Thiosulfate pretreatment enhancing short-chain fatty acids production from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge: Performance, metabolic activity and microbial community

A novel strategy based on thiosulfate pretreatment for enhancing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from anaerobic fermentation (AF) of waste activated sludge (WAS) was proposed in this study. The results showed that the maximal SCFA yield increased from 206.1 +/- 4.7 to 1097.9 +/- 17.2 mg COD/L with thiosulfate dosage increasing from 0 to 1000 mg S/L, and sulfur species contribution results revealed that thiosulfate was the leading contributor to improve SCFA yield. Mechanism exploration disclosed that thiosulfate addition largely improved WAS disintegration, due to thiosulfate serving as a cation binder for removing organic-binding cations, especially Ca2+ and Mg2+, dispersing the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) structure and further entering into the intracellularly by stimulated carrier protein SoxYZ and subsequently caused cell lysis. Typical enzyme activities and related functional gene abundances indicated that both hydrolysis and acidogenesis were remarkably enhanced while methanogenesis was substantially suppressed, which were further strengthened by the enriched hydrolytic bacteria (e.g. C10-SB1A) and acidogenic bacteria (e.g. Aminicenantales) but severely reduced methanogens (e.g. Methanolates and Methanospirillum). Economic analysis confirmed that thiosulfate pretreat-ment was a cost-effective and efficient strategy. The findings obtained in this work provide a new thought for recovering resource through thiosulfate-assisted WAS AF for sustainable development.

Automated summary

A new strategy based on thiosulfate pretreatment was proposed to enhance short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production during anaerobic fermentation (AF) of waste activated sludge (WAS). The addition of thiosulfate significantly improved the disintegration of WAS, leading to increased SCFA yield. This was achieved through the binding of thiosulfate to organic-binding cations, dispersing the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) structure and causing cell lysis. The enzyme activities and gene abundances showed enhanced hydrolysis and acidogenesis, while methanogenesis was suppressed. This cost-effective and efficient strategy provides a new approach for resource recovery through thiosulfate-assisted WAS AF.