A Comprehensive Review on Pretreatment Methods for Enhanced Biogas Production from Sewage Sludge

Georgia-Christina Mitraka, Konstantinos N. Kontogiannopoulos, Maria Batsioula, George F. Banias, Anastasios I. Zouboulis and Panagiotis G. Kougias ()
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Georgia-Christina Mitraka: Soil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation-DIMITRA, Thermi, GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Konstantinos N. Kontogiannopoulos: Soil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation-DIMITRA, Thermi, GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria Batsioula: Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO), Center for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH), GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
George F. Banias: Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO), Center for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH), GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Anastasios I. Zouboulis: Laboratory of Chemical & Environmental Technology, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Panagiotis G. Kougias: Soil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation-DIMITRA, Thermi, GR-57001 Thessaloniki, Greece

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-56

Abstract: The treatment of municipal wastewater is considered a cornerstone for the protection of public health and environment. However, a major issue derived from this process is the large quantities of produced sewage sludge. Although anaerobic digestion is a widely applied method in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) aiming to stabilize the sludge and to recover energy in the form of methane, it is usually limited due to the reduced decomposition efficiency and slow biodegradation rate of this recalcitrant substrate. For this reason, various pretreatment methods have been proposed aiming to modify the sludge structure, solubilize the organic matter, and decrease the crystallinity of sludge so as to accelerate hydrolysis and consequently enhance methane production. The current research is a comprehensive collection of recent advances in pretreatment technologies that can be potentially applied in wastewater treatment facilities. The critical review analysis presented herein reveals the several advantages and drawbacks, as well as the technical opportunities of the pretreatment methods and provides an assessment of their feasibility/applicability from an energetic, environmental, and economic point of view.

Keywords: pretreatment methods; sewage sludge; anaerobic digestion; methane production; bioenergy; sustainability; renewable energy sources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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