carried out under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions using continuously stirred-tank reactors, operating at different hydraulic residence times. Pretreatment with ultrasound was also applied to compare the results with those obtained with non-pretreated waste. Specific methane production decreases when increasing the OLR and decreasing HRT. The maximum value obtained was 603 LCH 4 /kg VS feed for the co-digestion of a mixture of 70% manure, 20% food waste and 10% sewage sludge (total solid concentration around 4%) at 36 °C, for an OLR of 1.2 g VS/L day. Increasing the OLR to 1.5 g VS/L day led to a decrease of around 20–28% in SMP. Lower methane yields were obtained when operating at 55 °C. The increase in methane production when applying ultrasound to the feed mixtures does not compensate for the energy spent in this pretreatment.

Recovery of phosphorus and aluminium from sewage sludge ash by a new wet chemical elution process (SESAL-Phos-recovery process).

Science.gov (United States)

Petzet, S; Peplinski, B; Bodkhe, S Y; Cornel, P

2011-01-01

The potential of a new wet chemical process for phosphorus and aluminium recovery from sewage sludge ash by sequential elution with acidic and alkaline solutions has been investigated: SESAL-Phos (sequential elution of sewage sludge ash for aluminium and phosphorus recovery). Its most innovative aspect is an acidic pre-treatment step in which calcium is leached from the sewage sludge ash. Thus the percentage of alkaline soluble aluminium phosphates is increased from 20 to 67%. This aluminium phosphate is then dissolved in alkali. Subsequently, the dissolved phosphorus is precipitated as calcium phosphate with low heavy metal content and recovered from the alkaline solution. Dissolved aluminium is recovered and may be reused as a precipitant in wastewater treatment plants.

Final technical report: Commercialization of the Biofine technology for levulinic acid production from paper sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fitzpatrick, Stephen W.

2002-04-23

This project involved a three-year program managed by BioMetics, Inc. (Waltham, MA) to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of Biofine thermochemical process technology for conversion of cellulose-containing wastes or renewable materials into levulinic acid, a versatile platform chemical. The program, commencing in October 1995, involved the design, procurement, construction and operation of a plant utilizing the Biofine process to convert 1 dry ton per day of paper sludge waste. The plant was successfully designed, constructed, and commissioned in 1997. It was operated for a period of one year on paper sludge from a variety of source paper mills to collect data to verify the design for a commercial scale plant. Operational results were obtained for four different feedstock varieties. Stable, continuous operation was achieved for two of the feedstocks. Continuous operation of the plant at demonstration scale provided the opportunity for process optimization, development of operational protocols, operator training and identification of suitable materials of construction for scale up to commercial operation . Separated fiber from municipal waster was also successfully processed. The project team consisted of BioMetics Inc., Great Lakes Chemical Corporation (West Lafayette, IN), and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (Albany, NY).

Ultrasonic reduction of excess sludge from the activated sludge system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Guangming; Zhang Panyue; Yang Jinmei; Chen Yanming

2007-01-01

Sludge treatment has long become the most challenging problem in wastewater treatment plants. Previous studies showed that ozone or chlorine effectively liquefies sludge into substrates for bio-degradation in the aeration tank, and thus reduces the excess sludge. This paper employs ultrasound to reduce the excess sludge from the sequential batch reactor (SBR) system. Partial sludge was disintegrated into dissolved substrates by ultrasound in an external sono-tank and was then returned to the SBR for bio-degradation. The results showed that ultrasound (25 kHz) effectively liquefied the sludge. The most effective conditions for sludge reduction were as following: sludge sonication ratio of 3/14, ultrasound intensity of 120 kW/kgDS, and sonication duration of 15 min. The amount of excess sludge was reduced by 91.1% to 17.8 mg/(L d); the organic content and settleability of sludge in the SBR were not impacted. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was 81.1%, the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was 17-66%, and high phosphorus concentration in the effluent was observed

Thermochemical data for reactor materials and fission products: The ECN database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cordfunke, E.H.P.; Konings, R.J.M.

1993-02-01

The activities of the authors regarding the compilation of a database of thermochemical properties for reactor materials and fission products is reviewed. The evaluation procedures and techniques are outlined and examples are given. In addition, examples of the use of thermochemical data for the application in the field of Nuclear Technology are given. (orig.)

Effects of Physico-Chemical Post-Treatments on the Semi-Continuous Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinbo Tian

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Sludge production in wastewater treatment plants is increasing worldwide due to the increasing population. This work investigated the effects of ultrasonic (ULS, ultrasonic-ozone (ULS-Ozone and ultrasonic + alkaline (ULS+ALK post-treatments on the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge in semi-continuous anaerobic reactors. Three conditions were tested with different hydraulic retention times (HRT, 10 or 20 days and sludge recycle ratios (R = QR/Qin (%: 50 or 100%. Biogas yield increased by 17.8% when ULS+ALK post-treatment was applied to the effluent of a reactor operating at 20 days HRT and at a 100% recycle ratio. Operation at 10 days HRT also improved the biogas yield (277 mL CH4/g VSadded (VS: volatile solids versus 249 mL CH4/g VSadded in the control. The tested post-treatment methods showed 4–7% decrease in effluent VS. The post-treatment resulted in a decrease in the cellular ATP (Adenosine tri-phosphate concentration indicating stress imposed on microorganisms in the reactor. Nevertheless, this did not prevent higher biogas production. Based on the results, the post-treatment of digested sludge or treating the sludge between two digesters is an interesting alternative to pre-treatments.

Thermochemical nitrate reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, J.L.; Lilga, M.A.; Hallen, R.T.

1992-09-01

A series of preliminary experiments was conducted directed at thermochemically converting nitrate to nitrogen and water. Nitrates are a major constituent of the waste stored in the underground tanks on the Hanford Site, and the characteristics and effects of nitrate compounds on stabilization techniques must be considered before permanent disposal operations begin. For the thermochemical reduction experiments, six reducing agents (ammonia, formate, urea, glucose, methane, and hydrogen) were mixed separately with ∼3 wt% NO 3 - solutions in a buffered aqueous solution at high pH (13); ammonia and formate were also mixed at low pH (4). Reactions were conducted in an aqueous solution in a batch reactor at temperatures of 200 degrees C to 350 degrees C and pressures of 600 to 2800 psig. Both gas and liquid samples were analyzed. The specific components analyzed were nitrate, nitrite, nitrous oxide, nitrogen, and ammonia. Results of experimental runs showed the following order of nitrate reduction of the six reducing agents in basic solution: formate > glucose > urea > hydrogen > ammonia ∼ methane. Airnmonia was more effective under acidic conditions than basic conditions. Formate was also effective under acidic conditions. A more thorough, fundamental study appears warranted to provide additional data on the mechanism of nitrate reduction. Furthermore, an expanded data base and engineering feasibility study could be used to evaluate conversion conditions for promising reducing agents in more detail and identify new reducing agents with improved performance characteristics

Heating value characteristics of sewage sludge: a comparative study of different sludge types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Young-JU.; Kang, Hae-Ok.; Qureshi, T.I.

2005-01-01

Heating value characteristics of three different types of sludge, i.e. domestic sewage sludge, industrial sludge, and industrial + domestic sewage sludge were investigated. Industrial + domestic sewage sludge (thickened) showed the highest heating value (5040 kcal/kg) than other sludge types. This may be due to increased amount of organic matter presents in thickened sludge than de-watered sludge. A gradual increase in organic matter of the sludge was observed with the increase of the moisture contents. Heating value of the sludge having 60% moisture contents was found in the range between 924-1656 kcal/kg and this amount was higher than the minimum heating value (800 kcal/kg) required sustaining auto thermal combustion in sludge incineration process. Energy consumption requirement for pre drying sludge operations revealed that industrial sludge (de-watered) required the minimum cost (13 $/ton of sludge) to make it a sludge of fuel grade (60% W), while mixed sludge cost the highest amount for its pre-drying operations. (author)

Effect of Dissolved Air Flotation Process on Thickening of Activated Sludge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atamaleki A.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Aims: Sludge is an inescapable component of all wastewaters that originated from their treatment. dissolved air flotation (DAF process as an alternative clarifier is used in treatment of drinking water, pretreatment of wastewater, and as a phase separator in sludge activation processes. This study aimed to calibrated the usage of DAF process in a laboratory scale and under various conditions, to achieve the optimum efficiency in recycling the activated sludge. Instrument & Methods: In this experimental study, of Kashan's Shahid Beheshti hospital and immediately transported to the laboratory. The optimal dose of polyaluminum chloride coagulant and pH was determined and then applied in DAF process. Finally turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC and total solids (TS parameters were measured and compared with control sample. Findings: The optimal pH and optimal dose of coagulant were 6.5 and 25mg/l, respectively. Also Optimal process efficiency to reduce EC, TS and turbidity parameters were 23.4, 44.5 and 88%, respectively. Conclusion: Dissolved air flotation process removes the turbidity, EC and TS effectively; however, it has minimal impact on EC and TS.

2009 Thermochemical Conversion Platform Review Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferrell, John [Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Washington, DC (United States)

2009-12-01

This document summarizes the recommendations and evaluations provided by an independent external panel of experts at the U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program’s Thermochemical Conversion platform review meeting, held on April 14-16, 2009, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, Denver, Colorado.

Use of a water treatment sludge in a sewage sludge dewatering process

Science.gov (United States)

Górka, Justyna; Cimochowicz-Rybicka, Małgorzata; Kryłów, Małgorzata

2018-02-01

The objective of the research study was to determine whether a sewage sludge conditioning had any impact on sludge dewaterability. As a conditioning agent a water treatment sludge was used, which was mixed with a sewage sludge before a digestion process. The capillary suction time (CST) and the specific filtration resistance (SRF) were the measures used to determine the effects of a water sludge addition on a dewatering process. Based on the CST curves the water sludge dose of 0.3 g total volatile solids (TVS) per 1.0 g TVS of a sewage sludge was selected. Once the water treatment sludge dose was accepted, disintegration of the water treatment sludge was performed and its dewaterability was determined. The studies have shown that sludge dewaterability was much better after its conditioning with a water sludge as well as after disintegration and conditioning, if comparing to sludge with no conditioning. Nevertheless, these findings are of preliminary nature and future studies will be needed to investigate this topic.

Co-digestion of cattle manure with food waste and sludge to increase biogas production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maranon, E., E-mail: emara@uniovi.es [Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University Institute of Technology of Asturias, Campus of Gijon, University of Oviedo, 33203 Gijon (Spain); Castrillon, L.; Quiroga, G.; Fernandez-Nava, Y. [Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University Institute of Technology of Asturias, Campus of Gijon, University of Oviedo, 33203 Gijon (Spain); Gomez, L.; Garcia, M.M. [Zero Emissions Technology, 41018 Seville (Spain)

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Small increase in methane production was observed applying sonication pretreatment. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Biogas productions between 720 and 1100 mL/Lreactor day were achieved. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Volatile solids removal efficiencies ranged between 53% and 60%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Lower methane yields were obtained when operating under thermophilic conditions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Optimum OLR in lab-scale CSTR was 1.2-1.3 g VS/L day (HRT: 20 days). - Abstract: Anaerobic co-digestion strategies are needed to enhance biogas production, especially when treating certain residues such as cattle/pig manure. This paper presents a study of co-digestion of cattle manure with food waste and sewage sludge. With the aim of maximising biogas yields, a series of experiments were carried out under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions using continuously stirred-tank reactors, operating at different hydraulic residence times. Pretreatment with ultrasound was also applied to compare the results with those obtained with non-pretreated waste. Specific methane production decreases when increasing the OLR and decreasing HRT. The maximum value obtained was 603 LCH{sub 4}/kg VS{sub feed} for the co-digestion of a mixture of 70% manure, 20% food waste and 10% sewage sludge (total solid concentration around 4%) at 36 Degree-Sign C, for an OLR of 1.2 g VS/L day. Increasing the OLR to 1.5 g VS/L day led to a decrease of around 20-28% in SMP. Lower methane yields were obtained when operating at 55 Degree-Sign C. The increase in methane production when applying ultrasound to the feed mixtures does not compensate for the energy spent in this pretreatment.

Economic comparison of sludge irradiation and alternative methods of municipal sludge treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahlstrom, S.B.; McGuire, H.E.

1977-11-01

The relative economics of radiation treatment and other sludge treatment processes are reported. The desirability of radiation treatment is assessed in terms of cost and the quality of the treated sludge product. The major conclusions of this study are: radiation treatment is a high-level disinfection process. Therefore, it should only be considered if high levels of disinfection are required for widespread reuse of the sludge; the handling, transporting and pathogen growback problems associated with disinfected wet sludge makes it less attractive for reuse than dry sludge; radiation of composted sludge produces a product of similar quality at less cost than any thermal treatment and/or flash drying treatment option for situations where a high degree of disinfection is required; and heavy metal concerns, especially cadmium, may limit the reuse of sludge despite high disinfection levels. It is recommended that radiation treatment of sludge, particularly dry sludge, continue to be studied. A sensitivity analysis investigating the optimal conditions under which sludge irradiation operates should be instigated. Furthermore, costs of adding sludge irradiation to existing sludge treatment schemes should be determined

Review of the direct thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass for liquid fuels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianchun JIANG,Junming XU,Zhanqian SONG

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Increased demand for liquid transportation fuels, environmental concerns and depletion of petroleum resources requires the development of efficient conversion technologies for production of second-generation biofuels from non-food resources. Thermochemical approaches hold great potential for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into liquid fuels. Direct thermochemical processes convert biomass into liquid fuels in one step using heat and catalysts and have many advantages over indirect and biological processes, such as greater feedstock flexibility, integrated conversion of whole biomass, and lower operation costs. Several direct thermochemical processes are employed in the production of liquid biofuels depending on the nature of the feedstock properties: such as fast pyrolysis/liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass for bio-oil, including upgrading methods, such as catalytic cracking and hydrogenation. Owing to the substantial amount of liquid fuels consumed by vehicular transport, converting biomass into drop-in liquid fuels may reduce the dependence of the fuel market on petroleum-based fuel products. In this review, we also summarize recent progress in technologies for large-scale equipment for direct thermochemical conversion. We focus on the technical aspects critical to commercialization of the technologies for production of liquid fuels from biomass, including feedstock type, cracking catalysts, catalytic cracking mechanisms, catalytic reactors, and biofuel properties. We also discuss future prospects for direct thermochemical conversion in biorefineries for the production of high grade biofuels.

