The digestibility of iron-dosed activated sludge

The impact of chemical phosphorus (P) removal on anaerobic digestion (AD) has long been debated, possibly because there is no general consensus of the definition of impaired AD, but also because of the different assessment methods used. This research surveyed 12 wastewater treatment plants to compare the relative digestibility of iron-dosed with undosed activated sludge during two batch test trials. Results showed that iron-dosed sludge negatively impacted AD by reducing the volume of biogas (12%) and methane (5.5%) produced from the same amount of volatile solids fed. Possible reasons for reduced biogas production include lower levels of bioavailable P and iron in iron-dosed sludge, which may hinder the ability of micro-organisms to metabolise organic substrate.