Impact of Alum Water Treatment Residues on the Methanogenic Activity in the Digestion of Primary Domestic Wastewater Sludge

Paulo Scalize, Antonio Albuquerque and Luiz Di Bernardo
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Paulo Scalize: School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia 74000-000, GO, Brazil
Antonio Albuquerque: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, FibEnTech, GeoBioTec, University of Beira Interior, 6200-024 Covilha, Portugal
Luiz Di Bernardo: Hidrosan Engenharia and Department of Hydraulic and Sanitation, School of Engineering of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 01000-000, SP, Brazil

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-12

Abstract: The effect of adding alum water treatment residues (WTR) on the methanogenic activity in the digestion of primary domestic wastewater sludge was evaluated through laboratory experiments in sedimentation columns, using total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations from 0.37 to 1.23 g/L. The addition of WTR to primary clarifiers can benefit its effluent water quality in terms of colour, turbidity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and TSS. However, the presence of WTR can negatively influence the production of methane gas during organic sludge digestion in primary clarifiers, for concentrations of TSS between 14.43 and 25.23 g/L and of VSS between 10.2 and 11.85 g/L. The activity of the Methanothrix sp., curved bacilli, methanococci, and Methanosarcina sp. decreases considerably after 16 days of anaerobic digestion, and methane production seems to only be associated with fluorescent methanogenic bacilli.

Keywords: alum sludge; anaerobic bacteria; methane production; specific methanogenic activity; water treatment residues; methanogenic bacteria (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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