Proteins Recovery from Hydrothermally Treated, Diluted, and Centrifuged Sewage Sludge Samples
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 24, Issue 4
Abstract
Direct application of sewage sludge (SS) as a fertilizer is a major concern owing to the presence of pathogens and organic pollutants. Hydrothermal pretreatment of the sludge is considered an effective method for the solubilization of particulate matter and proteins recovery. In the present study, diluted SS (solids ∼1.2%) and centrifuged sewage sludge (CSS; solids ∼8%) were subjected to thermal hydrolysis (TH) at temperatures varying from 160°C to 220°C for 3 h. Amongst various macromolecules, the concentration of proteins was found to be highest in the treated sludge. From the solubilized sludge obtained after TH at optimum conditions (i.e., 160°C and 1 h), proteins were recovered using two precipitation methods (i.e., ammonium sulfate and pH adjustment). Ammonium sulfate precipitation method resulted in 85%–90% of proteins recovery with high selectivity. However, its recovery as well as selectivity (with respect to humic acid and carbohydrates) were significantly reduced for the liquid fraction obtained after TH treatment of CSS.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility (SAIF), IIT Bombay for analyzing the sludge samples. The first author acknowledges the financial support by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), New Delhi, India whilst pursuing a doctorate degree.
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Published In
Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 24 • Issue 4 • October 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 21, 2019
Accepted: Apr 6, 2020
Published online: Jun 16, 2020
Published in print: Oct 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 16, 2020
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