Abstract
High-solid anaerobic digestion (HS-AD) has been applied extensively during the last few decades for treating various organic wastes, such as agricultural wastes, organic fractions of municipal solid wastes, and kitchen wastes. However, the application of HS-AD to the processing of sewage sludge (SS) remains limited, which is largely attributable to its poor process stability and performance. Extensive research has been conducted to attempt to surmount these limitations. In this review, the main factors affecting process stability and performance in the HS-AD of SS are comprehensively reviewed, and the improved methods in current use, such as HS sludge pre-treatment and anaerobic co-digestion with other organic wastes, are summarised. Besides, this paper also discusses the characteristics of substance transformation in the HS-AD of SS with and without thermal pre-treatment. Research has shown that the HS effect is due to the presence of high concentrations of substances that may inhibit the function of anaerobic microorganisms, and that it also results in poor mass transfer, a low diffusion coefficient, and high viscosity. Finally, knowledge gaps in the current research on HS-AD of SS are identified. Based on these, it proposes that future efforts should be devoted to standardising the definition of HS sludge, revealing the law of migration and transformation of pollutants, describing the metabolic pathways by which specific substances are degraded, and establishing accurate mathematical models. Moreover, developing green sludge dewatering agents, obtaining high value-added products, and revealing effects of the above two on HS-AD of SS can also be considered in future.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Abbassi-Guendouz A, Brockmann D, Trably E, Dumas C, Delgenès J P, Steyer J P, Escudié R (2012). Total solids content drives high solid anaerobic digestion via mass transfer limitation. Bioresource Technology, 111: 55–61
Aichinger P, Wadhawan T, Kuprian M, Higgins M, Ebner C, Fimml C, Murthy S, Wett B (2015). Synergistic co-digestion of solid-organic-waste and municipal-sewage-sludge: 1 plus 1 equals more than 2 in terms of biogas production and solids reduction. Water Research, 87: 416–423
André L, Pauss A, Ribeiro T (2018). Solid anaerobic digestion: State-of-art, scientific and technological hurdles. Bioresource Technology, 247: 1027–1037
Baroutian S, Eshtiaghi N, Gapes D J (2013). Rheology of a primary and secondary sewage sludge mixture: dependency on temperature and solid concentration. Bioresource Technology, 140: 227–233
Batstone D J, Keller J, Angelidaki I, Kalyuzhnyi S V, Pavlostathis S G, Rozzi A, Sanders W T M, Siegrist H, Vavilin V A (2002). Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1. Scientific and Technical Report 13. London, UK: IWA Publishing
Baudez J C, Markis F, Eshtiaghi N, Slatter P (2011). The rheological behaviour of anaerobic digested sludge. Water Research, 45(17): 5675–5680
Bernal M P, Alburquerque J A, Moral R (2009). Composting of animal manures and chemical criteria for compost maturity assessment. A review. Bioresource Technology, 100(22): 5444–5453
Bitton G (2002). Encyclopedia of Environmental Microbiology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Boe K, Angelidaki I (2012). Pilot-scale application of an online VFA sensor for monitoring and control of a manure digester. Water Science and Technology, 66(11): 2496–2503
Boráň J, Houdková L, Elsäßer T. (2010). Processing of sewage sludge: ependence of sludge dewatering efficiency on amount of flocculant. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 54(5): 278–282
Chen R, Wen W, Jiang H, Lei Z, Li M, Li Y Y (2019). Energy recovery potential of thermophilic high-solids co-digestion of coffee processing wastewater and waste activated sludge by anaerobic membrane bioreactor. Bioresource Technology, 274: 127–133
Chen S, Li N, Dong B, Zhao W, Dai L, Dai X (2018). New insights into the enhanced performance of high solid anaerobic digestion with dewatered sludge by thermal hydrolysis: Organic matter degradation and methanogenic pathways. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 342: 1–9
Cheng Y, Li H (2015). Rheological behavior of sewage sludge with high solid content. Water Science and Technology, 71(11): 1686–1693
Cuetos M J, Martinez E J, Moreno R, Gonzalez R, Otero M, Gomez X (2017). Enhancing anaerobic digestion of poultry blood using activated carbon. Journal of Advanced Research, 8(3): 297–307
Dai L (2016). The characteristics and the sulphur control technology of the high solid anaerobic digestion in WWTP. Dissertation for the Master Degree. Xi’an: Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology
Dai X, Chen Y, Zhang D, Yi J (2016). High-solid anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and cattle manure: The effects of volatile solid ratio and pH. Scientific Reports, 6(1): 35194
