Co-Digesting Sewage Sludge Using Rice Straw and Effective Microorganisms (EM1)

摘要

Anaerobic digestion is a solution for sludge management. It is organic matter converted into methane which is renewable energy. This energy is used to enhance performance of co-digestion of sewage sludge using rice straw and effective microorganisms (EM1). A study using a bench scale was installed at El-Berka waste water treatment plant (WWTP) in the El-Salam district, Cairo, Egypt with mesophillic conditions for thickened sludge. The bench scale was monitored for three stages over 20 days of operation to choose the most suitable rate of rice straw and EM1 mixed with thickened sludge. It was concluded that 20% rice straw and 1:250 EM1 mixing rate was the most suitable ratio based on COD and total VSS destruction percentage. Results showed a reduction of COD and total VSS up to 70 and 77%, respectively.