Abstract
The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of a low temperature pre-treatment (70°C) on the thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. Experimental results were used for the calculation of theoretical energy balances of full-scale digesterswith and without pre-treatment step. The 70°C sludge pre-treatment increased sludge solubilization by 10 times and enhanced volatile fatty acids generation. Biogas production increased up to 30-40% and methane content in biogas from 64 to 68-70%. Theoretical calculations showed that additional surplus energy production would be expected by incorporating a 70°C pre-treatment step to a thermophilic reactor. © 2009 DEStech Publications, Inc.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | 11-18 |
| Journal | Journal of Residuals Science and Technology |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2009 |