Metal Stimulation and Municipal Digester

Thermophilic/Mesophilic Activity
Daniel H. Zitomer1; Carlan C. Johnson2; and Richard E. Speece3

Abstract: Biomass from thermophilic and mesophilic digesters 共four temperature-phased anaerobic digesters and one phased thermo-
philic digester兲 was assayed for potential methane production rate increases resulting from nutrient 共Ni, Co, and Fe兲 addition. Further-
more, digester operations and biomass activities were compared. The majority 共77%兲 of biomass samples benefited from nutrients, with
propionate and acetate utilization rates increasing as much as 50 and 35%, respectively, after nutrient addition. Propionate utilization rates
were more frequently stimulated by nutrient addition, demonstrating increased methane production rates of from 14 to 50% upon nutrient
amendment. Others have observed difficulty achieving low propionate concentrations in municipal thermophilic digesters, especially at
lower retention times. Trace nutrient supplementation is one method to increase propionate and acetate utilization in some municipal
thermophilic as well as mesophilic digesters.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲0733-9372共2008兲134:1共42兲
CE Database subject headings: Biomass; Digestion; Nutrients; Metals; Municipal wastes.

Introduction 共VFA兲 concentrations are reduced in the subsequent mesophilic

phase 共Song et al. 2004兲.
Thermophilic anaerobic digestion 共ca. 55° C兲 is being utilized Although thermophilic digestion offers several advantages,
more widely for municipal wastewater biosolids stabilization, potential disadvantages exist. For example, disadvantages may
and can be operated as a single-stage process. However, several include increased odor, less process stability, and difficulty
facilities use staged thermophilic digestion in which multiple di- achieving low VFA concentrations, especially during the first year
gesters in series are employed. of start up or for municipal digester systems with retention times
less than six days 共Aitken et al. 2005b; Zitomer et al. 2004; Azbar
Potential advantages of thermophilic as compared to meso-
and Speece 2001; Ghosh 1987兲.
philic processes include increased pathogen inactivation as well
It is noteworthy that nutrient addition has lessened the severity
as increased volatile solids reduction 共VSR兲 and biogas produc-
of these disadvantages, as they have been observed in thermo-
tion 共Aitken et al. 2005a,b; Schafer et al. 2003; Song et al. 2004;
philic as well as mesophilic systems. In this regard, laboratory
Cheunbarn and Pagilla 2000; Krugel et al. 1998; Dague and Han
thermophilic system supplementation with the nutrients calcium,
1998兲. Both thermophilic temperatures and staging can increase nickel, iron, and cobalt has resulted in removal of almost all
VSR and pathogen destruction, with multiple stages helping to VFAs, even in reactors exhibiting difficulties with VFA removal
avoid short circuiting. prior to nutrient addition 共Kim and Speece 2002兲. Trace metals
Thermophilic digestion can also be operated in temperature- also increased the rate of biogas production in these laboratory
phased anaerobic digestion 共TPAD兲 systems consisting of a ther- systems.
mophilic digester in series with a mesophilic digester. Usually the Micronutrients most often reported as stimulatory include the
thermophilic digester is maintained near 55° C and the mesophilic trace metals nickel, cobalt, and iron 共Speece 1996兲. It is common
digester is maintained at approximately 35° C. These phased sys- for municipal wastewater sludge to contain adequate nitrogen and
tems tend to rely on the thermophilic digester because most phosphorus. However, the trace metals nickel, cobalt, and iron are
pathogen inactivation, solids destruction, and methane production not necessarily present in adequate amounts. Furthermore, these
is performed by this reactor, whereas odor and volatile fatty acid trace metals are not necessarily bioavailable. Confusion still re-
mains as to the bioavailability of trace metals. Although total
1
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Marquette Univ., metal concentrations may appear adequate, the metals may not be
Milwaukee, WI 53201 共corresponding author兲. E-mail: daniel.zitomer@ present in bioavailable form that can be utilized by the microor-
mu.edu ganisms. Therefore, nutrient addition may be warranted.
2
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Marquette Univ., The stimulatory effect of trace metals in conventional meso-
Milwaukee, WI 53201. philic digesters was previously studied, and eight of the 30 di-
3
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt Univ., gester biomass samples assayed exhibited an increase in biogas
Nashville, TN 37235. production rate when nickel, cobalt, or iron was supplemented
Note. Discussion open until June 1, 2008. Separate discussions must
and acetate was unlimiting 共Speece 1988兲. However, only con-
be submitted for individual papers. To extend the closing date by one
month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor. ventional mesophilic digesters were assayed. The nutrient require-
The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and possible ments of thermophilic systems may be significantly different from
publication on February 8, 2007; approved on May 25, 2007. This paper that of mesophilic systems. For example, Takashima and Shimada
is part of the Journal of Environmental Engineering, Vol. 134, No. 1, 共2004兲 reported minimum requirements for iron, nickel, cobalt,
January 1, 2008. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9372/2008/1-42–47/$25.00. and zinc in thermophilic methane fermentation from glucose of

