Dewaterability of CAS and MBR Sludge: Effect of Biological Stability and EPS Composition
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 1
Abstract
The dewaterability of sludge from two conventional activated sludge (CAS) and three membrane bioreactor (MBR)–based wastewater treatment plants is investigated prior to and after anaerobic digestion. The concentration and composition of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) mostly affect the dewaterability of all raw sludge samples. Better sludge dewaterability is observed when the concentration of proteins, carbohydrates, uronic acids, and humic acids is below approximately 400, 250, 200, and , respectively. In contrast, the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) increases in the sludge samples with a higher EPS concentration. The MBR results in a lower EPS production and a uronic acid–dominating EPS composition. This especially affects the dewaterability of one MBR sludge, also characterized by high salinity and a smaller particle size. Anaerobic digestion results in a higher SRF for both CAS and MBR sludge, with the particle-size distribution having the preponderant effect on the digested sludge dewaterability.
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Acknowledgments
This study was carried out in the framework of the following research projects: (1) “Microbiological, physical-chemical and kinetic characterization of biomasses from membrane bioreactor (MBR) wastewater treatment plants, aimed to the optimization of the operating conditions and the mathematical modeling of depurative processes” funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) through the Research Project of National Interest PRIN 2009; and (2) “Energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the wastewater treatment plants: A decision support system for planning and management” financed by a grant of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) through the Research Project of National Interest PRIN 2012. The authors thank Mr. Corrado Ziccardi from GORI for his helpfulness in providing the sludge samples and information regarding the operating conditions of the full-scale WWTPs.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 144 • Issue 1 • January 2018
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 24, 2016
Accepted: Jul 3, 2017
Published online: Nov 11, 2017
Published in print: Jan 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Apr 11, 2018
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