Multistaged Anaerobic Sludge Digestion Processes
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 8
Abstract
Two multistaged anaerobic digestion systems, a four-stage thermophilic anaerobic digestion (4TAD), all at 55°C, and a four-stage anaerobic digestion with a tapered temperature configuration (4ADT) at 55, 49, 43, and 37°C, respectively, were studied to evaluate their solids, volatile organic sulfur compounds, and indicator organism (E. coli and fecal coliform) reduction potentials. The 4TAD system removed significantly more volatile solids from sludges than the 4ADT system (6%). However, the dewatered biosolids cakes from the 4ADT system generated fewer organic sulfur compounds than those from the 4TAD system. Both multistage systems showed better digestion efficiencies than single-stage mesophilic or single-stage thermophilic anaerobic digesters at the same overall retention time. However, the lowest organic sulfur compounds were observed from the single mesophilic system. Both multistage anaerobic digestion systems failed to dramatically remove DNA of the indicator organism, E. coli, quantified by real time polymerase chain reaction, even though the indicator organism densities measured by standard culturing methods satisfied EPA Class A biosolids requirements.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the UNSPECIFIEDMid-Atlantic Biosolids Association. The oversight of M. Abu-Orf, R. Eschborn, and C. Peot is gratefully acknowledged.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 8 • August 2011
Pages: 746 - 753
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 24, 2010
Accepted: Feb 3, 2011
Published online: Jul 15, 2011
Published in print: Aug 1, 2011
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