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Enhancement of sewage sludge dewaterability by fungal conditioning with Penicillium simplicissimum NJ12: from bench- to pilot-scale consecutive multi-batch investigations

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Abstract

Bench- and pilot-scale successive multi-batch trials were conducted to investigate the performance and sustainability of fungal conditioning with Penicillium simplicissimum NJ12 for improving sludge dewatering. The dominant factors affecting the sludge dewaterability improvement by P. simplicissimum NJ12 were also identified. Fungal treatment with P. simplicissimum NJ12 at a volume fraction of 5% of the inoculum greatly improved the sludge dewaterability. This improvement was characterized by sharp decreases in the specific resistance to filtration from 1.97 × 1013 to 3.52 × 1011 m/kg and capillary suction time from 32 to 12 s within 3 days. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that a marked decrease (58.8%) in the protein content in slime extracellular polymeric substances and an increase in the zeta potential of the sludge (from −35 to −10 mV) were the most important factors that improved the dewaterability of sludge after fungal treatment. Consecutive processes of fungal treatment could be realized by recirculating the fungal-treated sludge with a recycling rate of 1:2 (Vbiotreated sludge/Vtotal sludge). The treatment effectiveness was maintained only over three successive cycles, but replenishment with fresh P. simplicissimum NJ12 would be provided periodically at set batch intervals. These findings demonstrate the possibility of P. simplicissimum NJ12-assisted fungal treatment for enhancing sludge dewatering.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the editor and reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments and suggestions.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21677077) and the Program for Student Innovation through Research and Training (No. 202010307038Z).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Neng Tao, Xiu Wu, Feng Zhang, Zilei Pi, Jiaqi Wen, Di Fang & Lixiang Zhou

  2. Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Di Fang & Lixiang Zhou

Authors
  1. Neng Tao
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  2. Xiu Wu
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  3. Feng Zhang
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  4. Zilei Pi
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  5. Jiaqi Wen
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  6. Di Fang
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  7. Lixiang Zhou
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Contributions

Conceptualization, N.T., D.F., and L.X.Z.; methodology, N.T. and D.F.; investigation, N.T., X.W., F.Z., Z.L.P., and J.Q.W.; data curation, N.T., X.W., F.Z., Z.L.P., and J.Q.W.; writing the original draft, N.T.; supervision, D.F.; reviewing and editing, D.F. and L.X.Z. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Di Fang.

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Tao, N., Wu, X., Zhang, F. et al. Enhancement of sewage sludge dewaterability by fungal conditioning with Penicillium simplicissimum NJ12: from bench- to pilot-scale consecutive multi-batch investigations. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 62255–62265 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15170-0

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