title: Parameter identification and modeling of the biochemical methane potential of waste activated sludge.
abstract: Anaerobic digestion is widely used in waste activated sludge treatment. In this paper, partial least-squares (PLS) is employed to identify the parameters that are determining the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of waste activated sludge. Moreover, a model is developed for the prediction of the BMP. A strong positive correlation is observed between the BMP and volatile fatty acids and carbohydrate concentrations in the sludge. A somewhat weaker correlation with COD is also present. Soluble organics (sCOD, soluble carbohydrates and soluble proteins) were shown not to influence the BMP in the observed region. This finding could be most-valuable in the context of application of sludge pretreatment methods. The obtained model was able to satisfactory predict the BMP.
authors.affiliation: Chemical and Biochemical Process Technology and Control Section, Department of Chemical Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium. lise.appels@cit.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Appels
authors.forename: Joost
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lauwers
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gins
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Degrève
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Impe
authors.forename: Raf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dewil
mesh_terms: D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008697:Methane / Q000737:chemistry*; D008954:Models, Biological; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D008697:Methane