Performance analysis of a photovoltaic-thermochemical hybrid system prototype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Wenjia; Ling, Yunyi; Liu, Xiangxin; Hao, Yong

2017-01-01

Highlights: •A modular photovoltaic-thermochemical hybrid system prototype is proposed. •Net solar-electric efficiency up to 41% is achievable. •Stable solar power supply is achievable via convenient energy storage. •The modular design facilitates the scalability of the hybrid system. -- Abstract: A solar photovoltaic (PV) thermochemical hybrid system consisting of a point-focus Fresnel concentrator, a PV cell and a methanol thermochemical reactor is proposed. In particular, a reactor capable of operating under high solar concentration is designed, manufactured and tested. Studies on both kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of the reactor and the system are performed. Analysis of numerical and experimental results shows that with cascaded solar energy utilization and synergy among different forms of energy, the hybrid system has the advantages of high net solar-electric efficiency (up to 41%), stable solar energy power supply, solar energy storage (via syngas) and flexibility in application scale. The hybrid system proposed in this work provides a potential solution to some key challenges of current solar energy utilization technologies.

Profiles and drivers of antibiotic resistance genes distribution in one-stage and two-stage sludge anaerobic digestion based on microwave-H2O2 pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Junya; Liu, Jibao; Wang, Yawei; Yu, Dawei; Sui, Qianwen; Wang, Rui; Chen, Meixue; Tong, Juan; Wei, Yuansong

2017-10-01

Three anaerobic digestion (AD) processes of waste activated sludge (WAS) were established including the control (mono-WAS), one-stage AD and two-stage AD along with microwave-H 2 O 2 pre-treatment (MW-H 2 O 2 ) to investigate the profiles and drivers of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) distribution concerning co-selection from heavy metals, intI1 and microbial community through qPCR and high-throughput sequencing method. Results showed that MW-H 2 O 2 could reduce the absolute gene copies of all ARGs while increased the relative abundance of most ARGs. After subsequent AD, both total ARGs quantities and relative abundance were enriched while two-stage AD showed some advantages over ARGs abundance reduction. Besides, AD was more effective on the potential pathogens reduction than MW-H 2 O 2 . AD could reduce the role of intI1 on the spread of ARGs, while mantel test and procrustes analysis indicated that the variation of ARGs abundance was closely associated with the discrepancy of bacterial community. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental study of a thermochemical compressor for an absorption/compression hybrid cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ventas, R.; Vereda, C.; Lecuona, A.; Venegas, M.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Experimental study of a thermochemical compressor for absorption/compression cycle. ► Spray adiabatic absorber using NH 3 –LiNO 3 solution working fluid. ► It is able to operate between 57 and 110 °C varying concentration between 0.46 and 0.59. ► The increase of absorber pressure decreases the circulation ratio. ► The numerical model performed agrees with the experimental results. -- Abstract: An experimental study of a thermochemical compressor with ammonia–lithium nitrate solution as working fluid has been carried out. This compressor incorporates a single-pass adiabatic absorber and all the heat exchangers are of the plate type: absorber subcooler, generator and solution heat exchanger. The thermochemical compressor has been studied as part of a single-effect absorption chiller hybridized with an in-series low-pressure compression booster. The adiabatic absorber uses fog jet injectors. The generator hot water temperatures for the external driving flow are in the range of 57–110 °C and the absorber pressures range between 429 and 945 kPa. Experimental results are compared with a numerical model showing a high agreement. The performance of the thermochemical compressor, evaluated through the circulation ratio, improves for higher absorber pressures, indicating the potential of pressure boosting. For the same circulation ratio, the driving hot water inlet temperature decreases with the rise of the absorber pressure. The thermochemical compressor, based on an adiabatic absorber, can produce refrigerant with very low driving temperatures, between 57 and 70 °C, what is interesting for solar cooling applications and very low temperature residual heat recovery. Efficiencies and cooling power are offered when this hybrid thermochemical compressor is implemented in a chiller, showing the effect of different operating parameters.

A new method for assessment of the sludge disintegration degree with the use of differential centrifugal sedimentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Silvestri, Daniele; Wacławek, Stanisław; Gončuková, Zuzanna; Padil, Vinod V T; Grübel, Klaudiusz; Černík, Miroslav

2018-05-24

A novel method for assessing the disintegration degree (DD) of waste activated sludge (WAS) with the use of differential centrifugal sedimentation method (DCS) was shown herein. The method was validated for a WAS sample at four levels of disintegration in the range of 14.4-82.6% corresponding to the median particle size range of 8.5-1.6 µm. From the several sludge disintegration methods used (i.e. microwave, alkalization, ultrasounds and peroxydisulfate activated by ultrasounds), the activated peroxydisulfate disintegration resulted in the greatest DD 83% and the smallest median particle size of WAS. Particle size distribution of pretreated sludge, measured by DCS, was in a negative correlation with the DD, determined from soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD; determination coefficient of 0.995). Based on the obtained results, it may be concluded that the DCS analysis can approximate the WAS disintegration degree.

Three-dimensional fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy with regional integration analysis for assessing waste sludge hydrolysis treated with multi-enzyme and thermophilic bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Liang; Lu, Mingmin; Li, Qianqian; Zhang, Jiawen; Zong, Yan; She, Zonglian

2014-11-01

The hydrolysis effect of waste sludge after multi-enzyme and thermophilic bacteria pretreatments is investigated using excitation-emission matrix (EEM) with fluorescence regional integration (FRI) in this study. The compositional characteristics of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and dissolved organic matters (DOM) were analyzed to evaluate the sludge disintegration. The EPS and cell wall in sludge were disrupted after hydrolysis which led to carbohydrate, protein and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) of DOM increasing in sludge supernatant. The bio-degradability level in the extracted fractions of EPS and DOM depending on the fluorescence zones was found after hydrolysis. The highest proportion of percent fluorescence response (Pi,n) in EPS and DOM was soluble microbial by-product and humic acid-like organics. A significant increase of humic acid-like organics in DOM after thermophilic bacteria hydrolysis was obtained. The assessment of hydrolysis using EEM coupled with FRI provided a new insight toward the bio-utilization process of waste sludge. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Economic comparison of sludge irradiation and alternative methods of municipal sludge treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahlstrom, S.B.; McGuire, H.E.

1977-11-01

The relative economics of radiation treatment and other sludge treatment processes are reported. The desirability of radiation treatment is assessed in terms of cost and the quality of the treated sludge product. The major conclusions of this study are: radiation treatment is a high-level disinfection process. Therefore, it should only be considered if high levels of disinfection are required for widespread reuse of the sludge; the handling, transporting and pathogen growback problems associated with disinfected wet sludge makes it less attractive for reuse than dry sludge; radiation of composted sludge produces a product of similar quality at less cost than any thermal treatment and/or flash drying treatment option for situations where a high degree of disinfection is required; and heavy metal concerns, especially cadmium, may limit the reuse of sludge despite high disinfection levels. It is recommended that radiation treatment of sludge, particularly dry sludge, continue to be studied. A sensitivity analysis investigating the optimal conditions under which sludge irradiation operates should be instigated. Furthermore, costs of adding sludge irradiation to existing sludge treatment schemes should be determined.

OECD/NEA thermochemical database

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byeon, Kee Hoh; Song, Dae Yong; Shin, Hyun Kyoo; Park, Seong Won; Ro, Seung Gy

1998-03-01

This state of the art report is to introduce the contents of the Chemical Data-Service, OECD/NEA, and the results of survey by OECD/NEA for the thermodynamic and kinetic database currently in use. It is also to summarize the results of Thermochemical Database Projects of OECD/NEA. This report will be a guide book for the researchers easily to get the validate thermodynamic and kinetic data of all substances from the available OECD/NEA database. (author). 75 refs.

Radiation disinfection of sewage sludge and composting of the irradiated sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, Shoji; Nishimura, Koichi; Watanabe, Hiromasa; Kawakami, Waichiro

1985-01-01

In the radiation disinfected sewage sludge, its stabilization is necessary with the composting. In this disinfected sludge, there is no need of keeping it at high temperature at the cost of fermentation velocity. The fermentation velocity can thus be set to obtain its maximum value. In sewage sludge utilization of farm land, to prevent the contamination with pathogenic bacteria and the secondary pollution, the radiation disinfection of dehydrated sludge and the composting of the disinfected sludge have been studied. The disinfection effect when an electron accelerator is used for the radiation source is described. Then, the composting of the disinfected sludge is described in chemical kinetics of the microorganisms. (Mori, K.)

Fermentative Hydrogen Production from Combination of Tofu processing and anaerobic digester sludge wastes using a microbial consortium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

You-Kwan, O.; Mi-Sun, K.

2009-01-01

The combination of Tofu manufacturing waste and anaerobic digester sludge was studied for fermentative H 2 production in batch and continuous modes using a mixed culture originated from sewage. In order to increase the solubilization of organic substrates from Tofu waste, various pretreatments including heat-treatment, acid/alkali treatment, and sonication were examined alone or in combination with others. (Author)

Sludge derived fuel technique of sewage sludge by oil vacuum evaporation drying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seokhwan; Lim, Byungran; Lee, Sookoo

2010-01-01

Sewage sludge contains high content of organic materials and its water content is also very high about 80% even after filtration process. Landfill as a sludge treatment methods can cause odor problem and leachate production which can derive the secondary contamination of soil and groundwater. The ocean dumping will be prohibited according to the London Convention and domestic stringent environmental regulation. Based on domestic agenda on organic sewage sludge treatment, the ocean disposal will be prohibited from 2012, thus alternative methods are demanded. Sludge derived fuel (SDF) technology can alleviate the emission of greenhouse gas and recover energy from sludge. For proper treatment and SDF production from sludge, the vacuum evaporation and immersion frying technology was adopted in this research. This technology dries moisture in sludge after mixing with oil such as Bunker C oil, waste oil or waste food oil etc. Mixing sludge and oil secures liquidity of organic sludge to facilitate handling throughout the drying process. The boiling temperature could be maintained low through vacuum condition in whole evaporation process. This study was performed to find the optimum operating temperature and pressure, the mixing ratio of sludge and oil. Finally, we could obtained SDF which moisture content was less than 5%, its heating value was over 4,500 kcal/ kg sludge. This heating value could satisfy the Korean Fuel Standard for the Recycle Products. Assessed from the perspective of energy balance and economic evaluation, this sludge drying system could be widely used for the effective sludge treatment and the production of SDF. (author)

Sludge recovery apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marmo, A.R.

1979-01-01

Sludge recovery machine comprising a hollow centrifuge, a vertical pipe for feeding in a liquid containing sludge and a sliding rake pressing against the internal wall of the centrifuge to dislodge and move the sludge, a power drive for spinning the centrifuge at high speed and a rotating drying table to take the sludge and dry it [fr

Excess sludge reduction in activated sludge processes by integrating ultrasound treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez-Elvira, S.; Fdz-Polanco, M.; Plaza, F. I.; Garralon, G.; Fdz-Polanco, F.

2009-01-01

Biological sludge produced in the activated sludge process can be minimised modifying the water line, the sludge line or the final disposal strategy. Selecting the water line the general idea is to reduce the sludge producing the yield coefficient by means of the called lysis cryptic growth process. The main techniques referenced in literature are onization, chlorination and chemical and heat treatment. Ultrasounds are widely used to increase anaerobic biodegradability but are not reported as system to control excess sludge production. (Author)

Thermochemical stability of Soviet macroporous sulfonated cation-exchangers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rukhlyada, N.N.; Plotnikova, V.P.; Roginskaya, B.S.; Znamenskii, Yu.P.; Zavodovskaya, A.S.; Dobrova, E.I.

1988-10-20

The purpose of this work was to study the influence of macroporosity on the thermochemical stability of sulfonated cation-exchangers. The investigations were carried out on commercial macroporous sulfonated cation-exchangers based on styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers. Study of the thermochemical stability of macroporous sulfonated cation-exchangers in dilute hydrogen peroxide solutions showed that the type of macroporosity has virtually no influence on their stability. The determining factor in thermal stability of macroporous cation-exchangers, as of the gel type, is the degree of cross-linking of the polymer matrix. The capacity loss of macroporous cation-exchangers during oxidative thermolysis is caused by destruction of the macromolecular skeleton and elution of fragments of polar chains containing sulfo groups into the solution.

Quantitative Thermochemical Measurements in High-Pressure Gaseous Combustion

Science.gov (United States)

Kojima, Jun J.; Fischer, David G.

2012-01-01

We present our strategic experiment and thermochemical analyses on combustion flow using a subframe burst gating (SBG) Raman spectroscopy. This unconventional laser diagnostic technique has promising ability to enhance accuracy of the quantitative scalar measurements in a point-wise single-shot fashion. In the presentation, we briefly describe an experimental methodology that generates transferable calibration standard for the routine implementation of the diagnostics in hydrocarbon flames. The diagnostic technology was applied to simultaneous measurements of temperature and chemical species in a swirl-stabilized turbulent flame with gaseous methane fuel at elevated pressure (17 atm). Statistical analyses of the space-/time-resolved thermochemical data provide insights into the nature of the mixing process and it impact on the subsequent combustion process in the model combustor.

Improvement of municipal wastewater pretreatment by direct membrane filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Nascimento, Thiago A; Mejía, Fanny R; Fdz-Polanco, Fernando; Peña Miranda, Mar

2017-10-01

The high content of particulate matter in municipal wastewater hinders the conventional anaerobic treatments at psychrophilic temperatures. The hydrolysis of the particulate chemical oxygen demand (pCOD) could be the limiting step under these conditions. Therefore, new pretreatments or improved conventional pretreatments are needed in order to separate pCOD. In this work, direct membrane filtration of municipal wastewater, using an ultrafiltration membrane, was investigated. This intensive pretreatment, which aims to separate soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) and to concentrate pCOD, together with anaerobic treatments of both streams at psychrophilic and mesophilic conditions respectively, could be an alternative to the conventional activated sludge process. The obtained results show a removal yield of 24.9% of the total solids (TS) and 45% of total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD), obtaining a permeate free of suspended solids. This physical removal implies the accumulation of solids inside the membrane tank, reaching the values of 45.4 and 4.4 g/L of TS in the sedimentation and filtration sections, respectively. The membrane operated with filtration, backwashing cycles and continuous gas sparging, with a permeate flux predominantly around 10 L/(m 2  h). The results show the viability of the technology to concentrate pCOD and so to improve energy recovery from municipal wastewater.

2011 Biomass Program Platform Peer Review. Thermochemical Conversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grabowski, Paul E. [Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Washington, DC (United States)

2012-02-01

This document summarizes the recommendations and evaluations provided by an independent external panel of experts at the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program’s Thermochemical Conversion Platform Review meeting.

