Semicontinuous Operation of One-Stage Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge: Effects of Retention Time
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 3
Abstract
One-stage autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD) is a promising process for sewage sludge stabilization. This study investigated semicontinuous operation in simulated one-stage ATAD digesters and analyzed the effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on sludge stabilization. During semicontinuous operation, the average volatile solids (VS) removals at HRTs of 13 and 16 days were 40.1% and 41.8%, respectively. Because HRTs were 6 and 10 days, the maximum VS removal was no more than 33.2%, less than 38% required by Class A digested sludge, so a suitable HRT level is 13–16 days for a one-stage ATAD system. The digesters with 13- and 16-day HRTs maintained relatively low soluble chemical oxidation demand (SCOD), total nitrogen, , and total phosphate, whereas the digester at HRT 6 days had high SCOD concentration () and low oxidation reduction potential (ORP), ranging between and . Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulated rapidly at short HRTs, and acetic, propionic, isobutyric, and isovaleric acids were the major components of VFAs in the digester with a 6-day HRT. Digestion systems at HRTs of 13 and 16 days had lower specific capillary suction time than the other two digesters at HRTs of 6 and 10 days, indicating that extending retention time favors the dewaterability of the digested sludge.
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Acknowledgments
This study was financially supported by the National Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China (863) (No.2011AA060906) and the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No.50878127).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 3 • March 2013
Pages: 422 - 427
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 25, 2012
Accepted: Sep 10, 2012
Published online: Sep 12, 2012
Published in print: Mar 1, 2013
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