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Published on: October 15, 2015
Sewage sludge disintegration by high-pressure homogenization: a sludge disintegration model
Yuxuan Zhang1, Panyue Zhang, Boqiang Ma
1Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China. zzyyxx0618@163.com
High-pressure homogenization effectively disintegrates sewage sludge, increasing protein and polysaccharide release. Optimal disintegration occurred at 80 MPa with four cycles, with pressure being more impactful than cycle number.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Biotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Sewage sludge disintegration is crucial for resource recovery and waste management.
- Pretreatment methods are essential to enhance sludge biodegradability and pollutant removal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) as a sewage sludge pretreatment method.
- To quantify the impact of HPH parameters (pressure, cycles, solids content) on sludge disintegration.
Main Methods:
- Application of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) technology to sewage sludge.
- Systematic variation of homogenization pressure, cycle number, and total solid (TS) content.
- Analysis of sludge disintegration degree (DD(COD)), protein, and polysaccharide concentrations.
- Development of a multivariable linear regression model for sludge disintegration.
Main Results:
- Sludge disintegration degree (DD(COD)), protein, and polysaccharide concentrations increased with homogenization pressure and cycles.
- Higher total solid content decreased sludge disintegration efficiency.
- Maximum DD(COD) of 43.94% achieved at 80 MPa, four cycles, and 9.58 g/L TS.
- Homogenization pressure had a more significant effect on disintegration than cycle number.
Conclusions:
- HPH is an effective pretreatment for sewage sludge disintegration.
- Sludge disintegration is influenced by pressure, cycles, and solids content.
- Specific energy consumption is inversely related to sludge solids content for HPH pretreatment.
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