THE CONCENTRATION OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN SEWAGE SLUDGE FROM WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT IN GNIEWINO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julita Karolina Milik

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Sewage sludge originated from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP serving rural areas are suggested for agricultural or natural usage. Before, however, sewage sludge is subjected to the several pre-treatments, which involve stabilization, hygienisation and pre-composting. These methods decrease mainly the amount of organic substances and presence of microorganisms, but hardly affects concentrations of heavy metals. The advantages of using sludges as fertilizer for improving and sustaining soil fertility and crop production are many. The addition of sewage sludge to soils could affect potential availability of heavy metals. Trace elements are distributed in the soil in various forms: solid phases, free ions in soil solution, soluble organic-mineral complexes, or adsorbed on colloidal particles. In the study the concentrations of trace elements (Pb, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Zn, Al, As, Se, B, Ba, Br, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ga, Li, Mo, Sr, Mg, K, Ru, Tl, V, U was tested in sewage sludge obtained from (WWTP serving rural areas (PE< 9 000. In each case, the tested sewage sludge was meeting the criteria of stabilization and was used for agriculture and land reclamation purpose. All the samples were collected in 2016 and were subjected to microwave mineralization in a closed system in aqua regia. The total amound of macro and microelements were determined with a ICP-OES. It was found that the total concentrations of trace metals in all of sewage sludge are the same than Polish regulation limit of pollutants for sludge to be used in agriculture. The trace elements (cadmium: 1,16 mg·kg-1/d.m. in polish sewage sludge, respectively, much higher than those in the other countries. As a most prevalent copper and zinc were observed (111,28 mg·kg-1/d.m. and 282,94 mg·kg-1/d.m.. The concentrations of copper in polish sewage sludge are much lower (49-130 mg·kg-1/d.m. than european sewage sludge (522-562 mg·kg-1/d.m.. The two out of tested heavy metals (beryllium, bismuth

Improved sugar yields from biomass sorghum feedstocks: comparing low-lignin mutants and pretreatment chemistries.

Science.gov (United States)

Godin, Bruno; Nagle, Nick; Sattler, Scott; Agneessens, Richard; Delcarte, Jérôme; Wolfrum, Edward

2016-01-01

For biofuel production processes to be economically efficient, it is essential to maximize the production of monomeric carbohydrates from the structural carbohydrates of feedstocks. One strategy for maximizing carbohydrate production is to identify less recalcitrant feedstock cultivars by performing some type of experimental screening on a large and diverse set of candidate materials, or by identifying genetic modifications (random or directed mutations or transgenic plants) that provide decreased recalcitrance. Economic efficiency can also be increased using additional pretreatment processes such as deacetylation, which uses dilute NaOH to remove the acetyl groups of hemicellulose prior to dilute acid pretreatment. In this work, we used a laboratory-scale screening tool that mimics relevant thermochemical pretreatment conditions to compare the total sugar yield of three near-isogenic brown midrib ( bmr ) mutant lines and the wild-type (WT) sorghum cultivar. We then compared results obtained from the laboratory-scale screening pretreatment assay to a large-scale pretreatment system. After pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis, the bmr mutants had higher total sugar yields than the WT sorghum cultivar. Increased pretreatment temperatures increased reactivity for all sorghum samples reducing the differences observed at lower reaction temperatures. Deacetylation prior to dilute acid pretreatment increased the total sugar yield for all four sorghum samples, and reduced the differences in total sugar yields among them, but solubilized a sizable fraction of the non-structural carbohydrates. The general trends of increased total sugar yield in the bmr mutant compared to the WT seen at the laboratory scale were observed at the large-scale system. However, in the larger reactor system, the measured total sugar yields were lower and the difference in total sugar yield between the WT and bmr sorghum was larger. Sorghum bmr mutants, which have a reduced lignin content showed

A comparative analysis of selected wastewater pretreatment processes in food industry

Science.gov (United States)

Jaszczyszyn, Katarzyna; Góra, Wojciech; Dymaczewski, Zbysław; Borowiak, Robert

2018-02-01

The article presents a comparative analysis of the classical coagulation with the iron sulphate and adsorption on bentonite for the pretreatment of wastewater in the food industry. As a result of the studies, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN) reduction were found to be comparable in both technologies, and a 29% higher total phosphorus removal efficiency by the coagulation was observed. After the coagulation and adsorption processes, a significant difference between mineral and organic fraction in the sludge was found (49% and 51% for bentonite and 28% and 72% for iron sulphate, respectively).

Hydrogen production at <550 C using a low temperature thermochemical cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, M.A.; Serban, M.; Basco, J.K.

2004-01-01

A Department of Energy goal is to identify new technologies for producing hydrogen cost effectively without greenhouse gas emissions. Thermochemical cycles are one of the potential options under investigation. Thermochemical cycles consist of a series of reactions in which water is thermally decomposed and all other chemicals are recycled. Only heat and water are consumed. However, most thermochemical cycles require process heat at temperatures of 850-900 deg C. Argonne National Laboratory is developing low temperature cycles designed for lower temperature heat, 500-550 deg C, which is more readily available. For this temperature region, copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycles are the most promising cycle. Several Cu-Cl cycles have been examined in the laboratory and the most promising cycle has been identified. Proof-of-principle experiments are nearly complete. A preliminary assessment of cycle efficiency is promising. Details of the experiments and efficiency calculations are discussed. (author)

Understanding the impact of cationic polyacrylamide on anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dongbo; Liu, Xuran; Zeng, Guangming; Zhao, Jianwei; Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Qilin; Chen, Fei; Li, Xiaoming; Yang, Qi

2018-03-01

Previous investigations showed that cationic polyacrylamide (cPAM), a flocculant widely used in wastewater pretreatment and waste activated sludge dewatering, deteriorated methane production during anaerobic digestion of sludge. However, details of how cPAM affects methane production are poorly understood, hindering deep control of sludge anaerobic digestion systems. In this study, the mechanisms of cPAM affecting sludge anaerobic digestion were investigated in batch and long-term tests using either real sludge or synthetic wastewaters as the digestion substrates. Experimental results showed that the presence of cPAM not only slowed the process of anaerobic digestion but also decreased methane yield. The maximal methane yield decreased from 139.1 to 86.7 mL/g of volatile suspended solids (i.e., 1861.5 to 1187.0 mL/L) with the cPAM level increasing from 0 to 12 g/kg of total suspended solids (i.e., 0-236.7 mg/L), whereas the corresponding digestion time increased from 22 to 26 d. Mechanism explorations revealed that the addition of cPAM significantly restrained the sludge solubilization, hydrolysis, acidogenesis, and methanogenesis processes. It was found that ∼46% of cAPM was degraded in the anaerobic digestion, and the degradation products significantly affected methane production. Although the theoretically biochemical methane potential of cPAM is higher than that of protein and carbohydrate, only 6.7% of the degraded cPAM was transformed to the final product, methane. Acrylamide, acrylic acid, and polyacrylic acid were found to be the main degradation metabolites, and their amount accounted for ∼50% of the degraded cPAM. Further investigations showed that polyacrylic acid inhibited all the solubilization, hydrolysis, acidogenesis, and methanogenesis processes while acrylamide and acrylic acid inhibited the methanogenesis significantly. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of different sludge disintegration methods on sludge moisture distribution and dewatering performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Lingyun; Zhang, Guangming; Zheng, Xiang

2015-02-01

A key step in sludge treatment is sludge dewatering. However, activated sludge is generally very difficult to be dewatered. Sludge dewatering performance is largely affected by the sludge moisture distribution. Sludge disintegration can destroy the sludge structure and cell wall, so as change the sludge floc structure and moisture distribution, thus affecting the dewatering performance of sludge. In this article, the disintegration methods were ultrasound treatment, K2FeO4 oxidation and KMnO4 oxidation. The degree of disintegration (DDCOD), sludge moisture distribution and the final water content of sludge cake after centrifuging were measured. Results showed that three disintegration methods were all effective, and K2FeO4 oxidation was more efficient than KMnO4 oxidation. The content of free water increased obviously with K2FeO4 and KMnO4 oxidations, while it decreased with ultrasound treatment. The changes of free water and interstitial water were in the opposite trend. The content of bounding water decreased with K2FeO4 oxidation, and increased slightly with KMnO4 oxidation, while it increased obviously with ultrasound treatment. The water content of sludge cake after centrifuging decreased with K2FeO4 oxidation, and did not changed with KMnO4 oxidation, but increased obviously with ultrasound treatment. In summary, ultrasound treatment deteriorated the sludge dewaterability, while K2FeO4 and KMnO4 oxidation improved the sludge dewaterability. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Drivers of microbial community composition in mesophilic and thermophilic temperature-phased anaerobic digestion pre-treatment reactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Pervin, Hasina M; Dennis, Paul G; Lim, Hui J; Tyson, Gene W; Batstone, Damien J; Bond, Philip L

2013-12-01

Temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) is an emerging technology that facilitates improved performance and pathogen destruction in anaerobic sewage sludge digestion by optimising conditions for 1) hydrolytic and acidogenic organisms in a first-stage/pre-treatment reactor and then 2) methogenic populations in a second stage reactor. Pre-treatment reactors are typically operated at 55-65 °C and as such select for thermophilic bacterial communities. However, details of key microbial populations in hydrolytic communities and links to functionality are very limited. In this study, experimental thermophilic pre-treatment (TP) and control mesophilic pre-treatment (MP) reactors were operated as first-stages of TPAD systems treating activated sludge for 340 days. The TP system was operated sequentially at 50, 60 and 65 °C, while the MP rector was held at 35 °C for the entire period. The composition of microbial communities associated with the MP and TP pre-treatment reactors was characterised weekly using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) supported by clone library sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The outcomes of this approach were confirmed using 454 pyrosequencing of gene amplicons and fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (FISH). TP associated bacterial communities were dominated by populations affiliated to the Firmicutes, Thermotogae, Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi. In particular there was a progression from Thermotogae to Lutispora and Coprothermobacter and diversity decreased as temperature and hydrolysis performance increased. While change in the composition of TP associated bacterial communities was attributable to temperature, that of MP associated bacterial communities was related to the composition of the incoming feed. This study determined processes driving the dynamics of key microbial populations that are correlated with an enhanced hydrolytic functionality of the TPAD system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

TEA: A CODE CALCULATING THERMOCHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM ABUNDANCES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blecic, Jasmina; Harrington, Joseph; Bowman, M. Oliver, E-mail: jasmina@physics.ucf.edu [Planetary Sciences Group, Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-2385 (United States)

2016-07-01

We present an open-source Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances (TEA) code that calculates the abundances of gaseous molecular species. The code is based on the methodology of White et al. and Eriksson. It applies Gibbs free-energy minimization using an iterative, Lagrangian optimization scheme. Given elemental abundances, TEA calculates molecular abundances for a particular temperature and pressure or a list of temperature–pressure pairs. We tested the code against the method of Burrows and Sharp, the free thermochemical equilibrium code Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA), and the example given by Burrows and Sharp. Using their thermodynamic data, TEA reproduces their final abundances, but with higher precision. We also applied the TEA abundance calculations to models of several hot-Jupiter exoplanets, producing expected results. TEA is written in Python in a modular format. There is a start guide, a user manual, and a code document in addition to this theory paper. TEA is available under a reproducible-research, open-source license via https://github.com/dzesmin/TEA.

TEA: A CODE CALCULATING THERMOCHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM ABUNDANCES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blecic, Jasmina; Harrington, Joseph; Bowman, M. Oliver

2016-01-01

We present an open-source Thermochemical Equilibrium Abundances (TEA) code that calculates the abundances of gaseous molecular species. The code is based on the methodology of White et al. and Eriksson. It applies Gibbs free-energy minimization using an iterative, Lagrangian optimization scheme. Given elemental abundances, TEA calculates molecular abundances for a particular temperature and pressure or a list of temperature–pressure pairs. We tested the code against the method of Burrows and Sharp, the free thermochemical equilibrium code Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA), and the example given by Burrows and Sharp. Using their thermodynamic data, TEA reproduces their final abundances, but with higher precision. We also applied the TEA abundance calculations to models of several hot-Jupiter exoplanets, producing expected results. TEA is written in Python in a modular format. There is a start guide, a user manual, and a code document in addition to this theory paper. TEA is available under a reproducible-research, open-source license via https://github.com/dzesmin/TEA.

High-solid Anaerobic Co-digestion of Sewage Sludge and Cattle Manure: The Effects of Volatile Solid Ratio and pH

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Xiaohu; Chen, Yang; Zhang, Dong; Yi, Jing

2016-01-01

High-solid anaerobic digestion is an attractive solution to the problem of sewage sludge disposal. One method that can be used to enhance the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and the generation of methane from anaerobic digestion involves combining an alkaline pretreatment step with the synergistic effects of sewage sludge and cattle manure co-digestion, which improves the activity of key enzymes and microorganisms in the anaerobic co-digestion system to promote the digestion of organic waste. In this study, we describe an efficient strategy that involves adjusting the volatile solid (VS) ratio (sewage sludge/cattle manure: 3/7) and initial pH (9.0) to improve VFA production and methane generation from the co-digestion of sludge and manure. The experimental results indicate that the maximum VFA production was 98.33 g/kg-TS (total solid) at the optimal conditions. Furthermore, methane generation in a long-term semi-continuously operated reactor (at a VS ratio of 3/7 and pH of 9.0) was greater than 120.0 L/kg-TS. PMID:27725704

Improving efficiency of transport fuels production by thermal hydrolysis of waste activated sludge

Science.gov (United States)

Gulshin, Igor

2017-10-01

The article deals with issues of transport biofuels. Transport biofuels are an important element of a system of energy security. Moreover, as part of a system it is inextricably linked to the urban, rural or industrial infrastructure. The paper discusses methods of increasing the yield of biogas from anaerobic digesters at wastewater treatment plants. The thermal hydrolysis method was considered. The main advantages and drawbacks of this method were analyzed. The experimental biomass (from SNDOD-bioreactor) and high-organic substrate have been previously studied by respirometry methods. A biomethane potential of the investigated organic substrate has high rates because of substrate composition (the readily biodegradable substrate in the total composition takes about 85%). Waste activated sludge from SNDOD-bioreactor can be used for biofuel producing with high efficiency especially with pre-treatment like a thermal hydrolysis. Further studies have to consider the possibility of withdrawing inhibitors from waste activated sludge.

Pretreatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) using Moringa oleifera seeds as natural coagulant.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatia, Subhash; Othman, Zalina; Ahmad, Abdul Latif

2007-06-25

Moringa oleifera seeds, an environmental friendly and natural coagulant are reported for the pretreatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME). In coagulation-flocculation process, the M. oleifera seeds after oil extraction (MOAE) are an effective coagulant with the removal of 95% suspended solids and 52.2% reduction in the chemical oxygen demand (COD). The combination of MOAE with flocculant (NALCO 7751), the suspended solids removal increased to 99.3% and COD reduction was 52.5%. The coagulation-flocculation process at the temperature of 30 degrees C resulted in better suspended solids removal and COD reduction compared to the temperature of 40, 55 and 70 degrees C. The MOAE combined with flocculant (NALCO 7751) reduced the sludge volume index (SVI) to 210mL/g with higher recovery of dry mass of sludge (87.25%) and water (50.3%).

The role and control of sludge age in biological nutrient removal activated sludge systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekama, G A

2010-01-01

The sludge age is the most fundamental and important parameter in the design, operation and control of biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated sludge (AS) systems. Generally, the better the effluent and waste sludge quality required from the system, the longer the sludge age, the larger the biological reactor and the more wastewater characteristics need to be known. Controlling the reactor concentration does not control sludge age, only the mass of sludge in the system. When nitrification is a requirement, sludge age control becomes a requirement and the secondary settling tanks can no longer serve the dual purpose of clarifier and waste activated sludge thickeners. The easiest and most practical way to control sludge age is with hydraulic control by wasting a defined proportion of the reactor volume daily. In AS plants with reactor concentration control, nitrification fails first. With hydraulic control of sludge age, nitrification will not fail, rather the plant fails by shedding solids over the secondary settling tank effluent weirs.

Radioactivity in sludge: tank cleaning procedures and sludge disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, D.A.

1995-01-01

In the oil and gas industry management of alpha-active sludge is made more complex by the presence of hydrocarbons and heavy metals. This presentation discusses the origin of radioactivity in sludge, management of risk in terms of safe working procedures, storage and possible disposal options. The several options will generally involve aspects of dilution or of concentration; issues to be discussed will include sludge farming, bioremediation and incineration. (author)

Steam gasification of a thermally pretreated high lignin corn stover simultaneous saccharification and fermentation digester residue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howe, Daniel T.; Taasevigen, Danny; Garcia-Perez, Manuel; McDonald, Armando G.; Li, Guosheng; Wolcott, Michael

2017-01-01

Efficient conversion of all components in lignocellulosic biomass is essential to realizing economic feasibility of biorefineries. However, when utilizing biochemical pathways, lignin cannot be fermented. Furthermore, the high lignin and high ash residue resulting from simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) reactors is difficult to thermochemically process due to feed line plugging and bed agglomeration. In this study a corn stover SSF digester residue was thermally pretreated at 300°C for 22.5 minutes (min) and then gasified in a bubbling fluidized bed gasifier to study the effect of thermal pretreatment on its processing behavior. Untreated, pelletized SSF residue was gasified at the same conditions to establish the baseline processing behavior. Results indicate that the thermal pretreatment process removes a substantial portion of the polar and non-polar extractives, with a resultant increase in the concentration of lignin, cellulose, and ash. Feed line plugging was not observed, although bed agglomeration was occurring at similar rates for both feedstocks, suggesting that overall ash content is the most important factor affecting bed agglomeration. Benzene, phenol, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the tar were present at higher concentrations in the treated material, with higher tar loading in the product gas. Total product gas generation is lower for the treated material, although the overall gas composition does not change.

Sludge minimization technologies - an overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oedegaard, Hallvard

2003-07-01

The management of wastewater sludge from wastewater treatment plants represents one of the major challenges in wastewater treatment today. The cost of the sludge treatment amounts to more that the cost of the liquid in many cases. Therefore the focus on and interest in sludge minimization is steadily increasing. In the paper an overview is given for sludge minimization (sludge mass reduction) options. It is demonstrated that sludge minimization may be a result of reduced production of sludge and/or disintegration processes that may take place both in the wastewater treatment stage and in the sludge stage. Various sludge disintegration technologies for sludge minimization are discussed, including mechanical methods (focusing on stirred ball-mill, high-pressure homogenizer, ultrasonic disintegrator), chemical methods (focusing on the use of ozone), physical methods (focusing on thermal and thermal/chemical hydrolysis) and biological methods (focusing on enzymatic processes). (author)

Thermochemical treatment of the pay zone in the well RK-3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Labudovic, V

1970-02-01

The elements are given for the calculation of the thermochemical treatment of the Well RK-3. From the diagram, the Mg and HCl reaction velocity vs. pressure and the temperature vs. the quantity of the reacted CaCO/sub 3/ can be read out. These are important elements for the calculation of a thermochemical treatment. A comparison of calculated and measured temperatures and the factors influencing the heat conductivity of the formation rock is given. The heating range at formation depths is calculated. The relation quantity of warm acid vs. injection pressure also is given.

Filterability of membrane bioreactor (MBR) sludge: impacts of polyelectrolytes and mixing with conventional activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Yigit, Nevzat O; Civelekoglu, Gokhan; Cinar, Ozer; Kitis, Mehmet

2010-01-01

The main objective of this work was to investigate the filterability of MBR sludge and its mixture with conventional activated sludge (CAS). In addition, the impacts of type and dose of various polyelectrolytes, filter type and sludge properties on the filterability of both MBR and Mixed sludges were determined. Specific cake resistance (SCR) measured by the Buchner funnel filtration test apparatus and the solids content of the resulting sludge cake were used to assess the dewaterability of tested sludges. The type of filter paper used in Buchner tests affected the results of filterability for MBR, CAS and Mixed sludges. SCR values and optimum polyelectrolyte doses increased with increasing MLSS concentrations in the MBR, which suggested that increase in MLSS concentrations accompanied by increases in EPS and SMP concentrations and a shift toward smaller particles caused poorer dewaterability of the MBR sludge. The significant differences observed among the filterability of CAS and MBR sludges suggested that MLSS alone is not a good predictor of sludge dewaterability. Combining CAS and MBR sludges at different proportions generally improved their dewaterability. Combining MBR sludges having typically high MLSS and EPS concentrations with CAS having much lower MLSS concentrations may be an option for full-scale treatment plants experiencing sludge dewaterability problems. Better filterability and higher cake dry solids were achieved with cationic polyelectrolytes compared to anionic and non-ionic ones for all sludge types tested.

Co-combustion of sewage sludge and energy-rich waste fuels or forest fuels; Sameldning av roetslam och energirika avfallsbraenslen eller skogsbraenslen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linder, Kristina [TPS Termiska Processer AB, Nykoeping (Sweden)

2003-10-01

In this report literature on incineration of sewage sludge is summarises. In Sweden there is a yearly production of about 0,24 million-ton dry sewage sludge of which 50% is deposited. Recent changes in legislation will restrict and later prohibit the dumping of sewage sludge. Alternative methods for handling the material have not yet been found. In other parts of Europe the problem has been solved by incineration. Sludge incineration can be performed in several ways depending of the pretreatment. The sludge can be raw or digested, dewatered or dried. The sludge can be burnt as single fuel or in mixtures with other fuels. Focus in this work has been on co-combustion with biofuel or waste, as it will make use of existing plants. Digested sludge is also of major interest as 70% of the Swedish sludge is digested. The report describes the situation both in Sweden and in the rest of Europe. Sludge has a varying quality depending on origin and treatment, which affects the combustion properties. Ash and moisture contents differ from other fuels. The heating value of sewage sludge is approximately 20 MJ/kg per dry combustible matter and the amount of organic is around 70%. Compared to forest residue and demolition wood, sludge contains high levels of nitrogen and sulphur, which will cause emissions. The nitrogen level is about 10 times higher and the sulphur level 25 to 50 times higher. Sulphur, in combination with alkali metals, can cause deposit problems in boilers. However, sludge contains low levels of alkali. In the experimental investigation leaching of digested sludge showed low values on water conductivity which indicates a low concentration of sintering ash species in the sludge. A comparison of the aerodynamic properties of dried digested sludge and wood chips from energy coppice showed that sludge has a lower fraction of fines. This indicates that the sewage sludge is not likely to be carried over in the furnace but rather to stay in the fuel and ash bed on the

Effects of key factors on solar aided methane steam reforming in porous medium thermochemical reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Fuqiang; Tan, Jianyu; Ma, Lanxin; Leng, Yu

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Effects of key factors on chemical reaction for solar methane reforming are studied. • MCRT and FVM method coupled with UDFs is used to establish numerical model. • Heat and mass transfer model coupled with thermochemical reaction is established. • LTNE model coupled with P1 approximation is used for porous matrix solar reactor. • A formula between H 2 production and conductivity of porous matrix is put forward. - Abstract: With the aid of solar energy, methane reforming process can save up to 20% of the total methane consumption. Monte Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) method and Finite Volume Method (FVM) combined method are developed to establish the heat and mass transfer model coupled with thermochemical reaction kinetics for porous medium solar thermochemical reactor. In order to provide more temperature information, local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) model coupled with P1 approximation is established to investigate the thermal performance of porous medium solar thermochemical reaction. Effects of radiative heat loss and thermal conductivity of porous matrix on temperature distribution and thermochemical reaction for solar driven steam methane reforming process are numerically studied. Besides, the relationship between hydrogen production and thermal conductivity of porous matrix are analyzed. The results illustrate that hydrogen production shows a 3 order polynomial relation with thermal conductivity of porous matrix

Potential and optimization of two-phase anaerobic digestion of oil refinery waste activated sludge and microbial community study

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qinghong; Liang, Ying; Zhao, Peng; Li, Qing X.; Guo, Shaohui; Chen, Chunmao

2016-01-01

Oil refinery waste activated sludge produced from oil wastewater biological treatment is a major industrial sludge. Two-phase anaerobic digestion of oil refinery waste activated sludge was studied for the first time. Thermal pretreatment under 170 °C is effective on sludge solubilization. At the optimum hydrolytic-acidogenic condition which was pH of 6.5, temperature of 55 °C and HRT of 2 days, 2754 mg/L volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were produced and acetic acid and butyric acid were the key components. Comparative studies of single-phase and two-phase anaerobic digestion in terms of organic removal, biogas production and methane concentration were conducted. The cumulative methane production and soluble COD (SCOD) removal efficiency in the two-phase system were 228 mL/g COD added and 77.8%, respectively, which were 1.6 and 2.1 times higher than those in single-phase anaerobic digestion. Such improved performance is attributed to intensification of dominant microbial population in separated reactors. Caloramator, Ureibacillus, Dechloromonas, Petrobacter, and T78 played important roles in hydrolytic-acidification and oil-organics degradation. Syntrophic bacteria in the family Porphyromonadaceae and the genus Anaerobranca provide acetate for methanogen. The results demonstrated the potential and operating condition of two-phase anaerobic digestion in treatment of oil refinery waste activated sludge. PMID:27905538

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth pre-treated at 80 degrees C.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer, Ivet; Palatsi, Jordi; Campos, Elena; Flotats, Xavier

2010-10-01

Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a fast growing aquatic plant which causes environmental problems in continental water bodies. Harvesting and handling this plant becomes an issue, and focus has been put on the research of treatment alternatives. Amongst others, energy production through biomethanation has been proposed. The aim of this study was to assess the anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The effect of a thermal sludge pre-treatment at 80 degrees C was also evaluated. To this end, anaerobic biodegradability tests were carried out at 35 degrees C and 55 degrees C, with raw and pre-treated water hyacinth. According to the results, the thermal pre-treatment enhanced the solubilisation of water hyacinth (i.e. increase in the soluble to total chemical oxygen demand (COD)) from 4% to 12% after 30 min. However, no significant effect was observed on the methane yields (150-190 L CH(4)/kg volatile solids). Initial methane production rates for thermophilic treatments were two fold those of mesophilic ones (6-6.5L vs. 3-3.5 L CH(4)/kg COD x day). Thus, higher methane production rates might be expected from thermophilic reactors working at short retention times. The study of longer low temperature pre-treatments or pre-treatments at elevated temperatures coupled to thermophilic reactors should be considered in the future. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth pre-treated at 80 oC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrer, Ivet; Palatsi, Jordi; Campos, Elena; Flotats, Xavier

2010-01-01

Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) is a fast growing aquatic plant which causes environmental problems in continental water bodies. Harvesting and handling this plant becomes an issue, and focus has been put on the research of treatment alternatives. Amongst others, energy production through biomethanation has been proposed. The aim of this study was to assess the anaerobic biodegradability of water hyacinth under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The effect of a thermal sludge pre-treatment at 80 o C was also evaluated. To this end, anaerobic biodegradability tests were carried out at 35 o C and 55 o C, with raw and pre-treated water hyacinth. According to the results, the thermal pre-treatment enhanced the solubilisation of water hyacinth (i.e. increase in the soluble to total chemical oxygen demand (COD)) from 4% to 12% after 30 min. However, no significant effect was observed on the methane yields (150-190 L CH 4 /kg volatile solids). Initial methane production rates for thermophilic treatments were two fold those of mesophilic ones (6-6.5 L vs. 3-3.5 L CH 4 /kg COD.day). Thus, higher methane production rates might be expected from thermophilic reactors working at short retention times. The study of longer low temperature pre-treatments or pre-treatments at elevated temperatures coupled to thermophilic reactors should be considered in the future.

