Digestion of thermally hydrolyzed sewage sludge by anaerobic sequencing batch reactor

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the performance of an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) for the digestion of thermally hydrolyzed sewage sludge. Both mesophilic ASBR and continuous-flow stirred tank reactors (CSTR) were evaluated with an equivalent loading rate of 2.71 kg COD/m3 day at 20-day hydraulic retention time (HRT) and 5.42 kg COD/m3 day at 10-day HRT. The average total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) removals of the ASBR at the 20-day and 10-day HRT were 67.71% and 61.66%, respectively. These were 12.38% and 27.92% higher than those obtained by CSTR. As a result, the average daily gas production of ASBR was 15% higher than that of the CSTR at 20-day HRT, and 31% higher than that of the CSTR at 10-day HRT. Solids in thermally hydrolyzed sludge accumulated within ASBR were able to reach a high steady state with solid content of 65-80 g/L. This resulted in a relatively high solid retention time (SRT) of 34-40 days in the ASBR at 10-day HRT. However, too much solid accumulation resulted in the unsteadiness of the ASBR, making regular discharge of digested sludge from the bottom of the ASBR necessary to keep the reactor stable. The evolution of the gas production, soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in an operation cycle of ASBR also showed that the ASBR was steady and feasible for the treatment of thermally hydrolyzed sludge.