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High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: challenges and opportunities

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  • Di Capua, Francesco
  • Spasiano, Danilo
  • Giordano, Andrea
  • Adani, Fabrizio
  • Fratino, Umberto
  • Pirozzi, Francesco
  • Esposito, Giovanni

Abstract

High-solid anaerobic digestion (HSAD) of sewage sludge is a promising alternative to conventional anaerobic digestion (AD) as it reduces treatment volumes, transportation costs and energy consumption for heating and increases the fertilizing potential of sewage sludge. By centralizing sludge treatment, HSAD represents an opportunity to improve the energy balance of sewage sludge valorization compared to conventional AD. Nevertheless, HSAD of sewage sludge poses several challenges due to structural and rheological characteristics of dewatered sludge and to toxic compounds originating during (H2S, NH3, siloxanes, volatile organic compounds) and before (polyelectrolytes added prior to dewatering) the anaerobic treatment. This work critically reviews HSAD of sewage sludge with the objective to promote process enhancement for energy self-sufficiency and good practices for agricultural utilization of digestate. Advantages and drawbacks of HSAD are discussed in depth and practical solutions to solve critical issues at full scale are proposed. Guidelines for conducting cost-benefit analysis of the process are also provided.

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  • Di Capua, Francesco & Spasiano, Danilo & Giordano, Andrea & Adani, Fabrizio & Fratino, Umberto & Pirozzi, Francesco & Esposito, Giovanni, 2020. "High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: challenges and opportunities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:278:y:2020:i:c:s0306261920311156
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115608
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    6. Jiawen Zhang & Zhiyi Liang & Toru Matsumoto & Tiejia Zhang, 2022. "Environmental and Economic Implication of Implementation Scale of Sewage Sludge Recycling Systems Considering Carbon Trading Price," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-16, July.
    7. Katarzyna Bułkowska & Magdalena Zielińska, 2024. "Thermal Disintegration of Waste-Activated Sludge," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-28, September.
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    9. Qi, Chuanren & Cao, Dingge & Gao, Xingzu & Jia, Sumeng & Yin, Rongrong & Nghiem, Long D. & Li, Guoxue & Luo, Wenhai, 2023. "Optimising organic composition of feedstock to improve microbial dynamics and symbiosis to advance solid-state anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and organic waste," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    10. Marcin Dębowski & Marcin Zieliński & Joanna Kazimierowicz & Anna Nowicka & Magda Dudek, 2024. "Optimisation of Biogas Production in the Co-Digestion of Pre-Hydrodynamically Cavitated Aerobic Granular Sludge with Waste Fats," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-16, February.
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    12. German Smetana & Ewa Neczaj & Anna Grosser, 2021. "Biomethane Potential of Selected Organic Waste and Sewage Sludge at Different Temperature Regimes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-18, July.
    13. Ombretta Paladino, 2022. "Data Driven Modelling and Control Strategies to Improve Biogas Quality and Production from High Solids Anaerobic Digestion: A Mini Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-21, December.
    14. Santo Fabio Corsino & Michele Torregrossa & Gaspare Viviani, 2021. "Biomethane Production from Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Selected Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) with Sewage Sludge: Effect of the Inoculum to Substrate Ratio (ISR) and Mixture Composit," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-12, December.
    15. Li, Wangliang & Gupta, Rohit & Zhang, Zhikai & Cao, Lixia & Li, Yanqing & Show, Pau Loke & Gupta, Vijai Kumar & Kumar, Sunil & Lin, Kun-Yi Andrew & Varjani, Sunita & Connelly, Stephanie & You, Siming, 2023. "A review of high-solid anaerobic digestion (HSAD): From transport phenomena to process design," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    16. Mariusz Tańczuk & Wojciech Kostowski, 2021. "Technical, Energetic and Economic Optimization Analysis of Selection of Heat Source for Municipal Sewage Sludge Dryer," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, January.
    17. Wang, Zhongzhong & Hu, Yuansheng & Wang, Shun & Wu, Guangxue & Zhan, Xinmin, 2023. "A critical review on dry anaerobic digestion of organic waste: Characteristics, operational conditions, and improvement strategies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    18. Giovanni Gadaleta & Francesco Todaro & Annamaria Giuliano & Sabino De Gisi & Michele Notarnicola, 2024. "Co-Treatment of Food Waste and Municipal Sewage Sludge: Technical and Environmental Review of Biological and Thermal Technologies," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-34, July.
    19. Joanna Kazimierowicz & Izabela Bartkowska & Maria Walery, 2020. "Effect of Low-Temperature Conditioning of Excess Dairy Sewage Sludge with the Use of Solidified Carbon Dioxide on the Efficiency of Methane Fermentation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    20. Nicola Di Costanzo & Alessandra Cesaro & Francesco Di Capua & Giovanni Esposito, 2021. "Exploiting the Nutrient Potential of Anaerobically Digested Sewage Sludge: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-25, December.
    21. He, Huiban & Wang, Ziyu & Wang, Weiwei & He, Haoxing & Yan, Jing & Wang, Hongliang & Cui, Zongjun & Yuan, Xufeng, 2024. "Mitigating short-circuits through synergistic temperature and hydraulic retention time control for enhancing methane yield in continuous stirred-tank reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).

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