Critical operational parameters for zero sludge production in biological wastewater treatment processes combined with sludge disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Seong-Hoon; Lee, Sangho

2005-09-01

Mathematical models were developed to elucidate the relationships among process control parameters and the effect of these parameters on the performance of anoxic/oxic biological wastewater processes combined with sludge disintegrators (A/O-SD). The model equations were also applied for analyses of activated sludge processes hybrid with sludge disintegrators (AS-SD). Solubilization ratio of sludge in the sludge disintegrator, alpha, hardly affected sludge reduction efficiencies if the biomass was completely destructed to smaller particulates. On the other hand, conversion efficiency of non-biodegradable particulates to biodegradable particulates, beta, significantly affected sludge reduction efficiencies because beta was directly related to the accumulation of non-biodegradable particulates in bioreactors. When 30% of sludge in the oxic tank was disintegrated everyday and beta was 0.5, sludge reduction was expected to be 78% and 69% for the A/O-SD and AS-SD processes, respectively. Under this condition, the sludge disintegration number (SDN), which is the amount of sludge disintegrated divided by the reduced sludge, was calculated to be around 4. Due to the sludge disintegration, live biomass concentration decreased while other non-biodegradable particulates concentration increased. As a consequence, the real F/M ratio was expected to be much higher than the apparent F/M. The effluent COD was maintained almost constant for the range of sludge disintegration rate considered in this study. Nitrogen removal efficiencies of the A/O-SD process was hardly affected by the sludge disintegration until daily sludge disintegration reaches 40% of sludge in the oxic tank. Above this level of sludge disintegration, autotrophic biomass concentration decreases overly and TKN in the effluent increases abruptly in both the A/O-SD and AS-SD processes. Overall, the trends of sludge reduction and effluent quality according to operation parameters matched well with experimental results

Effects of Sludge-amendment on Mineralization of Pyrene and Microorganisms in Sludge and Soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klinge, C; Gejlsbjerg, B; Ekelund, Flemming

2001-01-01

. Sludge-amendment enhanced the mineralization of pyrene in the soil compared to soil without sludge, and the most extensive mineralization was observed when the sludge was kept in a lump. The number of protozoa, heterotrophic bacteria and pyrene-mineralizing bacteria was much higher in the sludge compared...... to the soil. The amendment of sludge did not affect the number of protozoa and bacteria in the surrounding soil, which indicated that organic contaminants in the sludge had a little effect on the number of protozoa and bacteria in the surrounding soil...

Study of the hydrolysis reaction of the copper-chloride hybrid thermochemical cycle using optical spectrometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doizi, D.; Borgard, J.M.; Dauvois, V.; Roujou, J.L.; Zanella, Y.; Croize, L.; Cartes, Ph.; Hartmann, J.M.

2010-01-01

The copper-chloride hybrid thermochemical cycle is one of the best potential low temperature thermochemical cycles for the massive production of hydrogen. It could be used with nuclear reactors such as the sodium fast reactor or the supercritical water reactor. Nevertheless, this thermochemical cycle is composed of an electrochemical reaction and two thermal reactions. Its efficiency has to be compared with other hydrogen production processes like alkaline electrolysis for example. The purpose of this article is to study the viability of the copper chloride thermochemical cycle by studying the hydrolysis reaction of CuCl 2 which is not favoured thermodynamically. To better understand the occurrence of possible side reactions, together with a good control of the kinetics of the hydrolysis reaction, the use of optical absorption spectrometries, UV visible spectrometry to detect molecular chlorine which may be formed in side reactions, FTIR spectrometry to follow the concentrations of H 2 O and HCl is proposed. (authors)

Effect of seed sludge on characteristics and microbial community of aerobic granular sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Zhiwei; Pan, Yuejun; Zhang, Kun; Ren, Nanqi; Wang, Aijie

2010-01-01

Aerobic granular sludge was cultivated by using different kinds of seed sludge in sequencing batch airlift reactor. The influence of seed sludge on physical and chemical properties of granular sludge was studied; the microbial community structure was probed by using scanning electron microscope and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). The results showed that seed sludge played an important role on the formation of aerobic granules. Seed sludge taken from beer wastewater treatment plant (inoculum A) was more suitable for cultivating aerobic granules than that of sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plant (inoculum B). Cultivated with inoculum A, large amount of mature granules formed after 35 days operation, its SVI reached 32.75 mL/g, and SOUR of granular sludge was beyond 1.10 mg/(g x min). By contrast, it needed 56 days obtaining mature granules using inoculum B. DGGE profiles indicated that the dominant microbial species in mature granules were 18 and 11 OTU when inoculum A and B were respectively employed as seed sludge. The sequencing results suggested that dominant species in mature granules cultivated by inoculum A were Paracoccus sp., Devosia hwasunensi, Pseudoxanthomonas sp., while the dominant species were Lactococcus raffinolactis and Pseudomonas sp. in granules developed from inoculum B.

New applications with time-dependent thermochemical simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koukkari, P. [VTT Chemical Technology, Espoo (Finland); Laukkanen, L. [VTT Automation, Espoo (Finland); Penttilae, K. [Kemira Engineering Oy, Helsinki (Finland)

1996-12-31

A new method (RATEMIX) to calculate multicomponent chemical reaction mixtures as a series of sequential thermochemical states was recently introduced. The procedure combines multicomponent thermodynamics with chemical kinetics and may be used to simulate the multicomponent reactors as a thermochemical natural process. The method combines the desired reaction rates sequentially with constrained Gibbs energy minimization. The reactant concentrations are determined by the experimental (Arrhenius) rate laws. During the course of the given reaction the subsequent side reactions are supposed to occur reversibly. At every sequential stage of the given reaction the temperature and composition of the reaction mixture are calculated by a thermodynamic subroutine, which minimizes the Gibbs energy of the system and takes into account the heat transfer between the system and its surroundings. The extents of reaction are included as algorithmic constraints in the Gibbs energy minimization procedure. Initially, the reactants are introduced to the system as inert copies to match both the mass and energy balance of the reactive system. During the calculation the copies are sequentially interchanged to the actual reactants which allows one to simulate the time-dependent reaction route by using the thermochemical procedure. For each intermediate stage, the temperature and composition are calculated and as well numerical estimates of the thermodynamic functions are obtained. The method is applicable in processes where the core thermodynamic and kinetic data of the system are known and the time-dependent heat transfer data can either be measured or estimated by calculation. The method has been used to simulate e.g. high temperature flame reactions, zinc vapour oxidation and a counter-current rotary drum with chemical reactions. The procedure has today been tested with SOLGASMIX, CHEMSAGE and HSC programs. (author)

New applications with time-dependent thermochemical simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koukkari, P [VTT Chemical Technology, Espoo (Finland); Laukkanen, L [VTT Automation, Espoo (Finland); Penttilae, K [Kemira Engineering Oy, Helsinki (Finland)

1997-12-31

A new method (RATEMIX) to calculate multicomponent chemical reaction mixtures as a series of sequential thermochemical states was recently introduced. The procedure combines multicomponent thermodynamics with chemical kinetics and may be used to simulate the multicomponent reactors as a thermochemical natural process. The method combines the desired reaction rates sequentially with constrained Gibbs energy minimization. The reactant concentrations are determined by the experimental (Arrhenius) rate laws. During the course of the given reaction the subsequent side reactions are supposed to occur reversibly. At every sequential stage of the given reaction the temperature and composition of the reaction mixture are calculated by a thermodynamic subroutine, which minimizes the Gibbs energy of the system and takes into account the heat transfer between the system and its surroundings. The extents of reaction are included as algorithmic constraints in the Gibbs energy minimization procedure. Initially, the reactants are introduced to the system as inert copies to match both the mass and energy balance of the reactive system. During the calculation the copies are sequentially interchanged to the actual reactants which allows one to simulate the time-dependent reaction route by using the thermochemical procedure. For each intermediate stage, the temperature and composition are calculated and as well numerical estimates of the thermodynamic functions are obtained. The method is applicable in processes where the core thermodynamic and kinetic data of the system are known and the time-dependent heat transfer data can either be measured or estimated by calculation. The method has been used to simulate e.g. high temperature flame reactions, zinc vapour oxidation and a counter-current rotary drum with chemical reactions. The procedure has today been tested with SOLGASMIX, CHEMSAGE and HSC programs. (author)

Enhancement of biogas production from sewage sludge by addition of grease trap sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grosser, A.; Neczaj, E.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Addition of grease trap sludge is interesting option for sewage sludge digestion. • Co-digestion of grease trap sludge and sewage sludge improved efficiency of process. • The anaerobic digestion can be carried out at short hydraulic retention time. • Long chain fatty acids concentration was below the ranges for inhibition of anaerobic digestion. - Abstract: Despite having many benefits, a low degree of volatile solids removal as well as long retention time are the main factors limiting the performance of the anaerobic digestion. Co-digestion of sewage sludge with other organic waste (for example fat rich materials) is one of the few potential ways to enhance the performance of the anaerobic digestion. In this article, the effects of adding fatty rich materials on the performance and stability of semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge were investigated on a 6 l laboratory-scale reactor (working volume equal to 5.5 l). The reactor was operated in a semi-continuous mode with a hydraulic retention time of 10 days. The data presented in this paper relate to the period in which the grease trap sludge accounted for 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18% of the mixture on the volatile solids basis. The results clearly indicate that the addition of fat rich materials like grease trap sludge can lead to a satisfactory increase in biogas yield in digester treating sewage sludge. The results showed that co-digestion can enhance the biogas yield by 28–82% compared to anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge alone (control sample). Moreover, the addition of grease trap sludge to digesters resulted in increased volatile solids removal from 44.38% (control sample) to 57.77% (feedstock with 14% addition of grease trap sludge). It was found that the increase of grease trap sludge in the feedstock had a direct impact on the biogas production and methane yield. This proposal has also been confirmed by statistical analysis such as Pearson correlation coefficients and

Micropollutant degradation via extracted native enzymes from activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Krah, Daniel; Ghattas, Ann-Kathrin; Wick, Arne; Bröder, Kathrin; Ternes, Thomas A

2016-05-15

A procedure was developed to assess the biodegradation of micropollutants in cell-free lysates produced from activated sludge of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). This proof-of-principle provides the basis for further investigations of micropollutant biodegradation via native enzymes in a solution of reduced complexity, facilitating downstream protein analysis. Differently produced lysates, containing a variety of native enzymes, showed significant enzymatic activities of acid phosphatase, β-galactosidase and β-glucuronidase in conventional colorimetric enzyme assays, whereas heat-deactivated controls did not. To determine the enzymatic activity towards micropollutants, 20 compounds were spiked to the cell-free lysates under aerobic conditions and were monitored via LC-ESI-MS/MS. The micropollutants were selected to span a wide range of different biodegradabilities in conventional activated sludge treatment via distinct primary degradation reactions. Of the 20 spiked micropollutants, 18 could be degraded by intact sludge under assay conditions, while six showed reproducible degradation in the lysates compared to the heat-deactivated negative controls: acetaminophen, N-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole (acetyl-SMX), atenolol, bezafibrate, erythromycin and 10,11-dihydro-10-hydroxycarbamazepine (10-OH-CBZ). The primary biotransformation of the first four compounds can be attributed to amide hydrolysis. However, the observed biotransformations in the lysates were differently influenced by experimental parameters such as sludge pre-treatment and the addition of ammonium sulfate or peptidase inhibitors, suggesting that different hydrolase enzymes were involved in the primary degradation, among them possibly peptidases. Furthermore, the transformation of 10-OH-CBZ to 9-CA-ADIN was caused by a biologically-mediated oxidation, which indicates that in addition to hydrolases further enzyme classes (probably oxidoreductases) are present in the native lysates. Although the

Impact of sludge properties on solid-liquid separation of activated sludge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Morten Lykkegaard

2016-01-01

Solid-liquid separation of activated sludge is important both directly after the biological treatment of wastewater and for sludge dewatering. The separation of solid from the treated wastewater can be done by clarifiers (conventional plants) or membrane (MBR). Further, part of the sludge is taken...... out from the proces and usually dewatered before further handling. The separation process is costly. Moreover, the separation process depends on the composition and the properties of the sludge. The best separation is obtained for sludge that contains strong, compact flocs without single cells...... and dissolved extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Polyvalent ions improve the floc strangth and improve the separation whereas monovalent ions (e.g. from road salt, sea water intrusion and industry) reduces impair the separation. Further high pH impairs the separation process due to floc disintegration...

Wasting Away: To Sludge or Not to Sludge?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L Nicolle

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Following a century of high standards of sanitation, food and water safety in North America are often taken for granted. Recent outbreaks of illness attributed to food and water contamination, however, have challenged this complacency. Now, sludge is added to the list of concerns. Sewage sludge is the muddy substance that remains after the treatment of municipal sewage. This material includes not only human waste, but also household and industrial toxic wastes disposed of in local sewers. Federal and provincial Canadian regulations support the use of this material as fertilizer, within acceptable guidelines, as does the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States. The safety of sludge, however, is questioned by some individuals and groups. Specifically, the risk of infectious agents and toxins to workers or other exposed individuals, and the potential for heavy metals and organic chemicals to be transferred from sludge-treated fields into crops are concerns.

Carbon-14 in sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fowler, J.R.; Coleman, C.J.

1983-01-01

The level of C-14 in high-level waste is needed to establish the amount of C-14 that will be released to the environment either as off-gas from the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) or as a component of saltstone. Available experimental data confirmed a low level of C-14 in soluble waste, but no data was available for sludge. Based on the processes used in each area, Purex LAW sludge in F-area and HM HAW sludge in H-area will contain the bulk of any sludge produced by the cladding. Accordingly, samples from Tank 8F containing Purex LAW and Tank 15H containing HM HAW were obtained and analyzed for C-14. These two waste types constitute approximately 70% of the total sludge inventory now stored in the waste tanks. Results from analyses of these two sludge types show: the total C-14 inventory in sludge now stored in the waste tanks is 6.8 Ci; C-14 releases to the atmosphere from the DWPF will average approximately 0.6 Ci annually at the projected sludge processing rate in the DWPF. 4 references, 2 tables

Prototype thermochemical heat storage with open reactor system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zondag, H.A.; Kikkert, B.; Smeding, S.F.; Boer, de R.; Bakker, M.