42 / JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / JANUARY 2008

Table 1. Summary of Wastewater Treatment Plants Providing Biomass
Plant name Digestion process City State/province Country
Greater Vancouver Regional District—Annacis Island WWTP Four-stage thermophilic Burnaby B.C. Canada
Western Lake Superior Sanitary District 共WLSSD兲 Temp-phased 共thermo-meso兲 Duluth MN US
Sturgeon Bay Utilities Temp-phased 共thermo-meso兲 Sturgeon Bay WI US
Janesville Wastewater Utility—WWTP Temp-phased 共thermo-meso兲 Janesville WI US
Delafield-Hartland WWTP Temp-phased 共thermo-meso兲 Delafield WI US

3.5, 0.40, 0.45, and 2.0 mg/ L, respectively. These concentrations 共Speece 1996兲, are not toxic to anaerobic biomass, and are sig-
are ten times greater than those determined for mesophilic meth- nificantly higher than the Monod half-saturation constant values.
ane fermentation from acetate 共Takashima and Speece 1989兲, Therefore, systems were not substrate limited during the initial
indicating a possible decrease in bioavailability or increase in testing period. For each group, five metal-dosed systems were
nutrient requirements at thermophilic temperatures. prepared, with each system receiving either NiCl2, CoCl2, FeCl3,
In this study, the stimulatory effect of trace metals 共Ni, Co, or all three salts so as to result in added Ni, Co, and Fe concen-
and Fe兲 on methanogenesis using biomass from thermophilic, and trations of 25 mg/ L each in the systems. A control receiving no
TPAD municipal anaerobic digesters was quantified. The purpose nutrient amendment was also prepared.
of the study was to determine if trace metal supplementation for Sixteen of the 126 nutrient assay systems were run in triplicate
full-scale municipal thermophilic, and TPAD systems would be for statistical analysis. The average coefficient of variation 共CV兲
advantageous. The increase in propionate and acetate utilization value for maximum methane production rates of triplicate sys-
rates due to trace metal addition was determined. In addition, a tems was 2.5% when one high outlier was disregarded 共i.e.,
survey of operations for digesters from which biomass was as- 24.7% for the Greater Vancouver Regional District-Annacis
sayed was performed. Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, 共WWTP兲, thermophilic bio-
mass with calcium propionate control system receiving no nutri-
ent dose兲. This average CV value is comparable to the value of
Methods less than 3% reported by Vogel 共2003兲 for similar mesophilic and
thermophilic anaerobic serum bottle activity testing. An estimated
Municipal wastewater treatment plants with thermophilic anaero- CV value of 4.6% was used herein to compare mean values of
bic digesters were identified in North America through literature systems not run in triplicate. This value represents the upper 95%
共e.g., Schafer et al. 2003兲, internet research, and discussion with confidence limit of the CV values measured during this study.
practicing engineers 共Johnson 2006兲. Five plants were chosen for Average results from each of the biomass samples assayed were
study based upon availability of quasi-steady-state biomass and compared using student’s t-test to determine whether results were
willingness of plant managers to participate in the study. Some statistically different.
plants were not included since they were in start up or were not
operating thermophilic digesters at the time of the study. The
participating treatment plants are listed in Table 1. A treatment Biochemical Methane Potential Testing
plant survey instrument was created and completed by personnel
at all participating plants. The purpose of the survey was to pro- Biochemical methane potential 共BMP兲 is a measure of the meth-
vide information regarding digester type/configuration, digester ane that can be produced biologically from a given waste, sludge,
volume, type of material fed 共i.e., primary sludge, secondary or substrate, and is often reported in units of methane volume per
sludge, mixture兲, raw sludge feed rate, solids retention time, vola- mass of chemical oxygen demand 共COD兲 or per volume of ma-
tile solids destruction, biogas production, digester temperature, terial. The BMP protocol of Owen et al. 共1979兲 was used to de-
digester pH and alkalinity, volatile acids concentration, and am- termine the methane generation potential of each biomass. For
monia nitrogen concentration. BMP testing, a biomass sample 共50 ml兲 was placed in a 160 mL
Biomass samples were transported to the laboratory from all serum bottle, and biogas production was measured as described
participating plants for diagnostic assays. Tests performed in- below. The BMP was calculated by dividing the cumulative vol-
cluded: 共1兲 maximum potential acetate utilization rate 共MPAUR兲 ume of methane produced by the volume of biomass added to the
and maximum potential propionate utilization rate 共MPPUR兲 as- bottle.
says using nickel, cobalt, and iron; 共2兲 5- and 30-day biochemical
methane potential 共BMP兲 tests; and 共3兲 MPAUR and MPPUR
assays without nutrient supplementation. All these assays have MPAUR and MPPUR Testing
previously been used by Speece 共1988兲 to investigate over 30
conventional mesophilic digesters. MPAUR and MPPUR testing was performed without nutrient
supplementation to determine the thermophilic and mesophilic
maximum biomass utilization rates of acetate and propionate
Nutrient Assays
under nonsubstrate-limited conditions. These tests have been de-
Biomass aliquots 共50 mL兲 were placed in multiple, 160 mL scribed by Speece 共1988兲 as assays to characterize the rate that a
serum bottles. Two serum bottle groups were prepared for each given biomass can utilize the anaerobic digestion intermediates,
biomass sample used in nutrient assays. To one group, 7.5 g / L acetate, and propionate. Briefly, 50 mL biomass aliquots were
calcium acetate was added, whereas 3 g / L calcium propionate placed in 160 mL serum bottles and either 7.5 g / L calcium ac-
was added to the other group. These substrate concentrations are etate or 3 g / L calcium propionate was added for MPAUR and
typically employed for acetate and propionate utilization testing MPPUR tests, respectively. Bottles were incubated and the

