Fenton process effect on sludge disintegration

This study investigated the disintegration of sewage sludge through the Fenton process. The study was conducted by both the conventional Fenton-type process (CFP) (Fe²⁺/H₂O₂) and the Fenton-type process (FTP) (nZVI/H₂O₂). Experiments were performed using different pH, catalyst iron (Fe²⁺ and nZVI), and H₂O₂ dosages. Different parameters such as the degree of disintegration (DD), soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD_S), and particle size distribution were studied to investigate the effects of CFP and FTP processes on the disintegration of sludge. In addition to these parameters, scanning electron microscope, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses were done to determine the changes in sludge characterization before and after disintegration. In the study, the optimal catalyst iron was determined to be (Fe²⁺ and nZVI) 4 g/kg total solids (TS), and the H₂O₂ dosage was determined to be 10 g/kg TS. The experiments were performed with consideration of the 1-h oxidation time. While DD was found to be 31.8% and the SCOD_S was found to be 364 mg/L for FTP, DD and SCOD_S were found to be 14.1% and 256 mg/L for CFP, respectively.