Characterization of value-added chemicals derived from the thermal hydrolysis and wet oxidation of sewage sludge

doi:10.1007/s11783-020-1305-2

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

2021, Vol. 15

Issue (1) : 13 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1305-2

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Characterization of value-added chemicals derived from the thermal hydrolysis and wet oxidation of sewage sludge

Milan Malhotra, Anurag Garg(

)

Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai Mumbai 400076, India

Download: PDF(1569 KB) HTML
Export: BibTeX | EndNote | Reference Manager | ProCite | RefWorks

Abstract

• Hydrothermal treatment can greatly improve resource recovery from sewage sludge.

• tCOD removal during WO was ~55% compared with ~23% after TH.

• TOC solubilization during hydrothermal treatment followed first-order kinetics.

• Solids and carbon balance confirmed loss of organics during thermal hydrolysis.

• Reaction pathways for thermal hydrolysis and wet oxidation are proposed.

We evaluated the effect of hydrothermal pretreatments, i.e., thermal hydrolysis (TH) and wet oxidation (WO) on sewage sludge to promote resource recovery. The hydrothermal processes were performed under mild temperature conditions (140°C–180°C) in a high pressure reactor. The reaction in acidic environment (pH= 3.3) suppressed the formation of the color imparting undesirable Maillard’s compounds. The oxidative conditions resulted in higher volatile suspended solids (VSS) reduction (~90%) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (~55%) whereas TH caused VSS and COD removals of ~65% and ~27%, respectively at a temperature of 180°C. During TH, the concentrations of carbohydrates and proteins in treated sludge were 400–1000 mg/L and 1500–2500 mg/L, respectively. Whereas, WO resulted in solids solubilization followed by oxidative degradation of organics into smaller molecular weight carboxylic acids such as acetic acid (~400–500 mg/L). Based on sludge transformation products generated during the hydrothermal pretreatments, simplified reaction pathways are predicted. Finally, the application of macromolecules (such as proteins), VFAs and nutrients present in the treated sludge are also discussed. The future study should focus on the development of economic recovery methods for various value-added compounds.

Keywords Hydrothermal pretreatment Reaction kinetics Reaction pathway Sewage sludge Thermal hydrolysis Wet oxidation

Corresponding Author(s): Anurag Garg

Issue Date: 19 August 2020

Cite this article:

Milan Malhotra,Anurag Garg. Characterization of value-added chemicals derived from the thermal hydrolysis and wet oxidation of sewage sludge[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2021, 15(1): 13.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-020-1305-2
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2021/V15/I1/13

S. No.	Type	Oxidation coefficient (n)	Reaction temperature (°C)	Reaction pressure (kg/cm²)
S. No.	Type	Oxidation coefficient (n)	Reaction temperature (°C)	140°C	160°C	180°C
1	TH	0 ( $P O 2$ = 0 kg/cm²)	140, 160 and 180	2.4	4.2	9.4
2	WO	0.5 $P O 2$ = 4.2 kg/cm²)	140, 160 and 180	6.6	8.4	13.6
3	WO	1 ( $P O 2$ = 8.4 kg/cm²)	140, 160 and 180	10.8	12.6	17.8

Tab.1 Conditions for experimental runs (reaction time= 5 h)

Fig.1 Change in sludge characteristics with reaction temperature during TH: (a) sTOC, (b) CN, (c) carbohydrates, (d) proteins and (e) NH₄⁺-N (initial pH= 3.3).

Fig.2 Variation in VFAs concentration with reaction temperature under TH: (a) acetic acid, (b) propionic acid, (c) iso-butyric acid and (d) butyric acid (initial pH= 3.3).

Fig.3 Effect of WO on: (a) Soluble TOC, (b) CN, (c) carbohydrate, (d) protein and (e) ammonium nitrogen (initial pH= 3.3,

P O 2

= 4.2 kg/cm² and n = 0.5).

Fig.4 Effect of WO on: (a) Soluble TOC, (b) CN, (c) carbohydrate, (d) protein and (e) ammonium nitrogen (initial pH= 3.3,

P O 2

= 4.2 kg/cm² = 8.4 kg/cm² and n = 1).