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / JANUARY 2008 / 43

Table 2. Summary of Plant Operating Data
Volume
raw sludge
Volume of Volume of Volume of all fed to
Flow Digester thermodigesters mesodigesters digesters thermodigester
Plant name 共MGD兲 configuration 共MG兲 共MG兲 共MG兲 共1,000 gpd兲 Type feed
Sturgeon Bay 1.3 TPAD NA NA 0.35 15.0 Primary⫹WAS
Utilities
GVRD—Annacis Island 131.3 Staged 16.6 0 16.6 306.4 Primary⫹WAS
WWTP thermophilic
Janesville Wastewater 14.3 TPAD NA NA 3 50.0 Primary⫹WAS
Utility—WWTP
Delafield-Hartland 1.8 TPAD 0.3 0.275 0.575 11.0 Primary⫹WAS
WWTP
WLSSD 39.2 TPAD 1 3 4 147.7 TWAS

Primary WAS Typical Gas product

thickened thickened SRT % TS % VS % solids Gas product 共100,000
Plant name 共method, %兲 共method, %兲 共days兲 共raw兲 共raw兲 destruction 共100,000 CFD兲 CFD/MGD兲
Sturgeon Bay Utilities Gravity, 3.75 Gravity, 17.5 3.25 65 60 — —
3.75
GVRD—Annacis Gravity, 5.5 DAF, 4.4 20 4.3 84.7 61 16.6 0.13
Island WWTP
Janesville Wastewater Not DAF, 4.4 21 8.2 71 46.2 1.08 0.076
Utility—WWTP thickened
Delafield-Hartland Not Gravity, 5.5 25–30 3.5 82 70.5 0.3 0.17
WWTP thickened
WLSSD Not DAF, 6 7.5 6.0 75.2 28.9 3.73 0.095
thickened