Dai X, Duan N, Dong B, Dai L (2013). High-solids anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and food waste in comparison with mono digestions: stability and performance. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 33(2): 308–316
Dai X, Gai X, Dong B (2014a). Rheology evolution of sludge through high-solid anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology, 174: 6–10
Dai X, Hu C, Zhang D, Dai L, Duan N (2017). Impact of a high ammonia-ammonium-pH system on methane-producing archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria in mesophilic anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology, 245(Pt A): 598–605
Dai X, Luo F, Yi J, He Q, Dong B (2014b). Biodegradation of polyacrylamide by anaerobic digestion under mesophilic condition and its performance in actual dewatered sludge system. Bioresource Technology, 153: 55–61
Dai X, Luo F, Zhang D, Dai L, Chen Y, Dong B (2015). Waste-activated sludge fermentation for polyacrylamide biodegradation improved by anaerobic hydrolysis and key microorganisms involved in biological polyacrylamide removal. Scientific Reports, 5(1): 11675
Duan N, Dai X, Dong B, Dai L (2016). Anaerobic digestion of sludge differing in inorganic solids content: performance comparison and the effect of inorganic suspended solids content on degradation. Water Science and Technology, 74(9): 2152–2161
Duan N, Dong B, Wu B, Dai X (2012). High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge under mesophilic conditions: feasibility study. Bioresource Technology, 104: 150–156
DWA (2014). DWA Merkblatt M 368, Biologische Stabilisierung von Klérschlamm (Biological Stabilization of Sewage Sludge). Nennef, Germany: Deutsche Vereinigung fér Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e.V. (in German)
Fagbohungbe M O, Dodd I C, Herbert B M J, Li H, Ricketts L, Semple K T (2015). High solid anaerobic digestion: Operational challenges and possibilities. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 4: 268–284
Feng G, Liu L, Tan W (2014). Effect of thermal hydrolysis on rheological behavior of municipal sludge. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 53(27): 11185–11192
Geng H, Xu Y, Zheng L, Gong H, Dai L, Dai X (2020). An overview of removing heavy metals from sewage sludge: Achievements and perspectives. Environmental Pollution, 266(Pt 2): 115375
Gerardi M H (2003). The Microbiology of Anaerobic Digesters. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gonzalez A, Hendriks A T W M, van Lier J B, de Kreuk M (2018). Pretreatments to enhance the biodegradability of waste activated sludge: Elucidating the rate limiting step. Biotechnology Advances, 36(5): 1434–1469
Guo H G, Zhang S T, Du L Z, Liang J F, Zhi S L, Yu J Y, Lu X B, Zhang K Q (2016). Effects of thermal-alkaline pretreatment on solubilisation and high-solid anaerobic digestion of dewatered activated sludge. BioResources, 11(1): 1280–1295
Han Y, Zhuo Y, Peng D, Yao Q, Li H, Qu Q (2017). Influence of thermal hydrolysis pretreatment on organic transformation characteristics of high solid anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology, 244(Pt 1): 836–843
Hidaka T, Wang F, Togari T, Uchida T, Suzuki Y (2013). Comparative performance of mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion for high-solid sewage sludge. Bioresource Technology, 149: 177–183
Higgins M J, Chen Y C, Yarosz D P, Murthy S N, Maas N A, Glindemann D, Novak J T (2006). Cycling of volatile organic sulfur compounds in anaerobically digested biosolids and its implications for odors. Water Environment Research, 78(3): 243–252
Hu Y, Wu J, Poncin S, Cao Z, Li Z, Li H Z (2018). Flow field investigation of high solid anaerobic digestion by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Science of the Total Environment, 626: 592–602
Jahn L, Baumgartner T, Svardal K, Krampe J (2016). The influence of temperature and SRT on high-solid digestion of municipal sewage sludge. Water Science and Technology, 74(4): 836–843
Jolis D (2008). High-solids anaerobic digestion of municipal sludge pretreated by thermal hydrolysis. Water Environment Research, 80 (7): 654–662
Kapp H (1984). Schlammfaulung mit hohem Feststoffgehalt (Sludge Digestion with High-Solid Content). Band 86, Kommissionsverlag Oldenbourg, Munich, Germany: Stuttgarter Berichte zur Siedlungswasserwirtschaft (in German)
Kayhanian M (1994). Performance of a high-solids anaerobic digestion process under various ammonia concentrations. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology (Oxford, Oxfordshire), 59(4): 349–352
Kirby J M (1988). Rheological characteristics of sewage sludge: A granuloviscous material. Rheologica Acta, 27(3): 326–334
Latha K, Velraj R, Shanmugam P, Sivanesan S (2019). Mixing strategies of high solids anaerobic co-digestion using food waste with sewage sludge for enhanced biogas production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 210: 388–400
