Two-phased hyperthermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of waste activated sludge with kitchen garbage

For co-digestion of waste activated sludge with kitchen garbage, hyperthermophilic digester systems that consisted of an acidogenic reactor operated at hyperthermophilic (70 °C) and a methanogenic reactor operated at mesophilic (35 °C), thermophilic (55 °C) or hyperthermophilic (65 °C) conditions in series were studied by comparing with a thermophilic digester system that consisted of thermophilic (55 °C) acidogenic and methanogenic reactors. Laboratory scale reactors were operated continuously fed with a substrate blend composed of concentrated waste activated sludge and artificial kitchen garbage. At the acidogenic reactor, solubilization efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), carbohydrate and protein at 70 °C were about 39%, 42% and 54%, respectively, and they were higher than those at 55 °C by around 10%. The system of acidogenesis at 70 °C and methanogenesis at 55 °C was stable and well-functioned in terms of treatment performances and low ammonium nitrogen concentrations. Microbial community analysis was conducted using a molecular biological method. The key microbe determined at the hyperthermophilic acidogenesis step was Coprothermobacter sp., which was possibly concerned with the degradation of protein in waste activated sludge. The present study proved that the hyperthermophilic system was advantageous for treating substrate blends containing high concentrations of waste activated sludge.