Volume solid Mesodigester Thermodigester Alkalinity Thermodigester

共dry tons temperature temperature 共mg/L as volatile acids NH4-N
Plant name % CH4 fed/day兲 共°C兲 共°C兲 pH CaCO3兲 共mg/L as acetic兲 共mg/L兲
Sturgeon Bay Utilities 67.5 NA NA 55 7.6 5,200 130 6,000
GVRD—Annacis 36.2 55 — 56 7.6 5,300 675 1,500
Island WWTP 共centrate兲
Janesville Wastewater NA 8.89 38 55 7.3 4,500 750 5,800
Utility—WWTP
Delafield-Hartland NA 1.4 33 52 7.4 NA NA NA
WWTP
WLSSD 63 30.9 41 55 7.5–7.8 5,820 1,000 1,890
Note: NA⫽not available; TWAS⫽thickened waste activated sludge; WAS⫽waste activated sludge; DAF⫽dissolved air flotation; Primary⫽waste sludge
from primary sedimentation of wastewater; and Gravity⫽gravity thickening.

MPAUR and MPPUR values were determined as the maximum tive methane volume produced versus time was plotted, and the
slope of the plot of cumulative methane produced versus time, as initial maximum methane production rate was quantified by linear
described below. regression of appropriate initial plot points, giving biomass activ-
ity for MPAUR and MPPUR values.
Total solids, volatile solids and alkalinity concentrations as
Analytical Testing well as pH were determined by standard methods 共APHA,
AWWA, and WEF 1998兲. Soluble phosphate concentrations were
After adding biomass and any substrate or metal dose, the head-
determined by centrifuging samples at 5,600 rpm for 1 h, and
space of all serum bottles was gassed with 70/ 30 v / v N2 / CO2,
then filtering the supernatant through 0.45 ␮m opening cellulose
sealed with butyl rubber septa, and placed on an incubator shaker
at 35° C or 55° C 共C25KC, New Brunswick Scientific, Edison, nitrate membrane filters. The filtrate was then analyzed for ortho-
N.J.兲 for mesophilic and thermophilic samples, respectively. Bio- phosphate via the vanadomolybdophosphoric acid colorimetric
gas production was measured over time using a glass syringe with method, as described elsewhere 共APHA, AWWA, and WEF 1998;
wetted barrel inserted through the bottle septa. For ease of com- Johnson 2006兲. Biogas methane content was determined by gas
parison, thermophilic biogas measurements were converted to chromatography using a flame ionization detector 共APHA,
equivalent volumes at 35° C assuming an ideal gas. The cumula- AWWA, and WEF 1998; Johnson 2006兲.

44 / JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / JANUARY 2008

Table 3. Summary of Parameters Calculated from Plant Operating Data
Digester volume per Raw sludge Digester gas Digester gas flow Digester gas
total plant flow per total plant flow per total plant flow per digester volume per raw sludge volume

Plant name 共 兲
MG
MGD 共1,000 GPD
MGD 兲 共1,000 CFD
MGD 兲 共 兲
CFD
CF 共 兲
CF
CF

Sturgeon Bay Utilities 0.27 11.5 NA NA NA

Western Lake Superior 0.10 3.8 9.5 0.70 18.9
Sanitary District 共WLSSD兲
Greater Vancouver 0.13 2.3 12.6 0.75 40.5
Regional District—
Annacis Island WWTP
Janesville Wastewater Utility 0.21 3.5 7.6 0.27 16.2
—WWTP
Delafield-Hartland WWTP 0.32 6.1 16.7 0.39 20.4
Average 0.21± 0.09 5.4± 3.7 11.6± 4.0 0.53± 0.23 24.0± 11.2
Average in Speece 共1988兲 0.14± 0.09 4.3± 2.8 8.8± 6.1 0.64± 0.5 15.8± 7.5
Statistically different No No No No No
共p = 0.05, v = 35兲
Note: v⫽degrees of freedom; p⫽level of significance, MG⫽million gallons; MGD⫽million gallons per day; GPD⫽gallons per day; CFD⫽cubic feet per
day; and CF⫽cubic feet.

