Maximisation of energy recovery from waste activated sludge via mild-temperature and oxidative pre-treatment

The overall objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of thermal pre-treatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) at 70 °C with addition of H₂O₂ to enhance sludge hydrolysis and subsequent methane production during WAS anaerobic digestion. The research was divided into four parts: Firstly, a bibliographical...

Effects of mild thermal pre-treatment combined with H₂O₂ addition on waste activated sludge digestibility

The pre-treatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) has become more common since it often results in improved bioconversion to methane, in both rate and extent. However, thorough insights on the possible effects and mechanisms of mild pre-treatment techniques, such as temperatures &lt;100 °C combined with the addition of H₂O<sub>2<...

The role of growth media on composition, bioconversion and susceptibility for mild thermal pre-treatment of waste activated sludge

The highly variable characteristics of waste activated sludge (WAS) hinder the comparison of experimental results on WAS bioconversion between the different studies that use excess sludge from different origin. Sludge grown under laboratory conditions with synthetic wastewater as feed showed high resistance to commonly applied pre-treatment...

Mild Thermal Pre-Treatment of Waste Activated Sludge to Increase Loading Capacity, Biogas Production, and Solids’ Degradation: A Pilot-Scale Study

Sludge pre-treatments are emerging as part of the disposal process of solid by-products of wastewater purification. One of their benefits is the increase in methane production rate and/or yield, along with higher loading capacities of existing digesters. In this study, we report the performance of a pilot-scale compartmentalized digester (volume...

Pre-treatments to enhance the biodegradability of waste activated sludge: Elucidating the rate limiting step

Pre-treatments for waste activated sludge (WAS) are, in most cases, an attempt to increase the biodegradation and/or improve hydrolysis rate of WAS after anaerobic digestion. This review presents an extensive analysis of WAS pre-treatments effectiveness focusing on increasing the biodegradability. In the first part of the review, WAS is...

Comparison of different base flow separation methods in a lowland catchment

Assessment of water resources available in different storages and moving along different pathways in a catchment is important for its optimal use and protection, and also for the prediction of floods and low flows. Moreover, understanding of the runoff generation processes is essential for assessing the impacts of climate and land use changes on...

The effects of waves on transverse stability