Hybrid disintegration as a method for increasing energy recovery from sewage sludge – preliminary study

Sytek-Szmeichel, Katarzyna; Walczak, Justyna; Żubrowska-Sudoł, Monika

Hybrid disintegration as a method for increasing energy recovery from sewage sludge – preliminary study

2024

Sytek-Szmeichel, Katarzyna | Walczak, Justyna | Żubrowska-Sudoł, Monika

The disintegration process can be a tool for improving the efficiency of the methane fermentation process at wastewater treatment plants, thereby contributing to increased energy recovery from sewage sludge. In the research project being conducted, we are analysing two different methods of sewage sludge disintegration: hydrodynamic and chemical disintegration, as well as exploring the possibility of combining both methods in a hybrid process, aiming to achieve promising results without the need for large doses of chemical agents and with moderate electricity consumption due to the synergistic effect of both methods. In preliminary studies involving batch tests, we aimed to determine the appropriate doses of the chemical agent (NaOH) and the energy density in the hydrodynamic disintegration process, which could be used in the hybrid disintegration of sewage sludge directed to the fermentation chambers. The influence of these technological parameters on the release of organic compounds (COD and VFAs), as well as nitrogen and phosphorus compounds into the sludge liquid, was analysed. The effect of the disintegration process on the methane potential of sewage sludge was also examined in Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests. The results of the preliminary studies will be used to determine the parameters under which research will be conducted on the impact of hybrid disintegration on the efficiency of the methane fermentation process in continuous culture mode, where it will be possible to assess both the impact on biogas production, the degree of sludge digestion, as well as the dewatering and rheological properties of the sludge.

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