Anaerobic co-digestion of mixed activated sewage sludge and fruit and
vegetable waste on two-stage digester stability
Abstract
Co-digestion of mixed waste activated sludge (MWAS) and fruit and
vegetable waste (FVW) was studied in a two-stage (thermophilic followed
by mesophilic) semi-continuous anaerobic digestion to evaluate anaerobic
digester performance and stability. A mixing ratio of 75% MWAS and 25%
FVW showed a 1.6-fold increase in overall methane yield and achieved
0.38 FOS/TAC ratio (volatile fatty acids to alkaline buffer capacity)
compared to mixture of 50% MWAS and 50% FVW. Application of hybrid
(MW-H2O2) pretreatment in the former mixing ratio increased sludge
solubilisation by 33% and consequently enhanced overall methane yield
by 2.17-fold. The treated digester showed increased process stability
with a FOS/TAC ratio of 0.26 as a consequence of buffer capacity offered
by released biopolymers during pre-treatment. The generation of
superoxide radicals during digestion was studied and found to negatively
correlate with sludge bioactivity. Two-stage digestion also minimizes
the issue of high acidification due to co-digestion involving FVW.