2013-01-01

Thermochemical (TC) heat storage is an interesting technology for future seasonal storage of solar heat in the built environment. This technology enables high thermal energy storage densities and low energy storage losses. A small-scale laboratory prototype TC storage system has been realized at

A systematic multi-step screening of numerous salt hydrates for low temperature thermochemical energy storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

N’Tsoukpoe, Kokouvi Edem; Schmidt, Thomas; Rammelberg, Holger Urs; Watts, Beatriz Amanda; Ruck, Wolfgang K.L.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We report an evaluation of the potential of salt hydrates for thermochemical storage. • Both theoretical calculations and experimental measurements using TGA/DSC are used. • Salt hydrates offer very low potential for thermochemical heat storage. • The efficiency of classical processes using salt hydrates is very low: typically 25%. • New processes are needed for the use of salt hydrates in thermochemical heat storage. - Abstract: In this paper, the potential energy storage density and the storage efficiency of salt hydrates as thermochemical storage materials for the storage of heat generated by a micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) have been assessed. Because salt hydrates used in various thermochemical heat storage processes fail to meet the expectations, a systematic evaluation of the suitability of 125 salt hydrates has been performed in a three-step approach. In the first step general issues such as toxicity and risk of explosion have been considered. In the second and third steps, the authors implement a combined approach consisting of theoretical calculations and experimental measurements using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Thus, application-oriented comparison criteria, among which the net energy storage density of the material and the thermal efficiency, have been used to evaluate the potential of 45 preselected salt hydrates for a low temperature thermochemical heat storage application. For an application that requires a discharging temperature above 60 °C, SrBr 2 ·6H 2 O and LaCl 3 ·7H 2 O appear to be the most promising, only from thermodynamic point of view. However, the maximum net energy storage density including the water in the water storage tank that they offer (respectively 133 kW h m −3 and 89 kW h m −3 ) for a classical thermochemical heat storage process are not attractive for the intended application. Furthermore, the thermal efficiency that would result from the storage process based on salt hydrates

The NREL Biochemical and Thermochemical Ethanol Conversion Processes: Financial and Environmental Analysis Comparison

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesse Sky Daystar

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The financial and environmental performance of the National Renewable Energy Lab’s (NREL thermochemical and biochemical biofuel conversion processes are examined herein with pine, eucalyptus, unmanaged hardwood, switchgrass, and sweet sorghum. The environmental impacts of the process scenarios were determined by quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG emissions and TRACI impacts. Integrated financial and environmental performance metrics were introduced and used to examine the biofuel production scenarios. The thermochemical and biochemical conversion processes produced the highest financial performance and lowest environmental impacts when paired with pine and sweet sorghum, respectively. The high ash content of switchgrass and high lignin content of loblolly pine lowered conversion yields, resulting in the highest environmental impacts and lowest financial performance for the thermochemical and biochemical conversion processes, respectively. Biofuel produced using the thermochemical conversion process resulted in lower TRACI single score impacts and somewhat lower GHG emissions per megajoule (MJ of fuel than using the biochemical conversion pathway. The cost of carbon mitigation resulting from biofuel production and corresponding government subsidies was determined to be higher than the expected market carbon price. In some scenarios, the cost of carbon mitigation was several times higher than the market carbon price, indicating that there may be other more cost-effective methods of reducing carbon emissions.

UV/H2O2 process performance improvement by ultrafiltration and physicochemical clarification systems for industrial effluent pretreatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivanildo Hespanhol

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The present study evaluated the removal of TOC from an effluent with high organic load resulted from the treatment of oil-water emulsion by thermal process. Hollow Fiber Ultrafiltration membrane (HF-UF and physicochemical clarification process were used as pretreatment options to assess the influence of feed effluent quality on the UV/H2O2 oxidation process. Results for TOC removals showed HF-UF and physicochemical clarification processes can significantly improve the efficiency of UV/H2O2 oxidation process, when compared with the direct effluent oxidation. Reaction time for obtaining a TOC removal higher than 90% was reduced to approximately half of the time needed when no pretreatment was applied. Considering both pretreatment processes it was not possible to notice any significant difference on the UV/H2O2 oxidation process performance. However, the complexity of physicochemical process due to the use of three different chemicals and sludge production made the HF-UF process the best pretreatment alternative, without increasing the Total Dissolved Solids of the effluent, a very important issue when water reuse is considered.

Thermodynamic limits on the performance of a solar thermochemical energy storage system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lovegrove, K [Australian National Univ., Canberra (Australia). Energy Research Centre

1993-12-01

General expressions for the exergetic and work recovery efficiencies of thermochemical storage systems have been developed by assuming that the reaction process is the only source irreversibility within the closed-loop system. These have been used to plot contours of constant efficiency for the ammonia-based thermochemical system. The effect of spontaneous separation of mixtures due to the preferential condensation of ammonia has been examined analytically and graphically. The analysis presented represents a necessary prerequisite for the optimization of system efficiencies by reactor design. (author)

Materials considerations for the coupling of thermochemical hydrogen cycles to tandem mirror reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krikorian, O.H.

1980-01-01

Candidate materials are discussed and initial choices made for the critical elements in a liquid Li-Na Cauldron Tandem Mirror blanket and the General Atomic Sulfur-Iodine Cycle for thermochemical hydrogen production. V and Ti alloys provide low neutron activation, good radiation damage resistance, and good chemical compatibility for the Cauldron design. Aluminide coated In-800H and siliconized SiC are materials choices for heat exchanger components in the thermochemical cycle interface

Hydrolytic pretreatment of oily wastewater by immobilized lipase.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeganathan, Jeganaesan; Nakhla, George; Bassi, Amarjeet

2007-06-25

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hydrolysis of wastewater with high oil and grease (O&G) concentration from a pet food industry using immobilized lipase (IL) as a pretreatment step for anaerobic treatment through batch and continuous-flow experiments. The intrinsic Michaelis constant (K(m)) and maximum reaction rate (V(max)) were estimated experimentally and the K(m) value of IL (22.5g O&G/L) was six-folds higher than that of the free lipase (FL) (3.6gO&G/L), whereas V(max) of both FL (31.3mM/gmin) and IL (33.1mM/gmin) were similar. Preliminary batch anaerobic respirometric experiments showed that chemical oxygen demand (COD) and O&G reduction were 49 and 45% without pretreatment and 65 and 64% with IL pretreatment respectively, while the maximum growth rate (micromax) for pretreated wastewater (0.17d(-1)) was 3.4-folds higher than that of raw wastewater (0.05d(-1)) with similar Monod half-saturation constants (K(s) approximately 2.7gCOD/L). The continuous-flow experimental study showed the feasibility of employing the hybrid packed bed reactor (PBR)-upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) system for the treatment of high-strength oily wastewater, as reflected by its ability to operate at an oil loading rate (LR) of 4.9kgO&G/m(3)d (to the PBR) without any problems for a period of 100days. During pseudo-steady-state conditions, the hybrid UASB produced relatively higher biogas compared to the control UASB, The effluent COD and O&G concentrations of hybrid system were 100mg/L lower than that of the control UASB reactor and no foam production was observed in the hybrid UASB compared to the control UASB reactor.

Hydrolytic pretreatment of oily wastewater by immobilized lipase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeganathan, Jeganaesan; Nakhla, George; Bassi, Amarjeet

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hydrolysis of wastewater with high oil and grease (O and G) concentration from a pet food industry using immobilized lipase (IL) as a pretreatment step for anaerobic treatment through batch and continuous-flow experiments. The intrinsic Michaelis constant (K m ) and maximum reaction rate (V max ) were estimated experimentally and the K m value of IL (22.5 g O and G/L) was six-folds higher than that of the free lipase (FL) (3.6 g O and G/L), whereas V max of both FL (31.3 mM/g min) and IL (33.1 mM/g min) were similar. Preliminary batch anaerobic respirometric experiments showed that chemical oxygen demand (COD) and O and G reduction were 49 and 45% without pretreatment and 65 and 64% with IL pretreatment respectively, while the maximum growth rate (μ max ) for pretreated wastewater (0.17 d -1 ) was 3.4-folds higher than that of raw wastewater (0.05 d -1 ) with similar Monod half-saturation constants (K s ∼ 2.7 g COD/L). The continuous-flow experimental study showed the feasibility of employing the hybrid packed bed reactor (PBR)-upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) system for the treatment of high-strength oily wastewater, as reflected by its ability to operate at an oil loading rate (LR) of 4.9 kg O and G/m 3 d (to the PBR) without any problems for a period of 100 days. During pseudo-steady-state conditions, the hybrid UASB produced relatively higher biogas compared to the control UASB, The effluent COD and O and G concentrations of hybrid system were 100 mg/L lower than that of the control UASB reactor and no foam production was observed in the hybrid UASB compared to the control UASB reactor

Nuclear safety of extended sludge processing on tank 42 and 51 sludge (DWPF sludge feed batch one)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemons, J.S.

1993-01-01

The sludge in tanks 42 and 51 is to be washed with inhibited water to remove soluble salts and combined in tank 51 in preparation for feed to DWPF. Since these tanks contain uranium and plutonium, the process of washing must be evaluated to ensure subcriticality is maintained. When the sludge is washed, inhibited water is added, the tank contents are slurried and allowed to settle. The sludge wash water is then decanted to the evaporator feed tank where it is fed to the evaporator to reduce the volume. The resulting evaporator concentrate is sent to a salt tank where it cools and forms crystallized salt cake. This salt cake will later be dissolved, processed in ITP and sent to Z-Area. This report evaluates the supernate and sludge during washing, the impact on the evaporator during concentration of decanted wash water, and the salt tank where the concentrated supernate is deposited. The conclusions generated in this report are specific to the sludge currently contained in tanks 42 and 51

Model tests for corrosion influence of electrode surface on electroosmosis in marine sludge

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Lingwei; Li, Jinzhu; Shi, Hanru

2017-11-01

The corrosion of metal electrodes is inevitable on electroosmosis in soil. Surface corrosion of electrodes is also one of the reasons for increasing energy consumption in electroosmosis treatment. A series of laboratory tests were conducted employing three kinds of materials, aluminium, steel, and brass. To explore the impact of surface corrosion degree on electroosmosis, metal electrodes were pretreated with durations 0 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 36 h. After the pretreatment, corroded electrodes are used as anodes on electroosmosis. Water discharge, current, voltage potential were measured during the tests; water content was also tested at three points after the electroosmosis. The results showed that aluminium was better than steel in electroosmotic drainage while brass provided the worst dewatering performance. Surface corrosion did not influence the aluminium and steel on electroosmosis in marine sludge, but brass did. In the pretreatment of brass electrodes, corrosion rate had started to slow down at later periods, with the deterioration rate of dewatering reduced afterwards. As the results showed, it is not recommended to employ those easily deteriorated electrode materials from surface corrosion in practical engineering, such as brass; electrode material with higher electroosmosis exchange rate is recommended, such as aluminium.

Sludge busters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pichon, Max

2010-07-15

Full text: A few years ago, For Earth developed low energy sub-surface aeration systems to increase the biological activity in the wastewater sludge ponds. Then came the idea to introduce probiotic bacteria to really ramp up the process, which promises massive time and cost savings in sludge management. Increasing the volumes of specific bacteria reactivates the sludge, accelerating biological nutrient removal in general and, by tailoring the bacteria, targeting specific organic waste types. The technology is already running at more than 30 councils across NSW and in some commercial settings, such as dairy farms. Shane McKibbin, GM of For Earth, said the 'Probiotic, Low Energy Aeration System' offers considerable upside. “The cost savings have been enormous with some councils, including the work done at Woolgoolga Water Reclamation Plant at Coffs Harbour,” he said. Sludge settling in wastewater treatment plant lagoons is typically pumped out, centrifuged to remove water and then landfilled. In Woolgoolga's case that process was costing Coffs Harbour Water $150 a cubic metre; McKibbin said they've slashed that to a measly $5 a cubic metre. An array of 'industrial air stones' is dropped 1m below the surface to create an oxygenated blanket across the surface, overcoming the tendency of sludge ponds to stagnate. The key though is floating probiotic dosing lines across the surface, which kick-starts the probiotics process. “Previously, some operators just wanted to throw it on with a bucket, so the bacteria would get thrown into one corner of the pond. But since we introduced the dosing system it has really improved the overall performance,” said McKibbin.The dosing pump system automatically applies the bacteria into the dosing line according to a specified program, ensuring the probiotics are spread out across the pond and across the week. “I would say it improves and accelerates the result by 30 per cent,” he adds. “The biggest problem was that

Sludge busters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pichon, Max

2010-01-01

Full text: A few years ago, For Earth developed low energy sub-surface aeration systems to increase the biological activity in the wastewater sludge ponds. Then came the idea to introduce probiotic bacteria to really ramp up the process, which promises massive time and cost savings in sludge management. Increasing the volumes of specific bacteria reactivates the sludge, accelerating biological nutrient removal in general and, by tailoring the bacteria, targeting specific organic waste types. The technology is already running at more than 30 councils across NSW and in some commercial settings, such as dairy farms. Shane McKibbin, GM of For Earth, said the 'Probiotic, Low Energy Aeration System' offers considerable upside. “The cost savings have been enormous with some councils, including the work done at Woolgoolga Water Reclamation Plant at Coffs Harbour,” he said. Sludge settling in wastewater treatment plant lagoons is typically pumped out, centrifuged to remove water and then landfilled. In Woolgoolga's case that process was costing Coffs Harbour Water $150 a cubic metre; McKibbin said they've slashed that to a measly $5 a cubic metre. An array of 'industrial air stones' is dropped 1m below the surface to create an oxygenated blanket across the surface, overcoming the tendency of sludge ponds to stagnate. The key though is floating probiotic dosing lines across the surface, which kick-starts the probiotics process. “Previously, some operators just wanted to throw it on with a bucket, so the bacteria would get thrown into one corner of the pond. But since we introduced the dosing system it has really improved the overall performance,” said McKibbin.The dosing pump system automatically applies the bacteria into the dosing line according to a specified program, ensuring the probiotics are spread out across the pond and across the week. “I would say it improves and accelerates the result by 30 per cent,” he adds. “The biggest problem was that

Towards the renewal of the NEA Thermochemical Database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ragoussi, Maria-Eleni; Costa, Davide; Bossant, Manuel

2015-01-01

The Thermochemical Database (TDB) Project was created three decades ago as a joint undertaking of the NEA Radioactive Waste Management Committee and the NEA Data Bank. The project involves the collection of high-quality and traceable thermochemical data for a set of elements (mainly minor actinides and fission products) relevant to geophysical modelling of deep geological repositories. Funding comes from 15 participating organisations, primarily national nuclear waste authorities and research institutions. The quantities that are stored in the TDB database are: the standard molar Gibbs energy and enthalpy of formation, the standard molar entropy and, when available, the heat capacity at constant pressure, together with their uncertainty intervals. Reaction data are also provided: equilibrium constant of reaction, molar Gibbs energy of reaction, molar enthalpy of reaction and molar entropy of reaction. Data assessment is carried out by teams of expert reviewers through an in-depth analysis of the available scientific literature, following strict guidelines defined by the NEA to ensure the accuracy and self-consistency of the adopted datasets. Thermochemical data that has been evaluated and selected over the years have been published in the 13 volumes of the Chemical Thermodynamics series. They are also stored in a database that is updated each time the study of a new element is completed. The TDB selected data are made available to external third parties through the NEA web site where data extracted from the database can be displayed and downloaded as plain text files. Following recent recommendations of the Task Force on the Future Programme of the NEA Data Bank to enhance scientific expertise and user services, a renewal of the software managing the TDB database is being undertaken. The software currently used was designed 20 years ago and is becoming obsolete. Redesigning the application will provide an opportunity to correct current shortcomings and to develop

Bibliographic Review about Solar Hydrogen Production Through Thermochemical Cycles; Revision Bibliografica sobre la Produccion de Hidrogeno Solar Mediante Ciclos Termoquimicos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez Saavedra, R.

