Drop in dry mass and organic substance content in the process of autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion

This paper presents the results of a study of a sludge subjected to the (ATAD) process - Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion occurring in a two-stage installation operated in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Olecko, Poland. The study of the sludge and the analysis of obtained results were conducted over 2011 and 2014. The subject of the study was a thickened sludge in an intermediate tank from which it was next transferred to facility reactors. The stabilization of processed sludge was evaluated analyzing the change in the dry mass (DS) content in the sludge. Measurements were carried out in thickened sludge samples and after the ATAD process. Collected results were then subjected to a statistical analysis and it was determined to which extent as resulted from the subject process the dry mass and the dry organic mass (VS) content was changing in the sludge. Also, it was analyzed how the oxygen chemical demand (COD) was changing. The dry mass content in the thickened sludge was from 60 g/l to 160 g/l. After the process, this amount was from 35 to 76 g/l. Similarly, the organic mass content in a dry sludge mass changed from initial values within a range of 44-135 g/l to 23-60 g/l after the ATAD process. Also, the organic substance content expressed as COD decreased from 80 to 467 g O2/l in a thickened sludge to 51-261 g O2/l in the sludge after the process. The article presents conclusions from the result of the conducted study as well as personal experience.