Viscosity dynamics and the production of extracellular polymeric substances and soluble microbial products during anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill wastewater sludges.

ABSTRACT: The production processes of the pulp and paper industry often run in campaigns, leading to large variations in the composition of wastewaters and waste sludges. During anaerobic digestion (AD) of these wastes, the viscosity or the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) may be affected, with the risk of foam formation, inefficient digester mixing or poor sludge dewaterability. The aim of this study was to investigate how viscosity and production of EPS and SMP during long-term AD of pulp and paper mill sludge is affected by changes in organic loading rate (OLR) and hydraulic retention time (HRT). Two mesophilic lab-scale continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) were operated for 800 days (R1 and R2), initially digesting only fibre sludge,

SUBMITTER: Ekstrand EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6960218 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature