~

Pergamon

Wal. Sci. T.ch. Vol. 36, No. II, pp. 61-67, 1997.

C 1997 IAWQ. Published by Elsevier Science Lid

Prinled in Great Britain.

PH: 50273-1223(97)00670-7

0273-1223/97 Sl7-llO + 0'00

THE INFLUENCE OF THE ANAEROBIC

DIGESTION PROCESS ON THE SEWAGE
SLUDGES RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR
Paulo Santos Monteiro
IHRH -lnstituto de Hidrliulica e Recursos Hidricos, Faculdade de Engenharia da
Universidade do Porto, Rua des Bragas. 4099 Porto Codex. Portugal

ABSTRACT
During the anaerobic digestion process, a significant part of the organic mailer in sewage sludge is
decomposed to form other organic and inorganic compounds in dissolved form. This biological
transformation of a substantial part of the organic solids has, cenainly, a strong influence on the rheological
characteristics of the sludge. In this paper a test racility was set up to simulale sewage sludge digestion and
periodic observalions on the evolution of the sludge characteristics were carried oul. Results of this study
show that imponant changes on the sludge rheological behaviour occur during anaerobic digestion and that
the evolution of those changes is related to the degree of digestion. Moreover. it is shown that the verified
high degree of physical changes can not be explained only by the total solids concentration variation and two
hypotheses are proposed to explain those changes. @ 1997 IAWQ. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd

KEYWORDS
Sludge; anaerobic digestion; rheology of sludges.
INTRODUCTION
About 3% of the wastewater that reaches any urban treatment plant is transformed into a final residue called
raw sludge. Raw sludge is an unstable solids suspension that must be subjected to a specific and complex
treatment before an environmentally acceptable product is obtained for final disposal.
In a conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant. raw sludge is normally a mixture of the
primary sludge and the excess biological sludge. In general. raw sludge has about 3-5% (by weight) total
solids, among which about 70-80% is organic matter.
Due to its high organic solids content, raw sludge must be stabilized by digestion processes. in order to
obtain a stable product which is easier to handle and to dispose of. During the anaerobic digestion.
heterotrophic bacteria reduce about 40-50% of the organic compounds, especially those less complex and
readily biodegradable. These compounds are normally in soluble and colloidal form and may be classified as
a complex mixture of nutrients, proteins, carbonhydrates and organic acids - small organic particles linked
to other solids of greater dimension or suspended in the liquid phase.
The biological assimilation of these solids reduces slightly the total solids concentration of the sludge but
certainly plays a major role in the well known great rheological differences between raw and digested
.NSl1,.\I.C

61

62

P. S. MONTEIRO

sludges, as concluded in studies carried out in the Water Research Centre (Frost, 1982, 1983; Johnson,
1981), by Mulbarger et al. (1981) and by Hendo and Kanari (1980).
In the above-mentioned studies important results are obtained on the sludge rheological characteristics
relating to the influence of two specific parameters - solids concentration, and sludge nature. However, the
application of the proposed methods to raw and digested sludges with an average solids concentration of,
respectively, 3-4% and 2-3%, gives very different results. According to the Water Research Centre studies
these sludges are Herschell-Bulkley fluids, in Mulbarger et al. studies they are Bingham fluids and, finally,
for Hendo and Kanari they are pseudo-plastic fluids.
The aim of this study is to provide more information about the rheological characteristics of sewage sludges
with a particular focus on the influence of the anaerobic digestion process in order to minimize the
uncertainty faced by the designers of sludge transport systems.
METHODS
Figure I shows the experimental set-up used to simulate the sewage sludge digestion. The installation
includes a heated anaerobic reactor with a volume of 0.7 m3, equipped with a mechanical mixer in order to
simulate the anaerobic digestion process of sludges at a constant temperature of 32-34OC.

-Figure I. Experimental sct-up.

The biological activity was permanently followed by the measurement of the volume of biogas produced and
by periodic measurements of the total and volatile solids concentration. When necessary small amounts of
lime were added in order to maintain the pH of the digesting sludge in the range of 6.0 to 8.0.
Weekly a rheological test was performed in a Physica Rheolab MClOO rheometer using a rotational
viscometer (MS Z2 DIN model of the concentric cylinders geometry).The bob and the cup radius of this
geometry are, respectively, 0.0225 m and 0.0244 m.
The rheological measurements were performed in the controlled shear rate mode. The range of the
measurements was carefully studied to avoid any interference at high values of shear rate, caused by the
secondary cellular motions that develop in the flow, the so-called Taylor instabilities. On the other hand the
low shear rate limit was also made an object of special study in order to minimize the influence of wall
depletion on the viscometric results since this effect is most likely to occur in this kind of suspension.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Two experiments were performed using raw sewage sludge from a domestic wastewater treatment plant.
Figure 2 shows the evolution of solids concentration during the anaerobic digestion process.

Anaerobic digestion process

.. ,----

,"

63

.. ,.-.

."-.,

~
....:~::--------

. :=-:;;::
;

u .........

'

--

'.t------..--- -----..

Figure 2. Tolal solids concentration durin, the anaerobic digestion process.

