Enhanced production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from sewage sludge by β-cyclodextrin.
Organic matter in sewage sludge can be converted into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as renewable carbon sources. This work for the first time demonstrates that β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) molecules enhance sludge hydrolysis for production of VFAs. With 0.2gβ-CDg(-1) dried solids (DSs), the increment rate for VFAs peaked at 4200gg(-1)DSsg(-1) β-CD, with acetate and propionate as the predominant VFAs. Compositional and microbial community analyses confirm that the β-CD molecules break a cell's membrane, such that it releases intracellular substances. Although β-CD molecules inhibited activities of methanogens, they did not impair those of acid-forming bacteria, thereby demonstrating that β-CD-assisted VFAs are renewable organic carbon sources, except in anaerobic digestion processes.
School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
Xue
X
Yang
Maoan
M
Du
Duu-Jong
DJ
Lee
Chunli
C
Wan
Lina
L
Zheng
Guanyuan
G
Li
Jo-Shu
JS
Chang
D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D012722:Sewage; D014835:Volatilization; D047392:beta-Cyclodextrins / Q000737:chemistry*
D005227:Fatty Acids; D012722:Sewage; D047392:beta-Cyclodextrins; C031215:betadex