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.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
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.
References
American Public Health Association. (1998). Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater, 20th Ed., Washington, DC.
Bivins, J. L., and Novak, J. T. (2001). “Changes in dewatering properties between the thermophilic and mesophilic stages in temperature-phased anaerobic digestion systems.” Water Environ. Res., 73(4), 444–449.
Chen, Y., Higgins, M. J., Maas, N. A., and Murthy, S. N. (2006). “DNA extraction and E. coli quantification of anaerobically digested biosolids using the competitive touchdown PCR method.” Water Res., 40(16), 3037–3044.
Dubois, M., Gilles, K. A., Hamilton, J. K., Rebers, P. A., and Smith, F. (1956). “Colorimetric methods for determination of sugars and related substances.” Anal. Chem., 28(3), 350–356.
Erdal, Z. K., et al. (2008). “Recent findings on biosolids cake odor reduction: Results of WERF phase 3 biosolids odor research.” J. Environ. Sci. Health A, Toxic/Hazard. Subst. Environ. Eng., 43(13), 1575–1580.
Forbes, B., et al. (2004). “Impacts of the in-plant operational parameters on biosolids odor quality—Final results of WERF odor project phase 2 field and laboratory study.” Proc., WEF/A&WMA Odors and Air Emissions 2004, Bellevue, WA.
Freeman, S. A., Sierra-Alveraz, R., Altinbas, M., Hollingsworth, J., Stams, A. J. M., and Smidt, H. (2008). “Molecular characterization of mesophilic and thermophilic sulfate reducing microbial communities in expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactors.” Biodegradation, 19(2), 161–177.
Frłlund, B., Palmgren, R., Keiding, K., and Nielsen, P. H. (1996). “Extraction of extracellular polymers from activated sludge using cation exchange resin.” Water Res., 30(8), 1749–1758.
Gerardi, M. H. (2003). Biogas in the microbiology of anaerobic digesters, Chapter 9, Wiley, New York, 73.
Glindemann, D., Murthy, S. N., Higgins, M. J., Chen, Y.-C., and Novak, J. T. (2006). “Biosolids incubation method for odorous gas measurement from dewatered sludge cakes.” J. Residuals Sci. Technol., 3(3), 153–160.
Han, Y., and Dague, R. R. (1997). “Laboratory studies on the temperature phased anaerobic digestion of domestic primary sludge.” Water Environ. Res., 69(6), 1139–1143.
Higgins, M. J., and Novak, J. T. (1997). “Characterization of exocellular protein and its role in bioflocculation.” J. Environ. Eng., 123(5), 479–485.
Higgins, M. J., et al. (2006). “Cycling of volatile organic sulfur compounds in anaerobically digested biosolids and its implication for odors.” Water Environ. Res., 78(3), 243–252.
Higgins, M. J., Chen, Y. C., Murthy, S. N., Hendrickson, D., Farrel, J., and Shafer, P. (2007). “Reactivation and growth of non-culturable indicator bacteria in anaerobically digested biosolids after centrifuge dewatering.” Water Res., 41(3), 665–673.
Higgins, M. J., et al. (2008). “Role of protein, amino acids, and enzyme activity on odor production from anaerobically digested and dewatered biosolids.” Water Environ. Res., 80(2), 127–135.
Kim, M. I., Ahn, Y. H., and Speece, R. E. (2002). “Comparative process stability and efficiency of anaerobic digestion; Mesophilic vs. thermophilic.” Water Res., 36(17), 4369–4385.
Krugel, S., Nemeth, L., and Peddie, C. (1998). “Extended thermophilic anaerobic digestion for producing class A biosolids at the greater Vancouver regional district’s Annacis island wastewater treatment plant.” Water Sci. Technol., 38(8-9), 409–416.
Lomans, B. P., van der Drift, C., Pol, A., and Op den Camp, H. J. (2002). “Microbial cycling of volatile organic sulfur compounds.” Cell Mol. Life Sci., 59(4), 575–588.
Muller, C. D., Verma, N., Higgins, M. J., and Novak, J. T. (2004). “The role of shear in the generation of nuisance odors from dewatered biosolids.” Proc., WEFTEC 2004, New Orleans.
Novak, J. T., and Park, C. (2004). “Chemical conditioning of sludge.” Water Sci. Technol., 49(10), 73–80.
Novak, J. T., Sadler, M. E., and Murthy, S. N. (2003). “Mechanisms of floc destruction during anaerobic and aerobic digestion and the effect on conditioning and dewatering of biosolids.” Water Res., 37(13), 3136–3144.
Park, C., and Novak, J. T. (2007). “Characterization of activated sludge exocellular polymers using several cation-associated extraction methods.” Water Res., 41(8), 1679–1688.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (1994). “A plain English guide to the EPA Part 503 Biosolids rule.’ EPA/ 832/R-93/003, Washington, DC.
Wilson, C. A., Murthy, S. M., Fang, Y., and Novak, J. T.(2008). “The effect of temperature on the performance and stability of thermophilic anaerobic digestion.” Water Sci. Technol., 57(2), 297–304.
Zahler, J. D., Bucher, R. H., Ferguson, J. F., and Stensel, H. D. (2007). “Performance and stability of two-stage anaerobic digestion.” Water Environ. Res., 79(5), 488–497.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
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
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.