Performance and Kinetics of Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge Amended with Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles, Analyzed Using Sigmoidal Models

Abstract

Sewage sludge was treated with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) to enhance biogas and methane (CH4) production, and the influence of key parameters on the material’s anaerobic digestion (AD) efficiency was analyzed using sigmoidal mathematical models. In this study, three dosages of nZVI (0.5%, 1.5% and 3%) were added to the anaerobic sludge digestion system to enhance and accelerate the sludge decomposition process. The results showed that cumulative biogas yield after 41 days of digestion increased by 23.9% in the reactor with a nZVI dosage of 1.5%. Correspondingly, the highest CH4 production enhancement by 21.5% was achieved with a nZVI dosage of 1.5% compared to the control. The results indicated that this nZVI dosage was optimal for the AD system, as it governed the highest biogas and CH4 yields and maximum removal of total and volatile solids. Additionally, to predict biogas and CH4 yields and evaluate kinetic parameters, eight kinetic models were applied. According to the results of the modified Gompertz, Richards and logistic models, the nZVI dosage of 1.5% shortened the biogas lag phase from 11 to 5 days compared to the control. The Schnute model provided the best fit to the experimental biogas and CH4 data due to highest coefficients of determination (R2: 0.9997–0.9999 at 1.5% and 3% nZVI dosages), as well as the lowest Akaike’s Information Criterion values and errors. This demonstrated its superior performance compared to other models.

Keywords

• anaerobic digestion
• sewage sludge
• zero-valent iron nanoparticles
• Gompertz
• Richards
• Cone