Results and Discussion more complete biosolids stabilization. This more complete stabi-
lization may be a result of both thermophilic temperatures and
larger total digester size.
Treatment Plant Survey
Four TPAD systems and one, four-stage thermophilic system
Nutrient Assays
were chosen for study. The four-stage system 共Annacis Island
Wastewater Treatment Plant兲 was comprised of four initial ther- The majority of biomass samples tested 共77%兲 benefited from
mophilic digesters in parallel with a solids retention time 共SRT兲 nutrient supplementation, with seven of the nine biomass samples
of approximately 18 days followed by three smaller thermophilic 共four mesophilic and three thermophilic兲 exhibiting statistically
digesters in series. The overall SRT of the three smaller digesters significant increased acetate and/or propionate utilization rates
was approximately three days. The operating data provided by upon supplementation with either nickel, cobalt, iron, or all three
personnel from each are presented in Table 2. Four plants di- nutrients. Table 4 summarizes the thermophilic and mesophilic
gested a mixture of primary and waste-activated sludge, whereas biomass samples that demonstrated a statistically significant in-
one digested waste-activated sludge only. Total average system crease in biogas production with acetate and propionate sub-
SRTs were between seven and 30 days, with an average of ap- strates, respectively. In some cases, supplementation of a single
proximately 19 days. nutrient caused an increase in methane production rate, whereas
In general, all plants were operating well, with pH values supplementation with all three nutrients together did not. The rea-
greater than 7 and VFA concentrations ⬍1,000 mg/ L as acetic son for this is unknown.
acid 共see Table 2兲. VSR was generally very good, and averaged Propionate utilization rate was more frequently increased by
53%. However, the relatively low value of VSR for the Western nutrients than acetate utilization. In this regard, six out of seven
Lake Superior Sanitary District 共WLSSD兲 was an outlier. propionate-fed, nutrient-amended biomass samples 共86%兲 demon-
Normalized data are presented in Table 3, along with average strated increased biogas production rates, whereas only three out
results for mesophilic systems as reported by Speece 共1988兲. For of nine acetate-fed samples 共33%兲 demonstrated an increase.
TPAD systems, digester biogas production values are the sum of There were three thermophilic propionate-fed systems stimulated,
mesophilic and thermophilic digester production. The average with a range of stimulation of from 14% to 51%, but only one
digester volume per unit influent flow of the TPAD and the ther- acetate-fed thermophilic system was stimulated, and the stimula-
mophilic staged system was 50% greater than that previously tion was marginal 共i.e., ⬍5%兲 共see Table 4兲.
reported for conventional mesophilic digesters 共Speece 1988兲;
however, the difference is not statistically significant at 95% con-
MPAUR and MPPUR
fidence. Nevertheless, it is interesting that TPAD and thermo-
philic systems are often cited as requiring less volume to achieve Fig. 1 summarizes the MPAUR and MPPUR results for the me-
a given solids destruction, yet the existing TPAD systems studied sophilic and thermophilic sludge samples taken from each of the
are, on average, larger than conventional mesophilic digesters. On participating municipal wastewater treatment plants. All rate data
the other hand, the average biogas production per volume of raw in Fig. 1 have been normalized as volumes of methane 共at 35° C兲
sludge fed and digester biogas produced per unit plant flow were per g VS in feed sludge 共mL CH4 / g VS day兲.
52 and 32% higher for the TPAD and thermophilic system studied Acetate and propionate utilization rates are important factors
as compared to conventional systems. Although these differences in the digestion process, with difficulties sometimes reported
are not statistically significant at a 95% confidence level, this is when trying to achieve low propionate concentrations in anaero-
an indication that TPAD and thermophilic systems accomplish bically treated effluents, especially at thermophilic temperatures.

