The use of hybrid disintegration of activated sludge to improve anaerobic stabilization process

Abstract

The use of chemical-thermal disintegration method of activated sludge against anaerobic stabilization contributes to the intensification of the decomposition of organic compounds and the increase of the efficiency of the whole process. The paper presents the results of research on the impact of the hybrid disintegration method, using alkalization (pH ≈ 9) and freezing / thawing with dry ice (dry ice volume 1: 0.75) on the activated sludge properties and the mesophilic fermentation process. As a result of the conducted tests, it was found that for the raw sludge the COD value constituted on average 100 mg/dm3 and the chemical-thermal pretreatment of sludge resulted in an increase of COD value to 1890 mg/dm3. The use of this method of sludge destruction and then them introduction to the fermentation reactors influenced, depending on its volume, on biogas production and biogas yield. The highest increase in biogas production – 2.933 dm3 (better production by 15.2% in comparison to raw sample) was recorded for the sample with addition of 50% of hybrid disintegrated sludge. The highest yield of biogas was achieved in the sample with addition of 30% of hybrid disintegrated sludge – 0.482 dm/gdry organic matter removed. The hybrid process of disintegration is easy and simple to implementation in a full technical scale, and moreover, it does not affect on the pH value of sludge introduced into digestion chambers (dry ice neutralizes previously alkaline sludge).