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Enhancement of Hydrolysis and Biogas Production of Primary Sludge by Use of Mixtures of Protease and Lipase

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Abstract

This study aims to improve the hydrolysis and degradation of primary sludge by using wild-type enzymes (protease and lipase) and establishing the optimal enzymatic cocktail ratio. Primary sludge from three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea (Ulsan, Pohang, and Busan) were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis. Protease and lipase were isolated from enzyme-producing microorganisms cultured from secondary sludge collected at 8 different digester sites in Korea. Primary sludge degradation through enzymatic hydrolysis was monitored by measuring the reduction in the volatile suspended solids (VSS) content of the sludge and enzyme cocktail mix for 72 h at 40oC and pH 7.0. The enzymatic cocktail of Ulsan primary sludge treated with protease to lipase at a ratio of 1:3 was found to be optimal at 33.3% VSS reduction. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were employed to the optimal enzyme cocktail to measure the potential of the hydrolyzed substrate for further degradation (VSS reduction) and bioconversion to biogas using 125 mL serum bottles as anaerobic reactors for 30 days. BMP tests showed that there was an increase in biogas production by 84.1%, methane production by 89.8%, and methane yield by 9.6%. Methane production rate was also increased. The significant VSS concentration reduction and higher biogas and methane yield of the enzyme-treated primary sludge correlate to the fact that the complex polymeric organic materials were degraded leading to efficient utilization by the microorganisms in the anaerobic digestion process.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, Republic of Korea (KETEP) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea (No. 20163030091540). This work was also supported by the ‘Human Resources Program in Energy Technology’ of the KETEP Grant, funded by MOTIE, Republic of Korea (No. 20144030200460).

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Neither ethical approval nor informed consent was required for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Korea

    Jovale Vincent Tongco, Sangmin Kim, Joonyeob Lee & Seokhwan Hwang

  2. Microbial Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Jeong-eup, 56212, Korea

    Baek-Rock Oh & Sun-Yeon Heo

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  1. Jovale Vincent Tongco
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  2. Sangmin Kim
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Correspondence to Seokhwan Hwang.

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Tongco, J.V., Kim, S., Oh, BR. et al. Enhancement of Hydrolysis and Biogas Production of Primary Sludge by Use of Mixtures of Protease and Lipase. Biotechnol Bioproc E 25, 132–140 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-019-0302-4

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