Influence of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment on physicochemical properties and anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge with different solids content

The influence of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) on physicochemical properties (pH, total solids, volatile solids, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, volatile fatty acids, viscosity, and cell morphology) and anaerobic biodegradability of highly concentrated waste activated sludge (WAS) with TS content ranging from 1 to 7% was evaluated at different temperatures ranging from 100 to 220 °C. The biomethane potential (BMP) of the WAS was systematically analyzed and evaluated. Images of its cellular structure were also analyzed. The results indicated that THP is a useful method for solubilizing volatile solids and enhancing CH₄ production regardless of the TS content of the WAS feed. The ultimate CH₄ production determined from the BMP analysis was 313-348 L CH₄/kg VS (72.6-74.1% CH₄) at the optimum THP temperature of 180 °C. The results showed that THP could improve both the capacity and efficiency of anaerobic digestion, even at a high TS content, and could achieve the dual purpose of sludge reduction and higher energy recovery.