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / JANUARY 2008 / 45

Table 4. Biomass Source and Percent Increase in Methane Production Rate due to Trace Metalsa
Temperature Substrate Trace metal共s兲 added and increase in methane production 共%兲
Ni Co Fe Fe, Ni, Co
Thermophilic Propionate DH 14 GVRDAI 51 JWWTP 48 —
JWWTP 35
Acetate JWWTP 4 — — —

Mesophilic Propionate — JWWTP 15 DH 9WLSSD 12

JWWTP 7
Acetate JWWTP 36 SBU 8b — SBU 17
a
SBU⫽Sturgeon Bay Utilities; WLSSD⫽Western Lake Superior Sanitary District; GVRDAI⫽Greater Vancouver Regional District-Annacis Island;
JWWTP⫽Janesville Wastewater Utility WWTP; and DH⫽Delafield-Hartland WWTP.
b
Stimulation caused by addition of 75 mg/ L Co. All other biomass samples were tested at 25 mg/ L Co.

All TPAD plants tested with propionate as the substrate showed production rates of 0.29 vol CH4 / vol d 共with an average SRT of
increased propionate utilization rates at thermophilic tempera- approximately 19 days兲. Comparing these values, the average di-
tures. The average specific rate for the thermophilic MPPUR was gested sludge stability increase due to a short additional digestion
statistically higher than the average specific rate for the meso- phase can be estimated. To illustrate, the BMP serum bottle can
philic MPAUR 关see Fig. 1共b兲兴, representing an 84% average rate be considered to simulate a final-phase, complete-mix reactor
increase from mesophilic to thermophilic biomass 共p = 0.05, treating a given mesophilic digester effluent. Daily methane pro-
v = 7兲. The increase in acetate utilization from mesophilic to ther- duction could theoretically increase by 2% with a one-day SRT
mophilic temperatures was even more pronounced and statisti- final phase. Likewise, the data of Speece 共1988兲 indicate a 3.6%
cally significant; the average thermophilic MPAUR was 159% average methane production increase if a final phase having a
greater than the mesophilic value 共p = 0.05, v = 7兲 关see Fig. 1共a兲兴. five-day SRT was implemented 共i.e., estimated using the reported
BMP5 values and plant operating data兲 even after an average of
45 days of digestion.
BMP Testing
Measured mesophilic BMP5 values ranged from 0.18 to
A low BMP value indicates stable sludge, whereas high BMP 0.40 vol CH4 / vol 共see Fig. 2兲. Comparing the average mesophilic
values indicate less stability and an increased potential to produce BMP5 values reported herein for TPAD systems 共Fig. 2兲 with
additional methane. BMP5 values for exclusively mesophilic bio- those reported for conventional mesophilic systems by Speece
mass samples averaged 0.11 vol CH4 / vol d 共see Fig. 2兲, whereas 共1988兲, it is apparent that BMP values were statistically lower for
treatment plant personnel reported average total digester methane TPAD systems 共p = 0.05, v = 34兲. It should be noted, however, that
the TPAD systems also had longer average SRT values than the

Fig. 1. Digester biomass acetate and propionate assay results. Fig. 2. Biochemical methane potential results. Summary of 5-day
Summary of maximum potential acetate utilization rate 共MPAUR兲 共BMP5兲 and 30-day 共BMP30兲 biochemical methane potential testing
and maximum potential propionate utilization rate 共MPPUR兲 assays for biomass from various municipal digesters. SBU⫽Sturgeon Bay
for biomass from various municipal digesters. SBU⫽Sturgeon Bay Utilities, WLSSD⫽Western Lake Superior Sanitary District,
Utilities, WLSSD⫽Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, GVRDAI⫽Greater Vancouver Regional District-Annacis Island,
GVRDAI⫽Greater Vancouver Regional District-Annacis Island, JWWTP⫽Janesville Wastewater Utility WWTP, DH⫽Delafield-
JWWTP⫽Janesville Wastewater Utility WWTP, DH⫽Delafield- Hartland WWTP, and average⫽average value for all biomass
Hartland WWTP, and average⫽average rates for all biomass. samples.

