Chemical characterization of municipal wastewater sludges produced by two-phase anaerobic digestion for biogas production

The results obtained showed that sludges from acetogenesis and methanogenesis differed from each other, as well as from influent raw sludges. Both processes exhibited a diverse chemical pattern in term of VFA and VOC. Additional variations were observed for δ13C values that changed from acetogenesis to methanogenesis, as a consequence of fermentation processes that led to a greater fractionation of 12C with respect to the 13C isotope. Similarly, the thermal profiles of acetogenesis and methanogenesis sludges greatly differed in terms of heat combustion produced. These changes were also supported by higher lipid content (probably fatty acids) in acetogenesis than in methanogenesis, as also shown by DRIFT spectroscopy.