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Updated: Jan 2, 2026
Author Spotlight: Scaling Microalgal Biotechnology for Enhanced Biomethane Production
Published on: March 22, 2024
Evaluation of biomethanization during co-digestion of thermally pretreated microalgae and waste activated sludge, and
Priscila Guenka Scarcelli1, Mayara Leite Serejo1, Paula Loureiro Paulo1
1Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism and Geography, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Avenida Costa e Silva s/n, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil.
Abstract:
The maximum methane yield that can be obtained from anaerobic co-digestion of microalgae and waste activated sludge (WAS) mixtures, after thermal pretreatment at 65 °C during 4 h, was investigated. Furthermore, the fitting of the experimental data by five kinetic models (first-order, second-order, modified Gompertz, Logistic, and two-substrate) was evaluated. Thermal pretreatment increased the methane yield of single microalgae and WAS digestion by ≈ 44 and by ≈ 52%, respectively. The results also showed that up to 60% of WAS can be co-digested with microalgae without impairing the methane yield, producing up to 338 mLCH4 gVS-1. Data from digestion of non-pretreated microalgae and WAS were well described by all kinetic models, but digestion of thermally pretreated microalgae, WAS, and their co-digestion mixtures, was best fitted by means of a two-substrate model, indicating that after pretreatment it is necessary to take into account the contribution of both rapidly and slowly biodegradable fractions.
