Development of a Primary Sewage Sludge Pretreatment Strategy Using a Combined Alkaline-Ultrasound Pretreatment for Enhancing Microbial Electrolysis Cell Performance

Ultrasound and combined alkaline-ultrasound pretreatment (AUP) strategies were examined for primary sewage sludge (SS) disintegration and were utilized to evaluate the degree of solubilization (DS). Further, the pretreated primary SS was operated in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) to maximize methane production and thereby improve the reactor performance. The highest DS of 67.2% of primary SS was recorded with the AUP. MEC reactors operated with the AUP showed the highest methane production (240 +/- 6.4 mL g VSin-1). VS (61.1%) and COD (72.2%) removal in the MEC ALK-US showed the best organic matter removal efficiency. In the modified Gompertz analysis, the substrate with the highest degree of solubilization (AUP) had the shortest lag phase (0.2 +/- 0.1 d). This implies that forced hydrolysis via pretreatment could enhance biodegradability, thereby making it easy for microorganisms to consume and leading to improved MEC performances. Microbial analysis implicitly demonstrated that pretreatment expedited the growth of hydrolytic bacteria (Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes), and a syntrophic interaction with electroactive microorganisms (Smithella) and hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanoculleus) was enriched in the MECs with AUP sludge. This suggests that the AUP strategy could be useful to enhance anaerobic digestion performance and provide a new perspective on treating primary SS in an economical way.

Automated summary

Ultrasound and combined alkaline-ultrasound pretreatment (AUP) shown effective for disintegration of primary sewage sludge, and the degree of solubilization (DS) was evaluated. The pretreated primary SS then used in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) to maximize methane production. The AUP achieved the highest DS of 67.2% and MEC reactors operated with the AUP achieved the highest methane production (240 +/- 6.4 mL g VSin-1). The AUP strategy could enhance anaerobic digestion performance and provide an economical way for treating primary SS.