RT journal article
T1 Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge and Organic Solid By-Products from Table Olive Processing: Influence of Substrate Mixtures on Overall Process Performance
A1 Díaz Domínguez, Encarnación
A1 Rubio Bernal, José Ángel
A1 Lyng, James
A1 Toro, Enrique
A1 Estévez, Fernando
A1 García Morales, José Luis
A2 Tecnologías del Medio Ambiente
K1 biosolids
K1 co-substrates
K1 mesophilic digestion and biogas
AB Sewage sludge, characterized by its high organic matter and nutrient content, as well asthe presence of microbial pathogens and other contaminants, requires proper managementdue to its significant generation rate. The table olive sector, which is highly significant inSpain as a global leader in production and export, generates various waste streams suchthe Organic Solid By-Products from Table Olive Processing (OSBTOP), which are mainlyderived from the olive pit after the pitting process. The main aim of this study was toenhance the methane production performance of sewage sludge through co-digestion withOSBTOP as a co-substrate. Batch assays demonstrated that employing OSBTOP as a co-substrate increased methane content by 35–41% across all tested mixtures. While the highestmethane yield was produced at a 40:60 (sludge:OSBTOP) ratio, a 60:40 mixture proved tobe a more advantageous option for scale-up and practical application. This is attributed tofactors such as the higher availability of sludge and its inherent buffering capacity, whichcounteracts the accumulation of volatile fatty acids and promotes process stability, therebycontributing to the study’s objective of significantly enhancing methane production fromsewage sludge through co-digestion. In semi-continuous operation, methane yields in theco-digestion scenario exceeded those of mixed sludge digestion, showing a yield of 180versus 120 LCH4−1 · kgVSadded−1, representing a 50% improvement. This study highlightsthe potential of anaerobic digestion as a strategy for valorizing OSBTOP, a by-product withno prior studies, while demonstrating that its co-digestion with sewage sludge enhancesmethane generation, offering a sustainable approach to organic waste treatment
PB MDPI
SN 1996-1073
YR 2025
FD 2025-07-17
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/39283
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/39283
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 07-nov-2026