Fig.5 Variation of VFAs with temperature under WO (a) acetic acid, (b) propionic acid, (c) iso-butyric acid and (d) butyric acid.

Fig.6 Simplified pathways of sewage sludge degradation by hydrothermal processes.

1	APHA (2012). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 22nd ed. Washington, D.C.: American Public Health Association
2	A Banel, B Zygmunt (2011). Application of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry preceded by solvent extraction to determine volatile fatty acids in wastewater of municipal, animal farm and landfill origin. Water Science and Technology, 63(4): 590–597 https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2011.204
3	S Baroutian, D J Gapes, A K Sarmah, M M Farid, B R Young (2016). Formation and degradation of valuable intermediate products during wet oxidation of municipal sludge. Bioresource Technology, 205: 280–285 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.01.039
4	S Baroutian, A M Smit, J Andrews, B Young, D Gapes (2015). Hydrothermal degradation of organic matter in municipal sludge using non-catalytic wet oxidation. Chemical Engineering Journal, 260: 846–854 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2014.09.063
5	S Baroutian, A M Smit, D J Gapes (2013). Relative influence of process variables during non-catalytic wet oxidation of municipal sludge. Bioresource Technology, 148: 605–610 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.08.160
6	F Y Becerra, D G Allen, E J Acosta (2010). Surfactant-like properties of alkaline extracts from wastewater biosolids. Journal of Surfactants and Detergents, 13(3): 261–271 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-009-1164-0
7	M Bernardi, D Cretenot, S Deleris, C Descorme, J Chauzy, M Besson (2010). Performances of soluble metallic salts in the catalytic wet air oxidation of sewage sludge. Catalysis Today, 157(1–4): 420–424 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2010.01.030
8	G Bertanza, R Galessi, L Menoni, S Zanaboni (2016). Wet oxidation of sewage sludge from municipal and industrial WWTPs. Desalination and Water Treatment, 57(6): 2422–2427 https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2015.1012564
9	I S Fagerson (1969). Thermal degradation of carbohydrates: A review. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 17(4): 747–750 https://doi.org/10.1021/jf60164a019
10	M García, J L Urrea, S Collado, P Oulego, M Díaz (2017). Protein recovery from solubilized sludge by hydrothermal treatments. Waste Management, 67: 278–287 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.05.051
11	N Genç, S Yonsel, L Dağaşan , A N Onar (2002). Wet oxidation: A pre-treatment procedure for sludge. Waste Management, 22(6): 611–616 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0956-053X(02)00040-5
12	B Girisuta, L P B M Janssen, H J Heeres (2006). A kinetic study on the decomposition of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into levulinic acid. Green Chemistry, 8(8): 701–709 https://doi.org/10.1039/b518176c
13	K Hii, S Baroutian, R Parthasarathy, D J Gapes, N Eshtiaghi (2014). A review of wet air oxidation and Thermal Hydrolysis technologies in sludge treatment. Bioresource Technology, 155: 289–299 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.12.066
14	C Huang, C Liu, X Sun, J Li, J Shen, W Han, Liu X, L Wang (2016). Hydrolysis and acidification of waste activated sludge enhanced by zero valent iron-acid pre-treatment: effect of pH. Desalination and Water Treatment, 57(26): 12099–12107 https://doi.org/10.1080/19443994.2015.1051127
15	F Jin, Z Zhou, T Moriya, H Kishida, H Higashijima, H Enomoto (2005). Controlling hydrothermal reaction pathways to improve acetic acid production from carbohydrate biomass. Environmental Science & Technology, 39(6): 1893–1902 https://doi.org/10.1021/es048867a
16	D D Kasarda, D R Black (1968). Thermal degradation of proteins studied by mass spectrometry. Biopolymers, 6(7): 1001–1004 https://doi.org/10.1002/bip.1968.360060712
17	K Lal, A Garg (2015). Catalytic wet oxidation of phenol under mild operating conditions: Development of reaction pathway and sludge characterization. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 17(1): 199–210 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-014-0777-9
18	W S Lee, A S Chua, H K Yeoh, G C Ngoh (2014). A review of the production and applications of waste-derived volatile fatty acids. Chemical Engineering Journal, 235: 83–99 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2013.09.002
