Microwave and its combined processes: an effective way for enhancing anaerobic digestion and dewaterability of sewage sludge?

The enhancement for sludge anaerobic digestion and dewaterability were investigated in sludge pretreated by microwave (MW) and its combined processes. The results showed that microwave and its combined processes can efficiently release soluble organic matter and thus enhance anaerobic digestion of sludge. The cumulative methane production in the test of the MW-H₂O₂-OH (0.2) process was increased by 13.34% compared with that of the control. The MW-H process was effective in improving sludge dewaterability, e.g., the capillary suction time (CST) at only 9.85S.