2007-12-28

This report presents a summary of the different thermical processes used to obtain hydrogen through solar energy, paying more attention to the production of hydrogen from water through thermochemical cycles. In this aspect, it is briefly described the most interesting thermochemical cycles, focusing on thermochemical cycles based on oxides. (Author) 25 refs.

Bibliographic Review about Solar Hydrogen Production Through Thermochemical Cycles; Revision Bibliografica sobre la Produccion de Hidrogeno Solar Mediante Ciclos Termoquimicos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez Saavedra, R.

2008-08-06

This report presents a summary of the different thermical processes used to obtain hydrogen through solar energy, paying more attention to the production of hydrogen from water through thermochemical cycles. In this aspect, it is briefly y described the most interesting thermochemical cycles, focusing on thermochemical cycles based on oxides. (Author) 25 refs.

Sludge Stabilization Campaign blend plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Vries, M.L.

1994-01-01

This sludge stabilization blend plan documents the material to be processed and the order of processing for the FY95 Sludge Stabilization Campaign. The primary mission of this process is to reduce the inventory of unstable plutonium bearing sludge. The source of the sludge is residual and glovebox floor sweepings from the production of material at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). The reactive sludge is currently being stored in various gloveboxes at PFP. There are two types of the plutonium bearing material that will be thermally stabilized in the muffle furnace: Plutonium Reclamation Facility (PRF) sludge and Remote Mechanical C (RMC) Line material

Microbial Insight into a Pilot-Scale Enhanced Two-Stage High-Solid Anaerobic Digestion System Treating Waste Activated Sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jing; Cao, Zhiping; Hu, Yuying; Wang, Xiaolu; Wang, Guangqi; Zuo, Jiane; Wang, Kaijun; Qian, Yi

2017-11-30

High solid anaerobic digestion (HSAD) is a rapidly developed anaerobic digestion technique for treating municipal sludge, and has been widely used in Europe and Asia. Recently, the enhanced HSAD process with thermal treatment showed its advantages in both methane production and VS reduction. However, the understanding of the microbial community is still poor. This study investigated microbial communities in a pilot enhanced two-stage HSAD system that degraded waste activated sludge at 9% solid content. The system employed process "thermal pre-treatment (TPT) at 70 °C, thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD), and mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD)". Hydrogenotrophic methanogens Methanothermobacter spp. dominated the system with relative abundance up to about 100% in both TAD and MAD. Syntrophic acetate oxidation (SAO) bacteria were discovered in TAD, and they converted acetate into H₂ and CO₂ to support hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. The microbial composition and conversion route of this system are derived from the high solid content and protein content in raw sludge, as well as the operational conditions. This study could facilitate the understanding of the enhanced HSAD process, and is of academic and industrial importance.

Co-firing a pressurized fluidized-bed combustion system with coal and refuse derived fuels and/or sludges. Task 16

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DeLallo, M.; Zaharchuk, R.

1994-01-01

The co-firing of waste materials with coal in utility scale power plants has emerged as an effective approach to produce energy and manage municipal waste. Leading this approach, the atmospheric fluidized-bed combustor (AFBC) has demonstrated its commercial acceptance in the utility market as a reliable source of power burning a variety of waste and alternative fuels. The fluidized bed, with its stability of combustion, reduces the amount of thermochemical transients and provides for easier process control. The application of pressurized fluidized-bed combustor (PFBC) technology, although relatively new, can provide significant enhancements to the efficient production of electricity while maintaining the waste management benefits of AFBC. A study was undertaken to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of co-firing a PFBC with coal and municipal and industrial wastes. Focus was placed on the production of electricity and the efficient disposal of wastes for application in central power station and distributed locations. Wastes considered for co-firing include municipal solid waste (MSW), tire-derived fuel (TDF), sewage sludge, and industrial de-inking sludge. Issues concerning waste material preparation and feed, PFBC operation, plant emissions, and regulations are addressed. This paper describes the results of this investigation, presents conclusions on the key issues, and provides recommendations for further evaluation.

Gas composition of sludge residue profiles in a sludge treatment reed bed between loadings.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Julie D; Nielsen, Steen M; Scheutz, Charlotte

2017-11-01

Treatment of sludge in sludge treatment reed bed systems includes dewatering and mineralization. The mineralization process, which is driven by microorganisms, produces different gas species as by-products. The pore space composition of the gas species provides useful information on the biological processes occurring in the sludge residue. In this study, we measured the change in composition of gas species in the pore space at different depth levels in vertical sludge residue profiles during a resting period of 32 days. The gas composition of the pore space in the sludge residue changed during the resting period. As the resting period proceeded, atmospheric air re-entered the pore space at all depth levels. The methane (CH 4 ) concentration was at its highest during the first part of the resting period, and then declined as the sludge residue became more dewatered and thereby aerated. In the pore space, the concentration of CH 4 often exceeded the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). However, the total emission of CO 2 from the surface of the sludge residue exceeded the total emission of CH 4 , suggesting that CO 2 was mainly produced in the layer of newly applied sludge and/or that CO 2 was emitted from the sludge residue more readily compared to CH 4 .

Functions and requirements for Project W-236B, Initial Pretreatment Module: Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swanson, L.M.

1994-01-01

Hanford Site tank waste supernatants will be pretreated to separate the low-level and high-level fractions. The low-level waste fraction, containing the bulk of the chemical constituents, must be processed into a vitrified waste product which will be disposed of onsite, in a safe, environmentally sound, and cost effective manner. The high-level waste fraction separated during supernatant pretreatment (primarily cesium) will be recombined with an additional high-level waste fraction generated from pretreatment of the tank waste sludges and solids. This combined high-level waste fraction will be immobilized as glass and disposed in a geological repository. The purpose of this document is to establish the functional requirements baseline for Project W-236B, Initial Pretreatment Module, by defining the level 5 and 6 functions and requirements for the project. A functional analysis approach has been used to break down the program functions and associated physical requirements that each function must meet. As the systems engineering process evolves, the design requirements document will replace this preliminary functions and requirements document. The design requirements document (DRD) will identify key decisions and associated uncertainties that impact the project. A revision of this document to a DRD is not expected to change the performance requirements or open issues. However, additional requirements and issues may be identified

Sludge recovery apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marmo, A.R.

1979-01-01

An improved design of a sludge recovery apparatus used in the fabrication of nuclear fuel is described. This apparatus provides for automatic separation of sludge from the grinder coolant, drying of the sludge into a flowable powder and transfer of the dry powder to a salvage container. It can be constructed to comply with criticality-safe-geometry requirements and to obviate need for operating personnel in its immediate vicinity. (UK)

Thermochemical study of MoS2 oxidation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filimonov, D.S.; Topor, N.D.; Kesler, Ya.A.

1990-01-01

Thermochemical studies of oxidation processes of metallic molybdenum, sulfur, molybdenum disulfide under different conditions in microcalorimeter are conducted. Values of thermal effects which are used to calculate standard formation enthalpy of MoS 2 and which correlate well are obtained. Δ f H 0 (MoS 2 ,298.15 K) recommended value constitutes (-223.0±16.7) kJ/mol

Gas composition of sludge residue profiles in a sludge treatment reed bed between loadings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Julie Dam; Nielsen, Steen M; Scheutz, Charlotte

2017-01-01

Treatment of sludge in sludge treatment reed bed systems includes dewatering and mineralization. The mineralization process, which is driven by microorganisms, produces different gas species as by-products. The pore space composition of the gas species provides useful information on the biological...... processes occurring in the sludge residue. In this study, we measured the change in composition of gas species in the pore space at different depth levels in vertical sludge residue profiles during a resting period of 32 days. The gas composition of the pore space in the sludge residue changed during...

Sludge technology assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krause, T.R.; Cunnane, J.C.; Helt, J.E.

1994-12-01

The retrieval, processing, and generation of final waste forms from radioactive tank waste sludges present some of the most challenging technical problems confronting scientists and engineers responsible for the waste management programs at the various Department of Energy laboratories and production facilities. Currently, the Department of Energy is developing a strategy to retrieve, process, and generate a final waste form for the sludge that meets the acceptance criteria for the final disposition. An integral part of this strategy will be use of separation processes that treat the sludge; the goal is to meet feed criteria for the various processes that will generate the final waste form, such as vitrification or grouting. This document is intended to (1) identify separation technologies which are being considered for sludge treatment at various DOE sites, (2) define the current state of sludge treatment technology, (3) identify what research and development is required, (4) identify current research programs within either DOE or academia developing sludge treatment technology, and (5) identify commercial separation technologies which may be applicable. Due to the limited scope of this document, technical evaluations regarding the need for a particular separations technology, the current state of development, or the research required for implementation, are not provided

Improved microbial conversion of de-oiled Jatropha waste into biohydrogen via inoculum pretreatment: process optimization by experimental design approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gopalakrishnan Kumar

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this study various pretreatment methods of sewage sludge inoculum and the statistical process optimization of de-oiled jatropha waste have been reported. Peak hydrogen production rate (HPR and hydrogen yield (HY of 0.36 L H2/L-d and 20 mL H2/g Volatile Solid (VS were obtained when heat shock pretreatment (95 oC, 30 min was employed. Afterwards, an experimental design was applied to find the optimal conditions for H2 production using heat-pretreated seed culture. The optimal substrate concentration, pH and temperature were determined by using response surface methodology as 205 g/L, 6.53 and 55.1 oC, respectively. Under these circumstances, the highest HPR of 1.36 L H2/L-d was predicted. Verification tests proved the reliability of the statistical approach. As a result of the heat pretreatment and fermentation optimization, a significant (~ 4 folds increase in HPR was achieved. PCR-DGGE results revealed that Clostridium sp. were majorly present under the optimal conditions.

A new method for the simultaneous enhancement of methane yield and reduction of hydrogen sulfide production in the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Xiaohu; Hu, Chongliang; Zhang, Dong; Chen, Yinguang

2017-11-01

The biogas generated from anaerobic digestion (AD) also includes undesirable by-product such as hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), which must be removed before the biogas can be used as a clean energy source. Therefore, it is necessary to find an appropriate strategy to simultaneously enhance the methane yield and reduce H 2 S production. An efficient strategy-pretreating sludge at pH 10 for 8d and adjusting the system at neutral pH to produce methane for 20d-is reported for the synchronous enhancement of methane production and reduction of H 2 S production during AD. The experimental results showed that the cumulative methane yield was 861.2±6.1mL/g volatile solids (VS) of sludge pretreated at pH 10 in semi-continuous stirred anaerobic reactors for 84d, an increase of 49.6% over the yield in the control. Meanwhile, the cumulative production of H 2 S was 144.1×10 -4 mL/g VS, 54.2% lower than that in the control. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Activated sludge model No. 3

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gujer, W.; Henze, M.; Mino, T.

1999-01-01

The Activated Sludge Model No. 3 (ASM3) can predict oxygen consumption, sludge production, nitrification and denitrification of activated sludge systems. It relates to the Activated Sludge Model No. 1 (ASM1) and corrects for some defects of ASM I. In addition to ASM1, ASM3 includes storage of org...

Efficiency of a pilot-scale integrated sludge thickening and digestion reactor in treating low-organic excess sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Qiang; Li, Jiang; Liu, Hongxia; Tang, Chuandong; de Koning, Jaap; Spanjers, Henri

2012-06-01

The sludge production from medium- and small-scale wastewater treatment plants in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region is low and non-stable; especially, the organic content in this sludge is low (near 40% of VS/TS). An integrated thickening and digestion (ISTD) reactor was developed to treat this low-organic excess sludge. After a flow test and start-up experiment of the reactor, a running experiment was used to investigate the excess sludge treatment efficiency under five different excess sludge inflows: 200, 300, 400, 500 and 400 L/d (a mixture of excess sludge and primary sludge in a volume ratio of 9:1). This trial was carried out in the wastewater treatment plant in Chongqing, which covers 80% of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, under the following conditions: (1) sludge was heated to 38-40 degrees C using an electrical heater to maintain anaerobic mesophilic digestion; (2) the biogas produced was recirculated to mix raw sludge with anaerobic sludge in the reactor under the flow rate of 12.5 L/min. There were three main results. Firstly, the flow pattern of the inner reactor was almost completely mixed under the air flow of 12.0 L/min using clear water. Secondly, under all the different sludge inflows, the water content in the outlet sludge was below 93%. Thirdly, the organic content in the outlet sludge was decreased from 37% to 30% and from 24% to 20%, whose removal ratio was in relation to the organic content of the inlet sludge. The excess sludge treatment capacity of the ISTD reactor was according to the organic content in the excess sludge.

Bacterial composition of activated sludge - importance for floc and sludge properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nielsen, Per H.; Thomsen, Trine R.; Nielsen, Jeppe L.

2003-07-01

Activated sludge flocs consist of numerous constituents which, together with other factors, are responsible for floc structure and floc properties. These properties largely determine the sludge properties such as flocculation, settling and dewaterability. In this paper we briefly review the present knowledge about the role of bacteria in relation to floc and sludge properties, and we present a new approach to investigate the identity and function of the bacteria in the activated sludge flocs. The approach includes identification of the important bacteria and a characterization of their physiological and functional properties. It is carried out by use of culture-independent molecular biological methods linked with other methods to study the physiology and function maintaining a single cell resolution. Using this approach it was found that floc-forming properties differed among the various bacterial groups, e.g. that different microcolony-forming bacteria had very different sensitivities to shear and that some of them deflocculated under anaerobic conditions. in our opinion, the approach to combine identity with functional analysis of the dominant bacteria in activated sludge by in situ methods is a very promising way to investigate correlations between presence of specific bacteria, and floc and sludge properties that are of interest. (author)

Impact of pre-treatment technologies on soil aquifer treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Besançon

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the impact of pre-treatment options on the performances of soil columns simulating soil aquifer treatment (SAT. For this purpose a conventional activated sludge (CAS process, a membrane bioreactor (MBR and vertical flow reed beds were used as single units or in combination before SAT. The influent and effluent from each treatment train were monitored over three successive 6-month periods, corresponding to changes in the operational conditions of the MBR and CAS units from 6 days' sludge retention time (SRT to 12 and 20 days. All the columns acted as efficient polishing steps for solids and bacteria. The column receiving effluent from the CAS system running at 6 days' SRT also presented high total nitrogen and total phosphorus removals, but this column was also associated with the lowest infiltration rates over that period. While the quality of the effluent from the column following the CAS process increased over 18 months of operation, the effluent quality of the columns receiving MBR effluent degraded. No correlations were found between variations in SRT of the MBR and CAS processes and the columns' performances. Overall, all columns, except the one receiving CAS effluent, underwent a reduction in infiltration rate over 18 months.