19	M Malhotra, A Garg (2019). Performance of non-catalytic thermal hydrolysis and wet oxidation for sewage sludge degradation under moderate operating conditions. Journal of Environmental Management, 238: 72–83 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.02.094
20	M A K Markwell, S M Haas, L L Bieber, N E Tolbert (1978). A modification of the Lowry procedure to simplify protein determination in membrane and lipoprotein samples. Analytical Biochemistry, 87(1): 206–210 https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-2697(78)90586-9
21	S I F S Martins, W M F Jongen, M A J S van Boekel (2000). A review of Maillard reaction in food and implications to kinetic modelling. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 11(9–10): 364–373 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-2244(01)00022-X
22	M T Munir, B Li, I Boiarkina, S Baroutian, W Yu, B R Young (2017). Phosphate recovery from hydrothermally treated sewage sludge using struvite precipitation. Bioresource Technology, 239: 171–179 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.04.129
23	O Suárez-Iglesias, J L Urrea, P Oulego, S Collado, M Díaz (2017). Valuable compounds from sewage sludge by thermal hydrolysis and wet oxidation. A review. Science of the Total Environment, 584–585: 921–934 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.140
24	S S Toor, L Rosendahl, A Rudolf (2011). Hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass: A review of subcritical water technologies. Energy, 36(5): 2328–2342 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2011.03.013
25	C Torri, T D O Weme, C Samorì, A Kiwan, D W F Brilman (2017). Renewable alkenes from the hydrothermal treatment of polyhydroxyalkanoates-containing sludge. Environmental Science & Technology, 51(21): 12683–12691 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b03927
26	S Trevisan, A Manoli, S Quaggiotti (2019). A novel biostimulant, belonging to protein hydrolysates, mitigates abiotic stress effects on maize seedlings grown in hydroponics. Agronomy (Basel), 9(1): 28–43 https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9010028
27	J L Urrea, S Collado, A Laca, M Díaz (2014). Wet oxidation of activated sludge: Transformations and mechanisms. Journal of Environmental Management, 146: 251–259 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.07.043
28	N Vakondios, E E Koukouraki, E Diamadopoulos (2014). Effluent organic matter (EfOM) characterization by simultaneous measurement of proteins and humic matter. Water Research, 63: 62–70 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.06.011
29	R B Willis, M E Montgomery, P R Allen (1996). Improved method for manual, colorimetric determination of total Kjeldahl nitrogen using salicylate. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 44(7): 1804–1807 https://doi.org/10.1021/jf950522b
30	B Xiao, C Liu, J Liu, X Guo (2015). Evaluation of the microbial cell structure damages in alkaline pre-treatment of waste activated sludge. Bioresource Technology, 196: 109–115 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.07.056
31	Y Xue, H Liu, S Chen, N Dichtl, X Dai, N Li (2015). Effects of thermal hydrolysis on organic matter solubilization and anaerobic digestion of high solid sludge. Chemical Engineering Journal, 264: 174–180 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2014.11.005
32	B R Yadav, A Garg (2017). Performance assessment of activated carbon supported catalyst during catalytic wet oxidation of simulated pulping effluents generated from wood and bagasse based pulp and paper mills. RSC Advances, 7(16): 9754–9763 https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA25695C
33	B R Yadav, A Garg (2018). Hetero-catalytic hydrothermal oxidation of simulated pulping effluent: Effect of operating parameters and catalyst stability. Chemosphere, 191: 128–135 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.10.027
34	F Yin, H Chen, G Xu, G Wang, Y Xu (2015). A detailed kinetic model for the hydrothermal decomposition process of sewage sludge. Bioresource Technology, 198: 351–357 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.09.033
35	A Yousefifar, S Baroutian, M M Farid, D J Gapes, B R Young (2017). Fundamental mechanisms and reactions in non-catalytic subcritical hydrothermal processes: A review. Water Research, 123: 607–622 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.06.069

