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Abstract

Nitrogen removal, emission reduction, and climate neutrality are central goals for modern wastewater treatment plants, reinforced by stricter nutrient limits from the EU and Swedish regulations. Methanol is widely used for nitrogen removal in the denitrification process. However, alternative carbon sources are needed to promote circular resource management and reduce climate impact. This thesis investigated the production and use of volatile fatty acid (VFA)-rich carbon sources through the direct use or fermentation of primary sludge (PS), waste-activated sludge, food waste (FW), and digestate, alongside a full-scale evaluation of their technical and economic feasibility. Fermentation performance varied depending on substrate, with FW and FW:PS mixes achieving higher sCOD (up to 82 g sCOD/L) and VFA concentrations (up to 56 g VFACOD/L) than sludge carbon sources, together with favourable carbon-to-nutrient ratios and low biogas losses. Sludge- and digestatebased fermentates exhibited lower sCOD concentrations (

Keywords

Carbon source; Denitrification; Fermentation; Volatile fatty acids; Resource recovery; Wastewater treatment

Published in

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae
2025, number: 2025:47
Publisher: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

SLU Authors

UKÄ Subject classification

Water Treatment
Environmental Sciences

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.54612/a.4hh900gua3
  • ISBN: 978-91-8046-482-6
  • eISBN: 978-91-8046-532-8

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/132987