Behaviour of volatile and nonvolatile suspended solids in the pilot-scale aerobic digestion of waste-activated sludges

Pilot-scale research into the characterization and enhancement of the aerobic digestion of waste-activated sludges was performed. Waste sludge from two sources was aerobically digested at varying operating temperatures; to offset the naturally occurring mixed liquor pH (MLpH) decrease due to nitrification, small amounts of Ca(OH)2 or NaHCO3 were added to maintain target MLpH levels of pH 6, 7, and 8. Results indicated that volatile mass reduction was severely curtailed at low MLpH, but could be significantly improved through MLpH control, with increases of > 100% in performance over the low MLpH reactor noted. However, the process was found to be very "sludge-specific", in that the two test sludges behaved quite differently under similar operating conditions. A separate mass balance on the nonvolatile sludge fraction illustrated the action of the controlling chemicals in terms of reduction in cell lysis; it was also observed that some precipitation of inorganic materials was occurring, depending on chemical type and dose. While it was not possible to suggest an optimized chemical and dose, it was concluded that this process had very real potential for full-scale implementation, as an effective and simple method for rehabilitation of poorly functioning digesters.