[1]

FSE-20071-OF-MM_suppl_1

Download

[1]	Xianke Lin, Xiaohong Chen, Sichang Li, Yangmei Chen, Zebin Wei, Qitang Wu. Sewage sludge ditch for recovering heavy metals can improve crop yield and soil environmental quality[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2021, 15(2): 22-.
[2]	Xiling Li, Tianwei Hao, Yuxin Tang, Guanghao Chen. A “Seawater-in-Sludge” approach for capacitive biochar production via the alkaline and alkaline earth metals activation[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2021, 15(1): 3-.
[3]	Jianzhi Huang, Huichun Zhang. Redox reactions of iron and manganese oxides in complex systems[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2020, 14(5): 76-.
[4]	Bao Yu, Guodi Zheng, Xuedong Wang, Min Wang, Tongbin Chen. Biodegradation of triclosan and triclocarban in sewage sludge during composting under three ventilation strategies[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2019, 13(3): 41-.
[5]	G. S. Muthu Iswarya, B. Nirkayani, A. Kavithakani, V. C. Padmanaban. Statistical modeling of radiolytic (⁶⁰Co g) degradation of Ofloxacin, antibiotic: Synergetic effect, kinetic studies & assessment of its degraded metabolites[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2019, 13(3): 42-.
[6]	Lin Lin, Ying-yu Li, Xiao-yan Li. Acidogenic sludge fermentation to recover soluble organics as the carbon source for denitrification in wastewater treatment: Comparison of sludge types[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2018, 12(4): 3-.
[7]	Xuemin Wu,Fenfen Zhu,Juanjuan Qi,Luyao Zhao,Fawei Yan,Chenghui Li. Challenge of biodiesel production from sewage sludge catalyzed by KOH, KOH/activated carbon, and KOH/CaO[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2017, 11(2): 3-.
[8]	Yuning YANG,Huan LI. Recovering humic substances from the dewatering effluent of thermally treated sludge and its performance as an organic fertilizer[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2016, 10(3): 578-584.
[9]	Hui ZHANG,Le XU,Yifei ZHANG,Mengchan JIANG. The transformation of PAHs in the sewage sludge incineration treatment[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2016, 10(2): 336-340.
[10]	Liangliang WEI,Kun WANG,Xiangjuan KONG,Guangyi LIU,Shuang CUI,Qingliang ZHAO,Fuyi CUI. Application of ultra-sonication, acid precipitation and membrane filtration for co-recovery of protein and humic acid from sewage sludge[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2016, 10(2): 327-335.
[11]	Yiying JIN,Yangyang LI,Fuqiang LIU. Combustion effects and emission characteristics of SO₂, CO, NO_x and heavy metals during co-combustion of coal and dewatered sludge[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2016, 10(1): 201-210.
[12]	Yuyao ZHANG,Huan LI,Can LIU,Yingchao CHENG. Influencing mechanism of high solid concentration on anaerobic mono-digestion of sewage sludge without agitation[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2015, 9(6): 1108-1116.
[13]	Jun YANG,Mei LEI,Tongbin CHEN,Ding GAO,Guodi ZHENG,Guanghui GUO,Duujong LEE. Current status and developing trends of the contents of heavy metals in sewage sludges in China[J]. Front.Environ.Sci.Eng., 2014, 8(5): 719-728.
[14]	LIU Cao,XU Yiping,MA Mei,HUANG Bingbin,WU Jingdong,MENG Qingyi,WANG Zijian,GEARHEART Robert Alan. Evaluation of endocrine disruption and dioxin-like effects of organic extracts from sewage sludge in autumn in Beijing, China[J]. Front.Environ.Sci.Eng., 2014, 8(3): 433-440.
[15]	DING Wenchuan,PENG Wenlong,ZENG Xiaolan,TIAN Xiumei. Effects of phosphorus concentration on Cr(VI) sorption onto phosphorus-rich sludge biochar[J]. Front.Environ.Sci.Eng., 2014, 8(3): 379-385.

Viewed

Full text

Abstract

Cited

Shared

Discussed