Lay J J, Li Y Y, Noike T (1997). Influences of pH and moisture content on the methane production in high-solids sludge digestion. Water Research, 31(6): 1518–1524
Lay J J, Li Y Y, Noike T (1998). The influence of pH and ammonia concentration on the methane production in high-solids digestion processes. Water Environment Research, 70(5): 1075–1082
Le Hyaric R, Chardin C, Benbelkacem H, Bollon J, Bayard R, Escudié R, Buffière P (2011). Influence of substrate concentration and moisture content on the specific methanogenic activity of dry mesophilic municipal solid waste digestate spiked with propionate. Bioresource Technology, 102(2): 822–827
Lee E, Bittencourt P, Casimir L, Jimenez E, Wang M, Zhang Q, Ergas S J (2019). Biogas production from high solids anaerobic co-digestion of food waste, yard waste and waste activated sludge. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 95: 432–439
Li C, Li H, Zhang Y (2015a). Alkaline treatment of high-solids sludge and its application to anaerobic digestion. Water Science and Technology, 71(1): 67–74
Li J, Rui J, Yao M, Zhang S, Yan X, Wang Y, Yan Z, Li X (2015b). Substrate type and free ammonia determine bacterial community structure in full-scale mesophilic anaerobic digesters treating cattle or swine manure. Frontiers in Microbiology, 6: 1337
Li N, He J, Yan H, Chen S, Dai X (2017a). Pathways in bacterial and archaeal communities dictated by ammonium stress in a high solid anaerobic digester with dewatered sludge. Bioresource Technology, 241: 95–102
Li N, Xue Y, Chen S, Takahashi J, Dai L, Dai X (2017b). Methanogenic population dynamics regulated by bacterial community responses to protein-rich organic wastes in a high solid anaerobic digester. Chemical Engineering Journal, 317: 444–453
Li X, Chen L, Mei Q, Dong B, Dai X, Ding G, Zeng E Y (2018). Microplastics in sewage sludge from the wastewater treatment plants in China. Water Research, 142: 75–85
Li X, Chen S, Dong B, Dai X (2020). New insight into the effect of thermal hydrolysis on high solid sludge anaerobic digestion: Conversion pathway of volatile sulphur compounds. Chemosphere, 244: 125466
Li X, Li L, Zheng M, Fu G, Lar J (2009). Anaerobic co-digestion of cattle manure with corn stover pretreated by sodium hydroxide for efficient biogas production. Energy & Fuels, 23(9): 4635–1639
Li Y B, Park S Y, Zhu J Y (2011). Solid-state anaerobic digestion for methane production from organic waste. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15(1): 821–826
Liao N H (2016). The mechanism of total solid on concentration of hydrogen sulfide in biogas of sludge anaerobic digestion. Dissertation for Master Degree. Shanghai: Tongji University
Liao X, Li H, Cheng Y, Chen N, Li C, Yang Y (2014). Process performance of high-solids batch anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. Environmental Technology, 35(21): 2652–2659
Liao X C, Li H (2015). Biogas production from low-organic-content sludge using a high-solids anaerobic digester with improved agitation. Applied Energy, 148: 252–259
Liao X C, Li H, Zhang Y Y, Liu C, Chen Q W (2016). Accelerated high-solids anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge using low-temperature thermal pre-treatment. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 106: 141–149
Litti Y, Nikitina A, Kovalev D, Ermoshin A, Mahajan R, Goel G, Nozhevnikova A (2019). Influence of cationic polyacrilamide flocculant on high-solids’ anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge under thermophilic conditions. Environmental Technology, 40(9): 1146–1155
Liu C, Li H, Zhang Y, Liu C (2016a). Improve biogas production from low-organic-content sludge through high-solids anaerobic co-digestion with food waste. Bioresource Technology, 219: 252–260
Liu C, Li H, Zhang Y, Si D, Chen Q (2016b). Evolution of microbial community along with increasing solid concentration during high-solids anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. Bioresource Technology, 216: 87–94
Liu J, Yu D, Zhang J, Yang M, Wang Y, Wei Y, Tong J (2016c). Rheological properties of sewage sludge during enhanced anaerobic digestion with microwave-H2O2 pretreatment. Water Research, 98: 98–108
Liu J, Zheng J, Niu Y, Zuo Z, Zhang J, Wei Y (2020a). Effect of zerovalent iron combined with carbon-based materials on the mitigation of ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology, 311: 123503
Liu Z, Zhou S, Dai L, Dai X (2020b). The transformation of phosphorus fractions in high-solid sludge by anaerobic digestion combined with the high temperature thermal hydrolysis process. Bioresource Technology, 309: 123314
Lotito V, Spinosa L, Mininni G, Antonacci R (1997). The rheology of sewage sludge at different steps of treatment. Water Science and Technology, 36(11): 79–85