46 / JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / JANUARY 2008

conventional mesophilic digesters studied by Speece 共1988兲. lowed by batch treatment.” Water Environ. Res., 77共7兲, 3028–3036.
Therefore, the lower BMP values 共i.e., greater stability and degree American Public Health Association 共APHA兲, American Water Works
of treatment兲 may have accrued from both higher average tem- Association 共AWWA兲, and Water Environment Federation 共WEF兲.
perature and increased SRT. 共1998兲. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewa-
The BMP30 values ranged from 0.52 to 1.06 vol CH4 / vol of ter, 20th Ed., Washington, D.C.
sludge for mesophilic biomass and 0.79 to 3.77 v / v for thermo- Azbar, N., and Speece, R. E. 共2001兲. “Two-phase, two-stage, and
philic biomass 共see Table 2兲. As expected, BMP5 and BMP30 val- single-stage anaerobic process comparison.” J. Environ. Eng., 127共3兲,
240–248.
ues were greater for thermophilic as compared to mesophilic
Cheunbarn, T., and Pagilla, K. 共2000兲. “Anaerobic thermophilic/
samples since, for TPAD systems, the mesophilic reactor received
mesophilic dual-stage sludge treatment.” J. Environ. Eng., 126共9兲,
thermophilic effluent, which has already been partially stabilized, 796–801.
and, thus, would be expected to exhibit lower BMP values. Dague, R. R., and Han, Y. 共1998兲. “Laboratory studies on the
temperature-phased anaerobic digestion of domestic primary sludge.”
Water Environ. Res., 69, 1139–1143.
Conclusions Ghosh, S. 共1987兲. “Improved sludge gasification by two-phase anaerobic
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Trace metal 共Ni, Co, Fe兲 supplementation resulted in increased Johnson, C. 共2006兲. “A survey of municipal thermophilic anaerobic
methane production rate for three of five biomass samples tested sludge digesters and diagnostic activity assays.” MS thesis, Dept. of
from various municipal thermophilic digesters. In addition, the Civil and Environmental Engineering, Marquette Univ., Milwaukee,
majority of both mesophilic and thermophilic biomass samples Wis.
共77%兲 benefited from nutrient supplementation, exhibiting in- Kim, M., and Speece, R. E. 共2002兲. “Comparative process stability and
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Res., 36共17兲, 4369–4385.
mentation with either nickel, cobalt, iron, or all three nutrients.
Krugel, S., Nemeth, L., and Peddie, C. 共1998兲. “Extending thermophilic
The propionate utilization rate more frequently increased upon anaerobic digestion for producing Class A biosolids at the Greater
nutrient addition, especially in thermophilic systems, whereas the Vancouver Regional District’s Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment
acetate utilization rate increased less frequently. This is significant Plant.” Water Sci. Technol., 38共8–9兲, 409–416.
in that thermophilic systems are often described as producing Owen, W. F., Stuckey, D. C., Healy, J. B., Jr., Young, L. Y., and McCarty,
effluents with elevated propionate concentration as compared to P. L. 共1979兲. “Bioassay for monitoring biochemical methane potential
mesophilic systems. Therefore, nutrient addition to thermophilic and anaerobic toxicity.” Water Res., 13共6兲, 485–492.
digesters may play a role in reducing chronically elevated propi- Schafer, P. L., Farrell, J. B., Newman, G., and Vandenburgh, S. 共2003兲.
onate. “Advanced anaerobic digestion processes.” Water Envir. Tech., 15共5兲,
TPAD and thermophilic systems are often cited as requiring 38–44.
less volume to achieve a given solids destruction, yet the existing Song, Y., Kwon, S., and Woo, J. 共2004兲. “Mesophilic and thermophilic
TPAD systems studied were, on average, larger than conventional temperature co-phase anaerobic digestion compared with single-stage
mesophilic and thermophilic digestion of sewage sludge.” Water Res.,
mesophilic digesters. The average biogas production per volume
38, 1653–1662.
of raw sludge fed and digester biogas produced per unit plant flow
Speece, R. E. 共1988兲. “A survey of municipal anaerobic sludge digesters
were higher for the TPAD and thermophilic system studied, as and diagnostic activity assays.” Water Res., 22共3兲, 365–372.
compared to conventional systems. In addition, the average po- Speece, R. E. 共1996兲. Anaerobic biotechnology for industrial wastewa-
tential acetate utilization rate 共APAUR兲 and average potential pro- ters, Archae Press, Nashville, Tenn.
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