Effects of dilution ratio and Fe° dosing on biohydrogen production from dewatered sludge by hydrothermal pretreatment

Biohydrogen fermentation of dewatered sludge (DS) with sewage at ratios from 4:1 to 1:20 was investigated. Hydrothermal pretreatment of the sludge solution was performed to accelerate the organic release from the solid phase. The maximum hydrogen yield of 26.3 ± 0.5 mL H₂/g volatile solid (VS) was obtained at a 1:10 ratio. Although addition of zero valent iron (ZVI) to anaerobic system was not new, the study of dosing it to enhance the biohydrogen yield might be the first attempt. While Fe° plate slightly affected the hydrogen yield, Fe° powder improved the amount of hydrogen by 16% and shortened the lag time by 36%. The state of bacteria in the reactor added with ZVI powder was changed and the key enzyme activity was improved as well. Correspondingly, the mechanism of ZVI in accelerating the biofermentation process was also proposed. Our research provides a solution for the centralized treatment of DS in a city.