It was also observed that the biogas production during both experiments, measured at the gasmeter, was
about 0.7 m 3/kg of the volatile solids destroyed.
Rheological data was in the first place analysed in a shear rate versus viscosity coordinate system in order to
remove any interference of wall depletion or Taylor instabilities in the results.
Recent studies by Escudier et al. (1995), revealed that the development of Taylor vortices on non-Newtonian
shear-thinning fluids is marked by a progressive and gradual increase in the instabilities, in contrast to the
abrupt way it takes place in Newtonian fluids. Moreover, experimental studies by Coelho et al. (1996) with
polymers confirmed the results of Escudier and showed that the flow instability was reached only when Ta
3100.

' 'IIi..'1
I,..,.........

L'

. .-

-:s=::

"'I~

FiglR 3. Viscometric results with raw sludge (2nd clIperirnellt).

J.,........ __

"!'-IIIIII

1.::
Z

*"\;;

..

..........1,

Fiaure 4. Viscornetric results willi diacslina siudac (2nd uperimcnt).

P. S. MONTEIRO

64

..

.. -"-.-,---'-,

- - ; ; - - - ..

D&U ....

TI"'I.

,. .....,

Figure S. Viscometric ~ults with digested sludge (2nd experimenll.

Figures 3. 4 and 5 show, using a shear rale versus viscosily coordinate system. three examples of lhe
viscometric results obtained in the rheological tests perfonned during the second experiment. Due to the
great reduction in the viscosity of the sludges during digestion and in order to avoid any interference of the
Taylor instabilities. the shear rate upper limit of the experiments was fixed at 700 s-I for raw sludges and
300 s1 for digested sludges. With a shear rate lower limit of 10,2 s,1 it was not possible to find any
interference due to wall depletion.

Figure 6. Rheological results with raw sludge (2nd experiment).

i,.
,"ruT '-\,/Ill ~.IUJDQG

e ..

,MJ . . . . . I

i 1.,'

.........,.,

.~

..~..

PCMa"'''

,.

.1 1

Figure 7. Rheological results with digested sludae (2nd experiment).

The rheological measurements showed that the best statistical approximations to the measured values are
obtained with the rheological models that include the yield stress parameter, namely the Herschell-Bulkley
model and the Bingham model. The correlation coefficient obtained for raw sludge is 0.99 for the
Henchell-Bulkley model and 0.95 for the Bingham model. On the other hand. for digested sludge these

Anaerobic digestion process

coefficient is 0.99 for both models. Figures 6 and 7 show two examples of the results obtained in the
rheological tests performed in the first and last runs of the second experiment with the best fit lines for the
Herschell-Bulkley and Bingham models.

..." -

-.,-..-,
.----

--

.--._.~,,_.--.-- --.--~.

Figure 8. Evolution of the yield stress (Herschell-Bulkley model).

.. ,-1lOD.-.T
'~

utI;--

1~

--,,--

. - - - - . -..- -

~-

Figure 9. Evolution of the consistency index (Herschell-Bulkley model).

.1...-....

------

...
.

--------

.---_.~-

--

- --.---.--.

Fi,lun: 10. Evolution of the power index (Herschell-Bulkley model).

Finally. Figures 8, 9 and 10 show the evolution of the parameters 'tc K and n, applying the Herschcll
Bulkley model to the experimental data, and Figures II and 12 show the evolution of the 'tc (yield stress)
and '1B (plastic viscosity) of the Bingham model during the anaerobic digestion of the sludges. The time
evolution of the rheological parameters clearly shows that the digestion process has a very strong influence
on the rheological behaviour of the sludges.

66

P. S. MONTEIRO

....-

.I~

....-

- - - --""-<::::----

"

., -- .,

Figure II. Evolution of !he yield stress (Bingham model).

.Iot~

I~

~~ Utlr'-\ - - - - - : - - - -

I:~~--------.
i.... ~.:.-

Figure J2. Evolulion of the plastic viscosity (Bingham model).

CONCLUSIONS
During anaerobic digestion. the observed changes in the rheological behaviour of the sludges result from the
biological transformation of the dissolved and colloidal organic solids. The mechanism used by these solids
to influence the rheological characteristics of the sludges may be explained by two hypotheses:
- these solidi may be considered as macromolecules dissolved in water; the anaerobic digestion changes the
rheology of the liquid phase.
- these solids may be considered links between the bacteria and the bigger solid particles. which are
gradually removed changing the solid structure of the sludge.
The rheological models that present the best fit to the experimental data are the Herschell- Bulkley and the
Bingham equations. In both models the change rates of the rheological parameters follow the evolution of
the biologic process.
In the range of solids concentration studied it has been verified that the degree of digestion is the main factor
affecting the rheological behaviour of the sludges and that this behaviour is nOl significantly affected by the
solids concentration of the sludges.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to INICT (Junta Nacional de Investig~ao Cientffica e Tecnol6gica) for their financial suppon
of this work. The logistic suppon from the Wastewater Treatment Plant of Parada-Maia is also greatly
appreciated.

Anaerobic digestion process

67

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Escudier, M. P. Gouldson, I. W. and Jones, D. M. (1995). Taylor vortices in Newtonian and shear-thinning liquids. Proc. R. Soc.
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