Electrochemical pretreatment (EPT) of waste activated sludge: Extracellular polymeric substances matrix destruction, sludge solubilisation and overall digestibility. 2021

Hao Huang, and Qian Zeng, and Philippe M Heynderickx, and Guang-Hao Chen, and Di Wu
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution (Hong Kong Branch) and Water Technology Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen Research Institute, HKUST Fork Ying Tung Graduate School, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Guangdong, China.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of waste activated sludge (WAS) is widely used for stabilisation, mass reduction and resource recovery. However, AD performance is often hampered by the poor digestibility and slow degradation rate for WAS. A series of bench-scale tests was conducted using innovative electrochemical pretreatment (EPT) method to enhance the destruction of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) matrix and anaerobic digestibility. The results showed that the EPS matrix destruction was enhanced by 15-30% after EPT for 0.5 h at voltages of 8-15 V. The highest improvement in hydrolysis rate and overall digestibility was achieved at EPT of 15 V for 1.5 h, which was determined as 59% (from 0.27 to 0.43 d-1) and 28% (from 105 to 134 mL CH4/g VSSadded) respectively, compared with the WAS treatment without EPT. The economic analysis showed 1 h, 12 V EPT was more economically feasible.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D006868 Hydrolysis The process of cleaving a chemical compound by the addition of a molecule of water.
D000077317 Extracellular Polymeric Substance Matrix Extracellular matrix formed by secreted polymeric organic compounds by microorganisms. This secreted compound is mostly polysaccharides but may include proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. The matrix facilitates attachment of microbes to form various BIOFILM communities. Biofilm Matrix,EPS Matrix,Exopolymers,Extracellular Polymeric Substances,Biofilm Matrices,EPS Matrices,Exopolymer,Extracellular Polymeric Substance,Matrix, Biofilm,Matrix, EPS,Polymeric Substance, Extracellular
D000693 Anaerobiosis The complete absence, or (loosely) the paucity, of gaseous or dissolved elemental oxygen in a given place or environment. (From Singleton & Sainsbury, Dictionary of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, 2d ed) Anaerobic Metabolism,Anaerobic Metabolisms,Anaerobioses,Metabolism, Anaerobic,Metabolisms, Anaerobic
D012722 Sewage Refuse liquid or waste matter carried off by sewers. Sludge,Sludge Flocs
D014865 Waste Disposal, Fluid The discarding or destroying of liquid waste products or their transformation into something useful or innocuous. Disposal, Fluid Waste,Disposals, Fluid Waste,Fluid Waste Disposal,Fluid Waste Disposals,Waste Disposals, Fluid

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