Luo Y L, Yang Z H, Xu Z Y, Zhou L J, Zeng G M, Huang J, Xiao Y, Wang L K (2011). Effect of trace amounts of polyacrylamide (PAM) on long-term performance of activated sludge. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 189(1–2): 69–75
Lv N, Zhao L, Wang R, Ning J, Pan X, Li C, Cai G, Zhu G (2020). Novel strategy for relieving acid accumulation by enriching syntrophic associations of syntrophic fatty acid-oxidation bacteria and H2/formate-scavenging methanogens in anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology, 313: 123702
McCarty P L (2001). The development of anaerobic treatment and its future. Water Science and Technology, 44(8): 149–156
Mendes C, Esquerre K, Matos Queiroz L (2015). Application of Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 for simulating anaerobic mesophilic sludge digestion. Waste Management (New York, N. Y.), 35: 89–95
Moestedt J, Nilsson Påledal S, Schnürer A (2013). The effect of substrate and operational parameters on the abundance of sulphate-reducing bacteria in industrial anaerobic biogas digesters. Bioresource Technology, 132: 327–332
Mumme J, Srocke F, Heeg K, Werner M (2014). Use of biochars in anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology, 164: 189–197
Neumann P, Pesante S, Venegas M, Vidal G (2016). Developments in pre-treatment methods to improve anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology, 15 (2): 173–211
Nges I A, Liu J (2010). Effects of solid retention time on anaerobic digestion of dewatered-sewage sludge in mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Renewable Energy, 35(10): 2200–2206
Nguyen D, Wu Z, Shrestha S, Lee P H, Raskin L, Khanal S K (2019). Intermittent micro-aeration: New strategy to control volatile fatty acid accumulation in high organic loading anaerobic digestion. Water Research, 166: 115080
Pavlostathis S G, Giraldo-Gomez E (1991). Kinetics of anaerobic treatment: A critical review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Control, 21(5–6): 411–490
Poirier S, Madigou C, Bouchez T, Chapleur O (2017). Improving anaerobic digestion with support media: Mitigation of ammonia inhibition and effect on microbial communities. Bioresource Technology, 235: 229–239
Provenzano M R, Cavallo O, Malerba A D, Di Maria F, Cucina M, Massaccesi L, Gigliotti G (2016). Co-treatment of fruit and vegetable waste in sludge digesters: Chemical and spectroscopic investigation by fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 50: 283–289
Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) (1997). Annual report of wastewater management and water quality control, No.3528. International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ISSN 0386–5878). Tokyo, Japan: Ministry of Construction (in Japanese)
Qi Y, Thapa K B, Hoadley A F A (2011). Application for filtration aids for improving sludge dewatering properties: A review. Chemical Engineering Journal, 171(2): 373–384
Rajagopal R, Massé D I, Singh G (2013). A critical review on inhibition of anaerobic digestion process by excess ammonia. Bioresource Technology, 143: 632–641
Rapport J, Zhang R, Jenkins B M, Williams R B (2008). Current anaerobic digestion technologies used for treatment of municipal organic solid waste. Sacramento: California Environmental Protection Agency
Ruiz-Hernando M, Martinez-Elorza G, Labanda J, Llorens J (2013). Dewaterability of sewage sludge by ultrasonic, thermal and chemical treatments. Chemical Engineering Journal, 230: 102–110
Sajjadi B, Raman A A A, Parthasarathy R (2016). Fluid dynamic analysis of non-Newtonian flow behavior of municipal sludge simulant in anaerobic digesters using submerged, recirculating jets. Chemical Engineering Journal, 298: 259–270
Slatter P (1997). Rheological characterisation of sludges. Water Science and Technology, 36(11): 9–18
Sommers L E, Tabatabai M A, Nelson D W (1977). Forms of sulfur in sewage sludge. Journal of Environmental Quality, 6(1): 42–46
Souza T S, Lacerda D, Aguiar L L, Martins M N C, David J A O (2020). Toxic potential of sewage sludge: Histopathological effects on soil and aquatic bioindicators. Ecological Indicators, 111: 105980
Száková J, Pulkrabová J, Černý J, Mercl F, Švarcovâ A, Gramblička T, Najmanová J, Tlustoš P, Balík J (2019). Selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the rhizosphere of sewage sludge-treated soil: implications for the biodegradability of POPs. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science, 65(7): 994–1009
Tang Y, Dai X, Dong B, Guo Y, Dai L (2020). Humification in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) dominates methane release and EPS reconstruction during the sludge stabilization of high-solid anaerobic digestion. Water Research, 175: 115686
Tang Y, Li X, Dong B, Huang J, Wei Y, Dai X, Dai L (2018). Effect of aromatic repolymerization of humic acid-like fraction on digestate phytotoxicity reduction during high-solid anaerobic digestion for stabilization treatment of sewage sludge. Water Research, 143: 436–444
Urrea J L, