Dose-response and type-dependent effects of antiviral drugs in anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge for biogas production.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, antiviral drugs (AVDs) were heavily excreted into wastewater and subsequently enriched in sewage sludge due to their widespread use. The potential ecological risks of AVDs have attracted increasing attention, but information on the effects of AVDs on sludge anaerobic digestion (AD) is limited. In this study, two typical AVDs (lamivudine and ritonavir) were selected to investigate the responses of AD to AVDs by biochemical methane potential tests.

Effects of hydrothermal treatment on organic compositions, structural properties, dewatering and biogas production of raw and digested sludge.

The effects of hydrothermal treatment (HTT) under different temperatures and time (120 °C to 250 °C, 10 min to 60 min) on organic matter solubilization and structure changes of secondary sludge (SS) and digested sludge (DS), as well as downstream dewatering and anaerobic digestion were investigated. The results showed that organic matter solubilization increased significantly at 120 °C to 170 °C, then decreased at 200 °C to 250 °C. The organic matter solubilization during HTT showed no obvious difference for two sludge, but for the different organic components.