Biogas Generation from Sonicated Excess Sludge

The article presents an analysis of the possibilities of biogas production in the process of methane fermentation of sonicated excess sludge. The greater the percentage of methane in biogas, the higher its calorific value. In order to increase the intensity of biogas production containing approximat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Iwona Zawieja, Renata Włodarczyk, Mariusz Kowalczyk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-10-01
Series:Water
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/10/2127
Description
Summary:The article presents an analysis of the possibilities of biogas production in the process of methane fermentation of sonicated excess sludge. The greater the percentage of methane in biogas, the higher its calorific value. In order to increase the intensity of biogas production containing approximately 70% of methane, sewage sludge is disintegrated. In particular, excess sludge formed as a result of advanced wastewater treatment by the activated sludge method shows low biodegradability. The study aim was to examine the effect of the ultrasonic field disintegration of excess sludge on biogas production. As a result of subjecting the sludge to disintegration by ultrasonic field, there was an increase in the digestion degree of sewage sludge. In the methane fermentation process of modified sludge, an increase of the biogas yield was noted, which confirmed the supportive action of ultrasonic field on the excess sludge biodegradation. In the case of disintegration of excess sludge by ultrasonic field, for the ultrasonic field intensity value of 4.3 W cm<sup>&#8722;2</sup> and a sonication time equal to 300 s, the highest values of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), total organic carbon (TOC), and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) concentrations were obtained. In the process of conventional methane fermentation, biogas yield value was 0.303 L g VSS<sup>&#8722;1</sup>, while in the process of methane fermentation of sonicated excess sludge, the value 0.645 L g VSS<sup>&#8722;1</sup>.
ISSN:2073-4441