Radiation hygienization of raw sewage sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, M.R.; Lavale, D.S.; Rawat, P.; Benny, P.G.; Sharma, A.K.; Dey, G.R.; Bhave, V.

2001-01-01

'Radiation treatment of municipal sewage sludge can achieve resource conservation and recovery objectives. The liquid sludge irradiator of Sludge Hygienization Research Irradiator at Baroda (India) was operated for generating data on treatment of raw sludge containing 3-4 % solids. The plant system was modified for irradiating raw sludge without affecting basic irradiator initially designed to treat digested sludge. Hourly samples were analysed for estimation of disinfection dose requirement. Sand separated from the sludge was used as in-situ dosimeter by making use of its thermoluminescence property. Investigations are being carried out for regrowth of Total Coliforms in the sludge samples from this irradiator. Possibility of inadequate treatment due to geometric configuration of irradiator is being checked. (author)

Monitoring of total metal concentration in sludge samples: Case study for the mechanical–biological wastewater treatment plant in Velika Gorica, Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filipović, Josip; Grčić, Ivana; Bermanec, Vladimir; Kniewald, Goran

2013-01-01

In this paper, monitoring of total metal concentration in sludge samples from wastewater treatment process is elaborated. The presented results summarize the analyses of sludge samples in a period from 2008 to 2012. Possible sources of pollutions are given. Primarily, waste solid samples were collected from different pretreatment steps: (A) coarse grid, (B) fine grid and (C) aerated sand grease grid. Samples of A and B followed a repeatable pattern in 2008 and 2010. According to the results from 2008, samples of C contained measurable concentration of the following metals (mg/kg dry matter): Zn (21), Ni (1.05) and Ba (14.9). Several types of sludge samples were analyzed: fresh raw sludge (PS; 6–12 hour old), the sludge from the digester for anaerobic sludge treatment (DS; 48–72 hour old), samples from lagoons where the sludge is temporarily deposited (DOS and DOSold; 30–120 days) and sludge samples from agricultural areas (AA; aged over 180 days). Additionally, samples of dehydrated sludge (DEHS and DEHSold; 90–180 days) were collected upon construction of equipment for sludge dehydration in 2011. An analysis of total metal concentrations for Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, Hg, Cd, Ba, As, Se, Sb, Co, Mo, Fe and Mn was performed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The most recent results (year 2011) indicated a high concentration of heavy metals in PS samples, exceeding the MCLs (mg/kg dry matter): Cu (2122), Zn (5945), Hg (13.67) and Cd (6.29). In 2012 (until July), only a concentration of Cu exceeded MCL (928.75 and 1230.5 in DS and DEHS, respectively). A composition of sludge was variable through time, offering the limited possibility for future prediction. The sludge is being considered as a hazardous waste and a subject of discussion regarding disposal. - Highlights: ► Summarized 5-year monitoring data for heavy metals in sludge ► Partially determined sources of pollution by

Monitoring of total metal concentration in sludge samples: Case study for the mechanical–biological wastewater treatment plant in Velika Gorica, Croatia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filipović, Josip [Town Office for Physical Planning and Environmental Protection, Velika Gorica County, Trg kralja Tomislava 34, 10410 Velika Gorica (Croatia); Grčić, Ivana, E-mail: igrcic@fkit.hr [Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb Marulićev trg 19, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia); Bermanec, Vladimir [Institute of Mineralogy and Petrology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac bb, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia); Kniewald, Goran [Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia)

2013-03-01

In this paper, monitoring of total metal concentration in sludge samples from wastewater treatment process is elaborated. The presented results summarize the analyses of sludge samples in a period from 2008 to 2012. Possible sources of pollutions are given. Primarily, waste solid samples were collected from different pretreatment steps: (A) coarse grid, (B) fine grid and (C) aerated sand grease grid. Samples of A and B followed a repeatable pattern in 2008 and 2010. According to the results from 2008, samples of C contained measurable concentration of the following metals (mg/kg dry matter): Zn (21), Ni (1.05) and Ba (14.9). Several types of sludge samples were analyzed: fresh raw sludge (PS; 6–12 hour old), the sludge from the digester for anaerobic sludge treatment (DS; 48–72 hour old), samples from lagoons where the sludge is temporarily deposited (DOS and DOSold; 30–120 days) and sludge samples from agricultural areas (AA; aged over 180 days). Additionally, samples of dehydrated sludge (DEHS and DEHSold; 90–180 days) were collected upon construction of equipment for sludge dehydration in 2011. An analysis of total metal concentrations for Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, Hg, Cd, Ba, As, Se, Sb, Co, Mo, Fe and Mn was performed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The most recent results (year 2011) indicated a high concentration of heavy metals in PS samples, exceeding the MCLs (mg/kg dry matter): Cu (2122), Zn (5945), Hg (13.67) and Cd (6.29). In 2012 (until July), only a concentration of Cu exceeded MCL (928.75 and 1230.5 in DS and DEHS, respectively). A composition of sludge was variable through time, offering the limited possibility for future prediction. The sludge is being considered as a hazardous waste and a subject of discussion regarding disposal. - Highlights: ► Summarized 5-year monitoring data for heavy metals in sludge ► Partially determined sources of pollution by

Sewage sludges disinfection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandre, D.; Gevaudan, P.P.

1977-01-01

There is a hygienic risk in using biological sewage sludges for agriculture. Systematic analyses carried out on sludge samples obtained from purification plants in the Eastern and Southern part of France, show the almost uniform presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Some of them survive more than nine months after application to the soil. Conventional processes for disinfection, liming and heat, make the sludge unsuitable for agricultural use. On the other hand, irradiation involves no modification of structure and composition of sludges. Radiation doses required for disinfection vary according to the type of microorganism. Some of them are eliminated at rather low doses (200 krad), but mycobacteria, viruses and eggs of worms resist to more important doses. The security dose is estimated to be approx. 1000 krad

Degradation of slime extracellular polymeric substances and inhibited sludge flocs destruction contribute to sludge dewaterability enhancement during fungal treatment of sludge using filamentous fungus Mucor sp. GY-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhenyu; Zheng, Guanyu; Zhou, Lixiang

2015-09-01

Mechanisms responsible for the sludge dewaterability enhanced by filamentous fungi during fungal treatment of sludge were investigated in the present study. The filamentous fungus Mucor sp. GY-1, isolated from waste activated sludge, enhanced sludge dewaterability by 82.1% to achieve the lowest value of normalized sludge specific resistance to filtration (SRF), 8.18 × 10(10) m · L/kg · g-TSS. During the fungal treatment of sludge, 57.8% of slime extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and 51.1% of polysaccharide in slime EPS were degraded, respectively, by Mucor sp. GY-1, contributing to the improvement of sludge dewaterability. Slime EPS is much more available for Mucor sp. GY-1 than either LB-EPS or TB-EPS that bound with microbial cells. In addition, filamentous fungus Mucor sp. GY-1 entrapped small sludge particles and inhibited the destruction of sludge flocs larger than 100 μm, thus enhancing sludge dewaterability, during fungal treatment of sludge using Mucor sp. GY-1. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermochemical treatment of radioactive waste by using powder metal fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dmitriev, S.A.; Ojovan, M.I.; Karlina, O.K.

2001-01-01

Full text: A thermochemical approach was suggested for treating and conditioning specific streams of radioactive wastes for example spent ion exchange resins, mixed, organic or chlorine-containing radioactive waste as well as in order to decontaminate heavily contaminated surfaces. Conventional treatment methods of such waste encounters serious problems concerning complete destruction of organic molecules and possible emissions of radionuclides, heavy metals and chemically hazardous species or in case of contaminated materials - complete removal of contamination from surface. The thermochemical treatment of radioactive waste uses powdered metal fuels (PMF) that are specifically formulated for the waste composition and react chemically with the waste components. Thermochemical treatment technologies use the energy of chemical reactions in the mixture of waste with PMF to sustain both decomposition and synthesis processes as well as processes of isomorphic substitutions of hazardous elements into stable mineral forms. The composition of the PMF is designed in such a way as to minimise the release of hazardous components and radionuclides in the off gas and to confine the contaminants in the mineral or glass like final products. The thermochemical procedures allow decomposition of organic matter and capturing hazardous radionuclides and chemical species simultaneously. Thermochemical treatment technologies are very efficient, easy to apply, they have low capital investment and can be used both at large and small facilities. An advantage of thermochemical technologies is their autonomy. Thus these technologies can be successfully applied in order to treat small amount of waste without usage of complex and expensive equipment. They can be used also in emergency situations. Currently the thermochemical treatment technologies were developed and demonstrated to be feasible as follows: 1. Decontamination of surfaces; 2. Processing of organic waste; 3. Vitrification of dusty

The NAGRA/PSI thermochemical database: new developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hummel, W.; Berner, U.; Thoenen, T.; Pearson, F.J.Jr.

2000-01-01

The development of a high quality thermochemical database for performance assessment is a scientifically fascinating and demanding task, and is not simply collecting and recording numbers. The final product can by visualised as a complex building with different storeys representing different levels of complexity. The present status report illustrates the various building blocks which we believe are integral to such a database structure. (authors)

The NAGRA/PSI thermochemical database: new developments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hummel, W.; Berner, U.; Thoenen, T. [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland); Pearson, F.J.Jr. [Ground-Water Geochemistry, New Bern, NC (United States)

2000-07-01

The development of a high quality thermochemical database for performance assessment is a scientifically fascinating and demanding task, and is not simply collecting and recording numbers. The final product can by visualised as a complex building with different storeys representing different levels of complexity. The present status report illustrates the various building blocks which we believe are integral to such a database structure. (authors)

Thermochemical structure of the Earth's mantle and continental crust

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guerri, Mattia

A detailed knowledge of the Earth's thermal structure and chemical composition is fundamental in order to understand the processes driving the planet ormation and evolution. The inaccessibility of most of the Earth's interior makes the determination of its thermo-chemical conditions a challenging...

Anaerobic treatment of antibiotic production wastewater pretreated with enhanced hydrolysis: Simultaneous reduction of COD and ARGs.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Qizhen; Zhang, Yu; Gao, Yingxin; Tian, Zhe; Yang, Min

2017-03-01

The presence of high concentration antibiotics in wastewater can disturb the stability of biological wastewater treatment systems and promote generation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during the treatment. To solve this problem, a pilot system consisting of enhanced hydrolysis pretreatment and an up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor in succession was constructed for treating oxytetracycline production wastewater, and the performance was evaluated in a pharmaceutical factory in comparison with a full-scale anaerobic system operated in parallel. After enhanced hydrolysis under conditions of pH 7 and 85 °C for 6 h, oxytetracycline production wastewater with an influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 11,086 ± 602 mg L -1 was directly introduced into the pilot UASB reactor. With the effective removal of oxytetracycline and its antibacterial potency (from 874 mg L -1 to less than 0.61 mg L -1 and from 900 mg L -1 to less than 0.84 mg L -1 , respectively) by the enhanced hydrolysis pretreatment, an average COD removal rate of 83.2%, 78.5% and 68.9% was achieved at an organic loading rate of 3.3, 4.8 and 5.9 kg COD m -3  d -1 , respectively. At the same time, the relative abundances of the total tetracycline (tet) genes and a mobile element (Class 1 integron (intI1)) in anaerobic sludge on day 96 were one order of magnitude lower than those in inoculated sludge on day 0 (P anaerobic system treating oxytetracycline production wastewater with an influent COD of 3720 ± 128 mg L -1 after dilution exhibited a COD removal of 51 ± 4% at an organic loading rate (OLR) 1.2 ± 0.2 kg m -3  d -1 , and a total tet gene abundance in sludge was five times higher than the pilot-scale system (P anaerobic treatment of oxytetracycline production wastewater containing high concentrations of oxytetracycline with significantly lower generation of ARGs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomass thermochemical gasification: Experimental studies and modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Ajay

The overall goals of this research were to study the biomass thermochemical gasification using experimental and modeling techniques, and to evaluate the cost of industrial gas production and combined heat and power generation. This dissertation includes an extensive review of progresses in biomass thermochemical gasification. Product gases from biomass gasification can be converted to biopower, biofuels and chemicals. However, for its viable commercial applications, the study summarizes the technical challenges in the gasification and downstream processing of product gas. Corn stover and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), a non-fermentable byproduct of ethanol production, were used as the biomass feedstocks. One of the objectives was to determine selected physical and chemical properties of corn stover related to thermochemical conversion. The parameters of the reaction kinetics for weight loss were obtained. The next objective was to investigate the effects of temperature, steam to biomass ratio and equivalence ratio on gas composition and efficiencies. DDGS gasification was performed on a lab-scale fluidized-bed gasifier with steam and air as fluidizing and oxidizing agents. Increasing the temperature resulted in increases in hydrogen and methane contents and efficiencies. A model was developed to simulate the performance of a lab-scale gasifier using Aspen Plus(TM) software. Mass balance, energy balance and minimization of Gibbs free energy were applied for the gasification to determine the product gas composition. The final objective was to optimize the process by maximizing the net energy efficiency, and to estimate the cost of industrial gas, and combined heat and power (CHP) at a biomass feedrate of 2000 kg/h. The selling price of gas was estimated to be 11.49/GJ for corn stover, and 13.08/GJ for DDGS. For CHP generation, the electrical and net efficiencies were 37 and 86%, respectively for corn stover, and 34 and 78%, respectively for DDGS. For

REITP3-Hazard evaluation program for heat release based on thermochemical calculation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akutsu, Yoshiaki.; Tamura, Masamitsu. [The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan). School of Engineering; Kawakatsu, Yuichi. [Oji Paper Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Wada, Yuji. [National Institute for Resources and Environment, Tsukuba (Japan); Yoshida, Tadao. [Hosei University, Tokyo (Japan). College of Engineering

1999-06-30

REITP3-A hazard evaluation program for heat release besed on thermochemical calculation has been developed by modifying REITP2 (Revised Estimation of Incompatibility from Thermochemical Properties{sup 2)}. The main modifications are as follows. (1) Reactants are retrieved from the database by chemical formula. (2) As products are listed in an external file, the addition of products and change in order of production can be easily conducted. (3) Part of the program has been changed by considering its use on a personal computer or workstation. These modifications will promote the usefulness of the program for energy hazard evaluation. (author)

Improvement of sludge dewaterability and removal of sludge-borne metals by bioleaching at optimum pH.