Seyedi, Seyedehfatemeh

Saba earned her PhD in Environmental Engineering at Marquette University, where she worked on anaerobic digestion of aqueous liquid from wastewater solids pyrolysis and microbial community analysis of the digesters, as well as ozone oxidation of organics. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Colorodo Boulder.

Titles from this speaker

Aqueous Pyrolysis Liquid Digestion and Co-digestion with Sludge

Abstract

Wastewater solids pyrolysis produces aqueous pyrolysis liquid (APL) with high chemical oxygen demand. APL is considered a waste stream with no known use and contains toxic chemicals. One potential method to valorize and treat APL is through anaerobic digestion for biogas and energy production. A challenge is the presence of toxic compounds such as phenols and nitrogen-containing organics that are recalcitrant or slowly degraded under anaerobic conditions. In this study, APL was successfully digested as the sole substrate (mono-digestion) and as a co-digestate with synthetic primary sludge. APL biodegradation improved when high solids retention time (210 days) and low APL organic loading rate (0.03 gCOD/L-d) were employed. Additionally, an acclimated methanogenic seed culture that has previously degraded compounds similar to those in APL resulted in more complete and rapid methane production compared to a municipal anaerobic digester biomass seed culture.

Wastewater solids pyrolysis produces aqueous pyrolysis liquid (APL) with high chemical oxygen demand and no known use. Anaerobic digestion could potentially be used for APL management. A challenge is the presence of toxic compounds that are recalcitrant or slowly degraded under anaerobic conditions. In this study, APL was successfully digested as the sole substrate (mono-digestion) and as a co-digestate with synthetic primary sludge by employing high solids retention time (210 days) and low APL organic loading rate (0.03 gCOD/L-d). Using an acclimated methanogenic inocula resulted in more complete and rapid methane production compared to a municipal anaerobic digester inocula

SpeakerSeyedi, Seyedehfatemeh

Presentation time

11:40:00

11:50:00

Session time

11:00:00

12:00:00

SessionFinding Better Ways to Digest

Session number205

TopicBiosolids and Residuals

Author(s)

Seyedehfatemeh Seyedi

Author(s)S. Seyedi1; K. Venkiteshwaran2; N. Benn3; D. Zitomer4;

Author affiliation(s)Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI1,2,3,4

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2021

DOI10.2175/193864718825158037

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count9

Description: Overcoming Anaerobic Digestion Challenges of Biosolids Pyrolysis Liquid:...

Overcoming Anaerobic Digestion Challenges of Biosolids Pyrolysis Liquid: Pretreatment and Organism Selection

Abstract

Aqueous pyrolysis liquid (APL) is one product of wastewater sludge or biosolids pyrolysis and it is a high-COD solution with toxic chemicals that can be harmful to the environment. Presently, APL has no known use. One potential option is anaerobic digestion (AD) of APL for biogas and energy production. The challenge, however, is the presence of toxic compounds recalcitrant to anaerobic biodegradation such as methoxyphenols that can inhibit methane-producing microbes. In this study, two approaches were investigated to overcome this challenge: partially oxidizing inhibitory organics using ozone and employing an acclimated methanogenic seed culture that has previously degraded compounds similar to those in APL. Toxicity to methanogenic biomass decreased 30% when ozonated APL was fed to batch digesters with both acclimated and unacclimated digester seed cultures. Methane production significantly increased when the acclimated seed culture was employed and more than 80% of theoretical maximum methane was produced at the highest APL loading, whereas about 40% of theoretical maximum methane was generated with unacclimated seed culture. Both ozone pretreatment and employing acclimated biomass are promising approaches to improve anaerobic degradability of APL.

SpeakerSeyedi, Seyedehfatemeh

Presentation time

13:40:00

14:00:00

Session time

13:00:00

14:00:00

SessionMore Than Just the Same Old Mesophilic: Innovations in Advanced Digestion

Session number608

TopicBiosolids and Residuals

Author(s)

D. ZitomerS. SeyediS. SeyediN.J. Benn