Solubilization of organic matter by electrochemical treatment of sludge: Influence of operating conditions

Sludge generated after wastewater treatment represents an important challenge due to the large amounts produced and the need to adequately treat it. Anaerobic digestion is the preferred treatment process to obtain renewable energy as well as a biosolid with the potential to be reused in land application. This process generates biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) that may be used for energy co-generation. However, anaerobic digestion is limited by the hydrolysis step since bacteria need to break down organic matter and large molecules to allow conversion into biogas. In this study, electrochemical treatment of sludge is proposed to solubilize organic matter. Boron-doped diamond electrodes were used to treat waste activated sludge under different experimental conditions (current density, flow rate, time) to evaluate their influence on the solubilization of organic matter (in terms of chemical oxygen demand). The degree of solubilization ranged between 0.31 and 1.78%. Based on the results, optimal operating conditions were current density of 19.3 mA cm−2, flow rate of 4 L min−1, and treatment time of 30 min. Furthermore, treatment flow rate was found to play a key role in solubilization, as the process is controlled by mass transfer. •Electrochemical treatment of sludge is proposed to solubilize organic matter.•Boron-doped diamond electrodes were used to treat waste activated sludge.•The influence of different experimental conditions was evaluated on the organic matter solubilization.•Treatment flow plays a key role in solubilization as the process is mass transfer controlled.•Soluble organic matter increased all treatments due to cell-breakage.