title: Effect of fillers on key characteristics of sludge thermophilic anaerobic digestion.
abstract: In anaerobic digestion (AD) of sludge, AD efficiency and digested sludge (DS) dewaterability are critical factors. In this study, polyester non-woven fabric fillers were integrated into a sludge digester. The effect of such fillers on digestion was investigated in thermophilic temperature range in semi-continuous mode. Methane production of filler system and control reactor were significantly different (P < 0.05, paired t-test). At hydraulic retention times of 18 days and 12 days, the corresponding methane yields from filler system were 140% and 161%, respectively, of the yields from control digester without filler. Improvement of DS dewaterability was uncertain during 110 days of operation. While after a longer period of digestion, filler system resulted in a lower normalized capillary suction time of DS (76.5 ± 21.6 s L/g total suspended solids) than control reactor (118.7 ± 32.9 s L/g total suspended solids). The results showed that the filler could improve thermophilic AD performance, except at too short hydraulic retention times.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Centre for the Technology Research and Training on Household Waste in Small Towns & Rural Area, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of PR China (MOHURD), PR China.
authors.forename: Liming
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China.
authors.forename: Yuanshun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China.
authors.forename: Tianfeng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.affiliation: Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China; Centre for the Technology Research and Training on Household Waste in Small Towns & Rural Area, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of PR China (MOHURD), PR China. Electronic address: solidwaste@tongji.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Pinjing
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001105:Archaea / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000032:analysis; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D005374:Filtration; D008697:Methane / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001704:Biopolymers; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012722:Sewage; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon; D008697:Methane
keywords: Anaerobic digestion efficiency; Dewaterability; Filler; Microbial community