Fenton process effect on sludge disintegration.

This study investigated the disintegration of sewage sludge through the Fenton process. The study was conducted by both the conventional Fenton-type process (CFP) (Fe/HO) and the Fenton-type process (FTP) (nZVI/HO). Experiments were performed using different pH, catalyst iron (Fe and nZVI), and HO dosages. Different parameters such as the degree of disintegration (DD), soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), and particle size distribution were studied to investigate the effects of CFP and FTP processes on the disintegration of sludge. In addition to these parameters, scanning electron microscope, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses were done to determine the changes in sludge characterization before and after disintegration. In the study, the optimal catalyst iron was determined to be (Fe and nZVI) 4 g/kg total solids (TS), and the HO dosage was determined to be 10 g/kg TS. The experiments were performed with consideration of the 1-h oxidation time. While DD was found to be 31.8% and the SCOD was found to be 364 mg/L for FTP, DD and SCOD were found to be 14.1% and 256 mg/L for CFP, respectively.