title: The fate of trace organic contaminants in sewage sludge during recuperative thickening anaerobic digestion.
abstract: The aim of this work was to study the fate of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in sewage sludge during recuperative thickening anaerobic digestion. Sludge shearing at 3142s-1for 5minutes improved biogas production. By contrast, shearing at ≥6283s-1for 5minutes caused a notable reduction in biogas production and the removal of volatile solids. Results reported here showed the prevalent occurrence of 17 TrOCs in sewage sludge and highlights the importance of assessing TrOC removal via mass balance calculation by taking into account partitioning between the aqueous and solid phase as well as biodegradation. Hydrophilic and readily-biodegradable TrOCs (caffeine, trimethoprim, and paracetamol) were well removed and were not affected by shearing. TrOCs such as carbamazepine, gemfibrozil, and diuron showed biodegradation only at high shearing. It is possible that shearing can facilitate the circulation of TrOCs between aqueous and solid phases, thus, enhancing the biodegradation of some TrOCs.
authors.affiliation: Strategic Water Infrastructure Lab, School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia.
authors.forename: Shufan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: Strategic Water Infrastructure Lab, School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia.
authors.forename: Faisal I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Hai
authors.affiliation: Strategic Water Infrastructure Lab, School of Chemistry, University of Wollongong, Australia.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Strategic Water Infrastructure Lab, School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia. Electronic address: longn@uow.edu.au.
authors.forename: Long D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Nghiem
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D056804:Biofuels; D019149:Bioreactors; D012722:Sewage
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D012722:Sewage
keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Biodegradation; Recuperative thickening; Shearing; Trace organic contaminants (TrOCs)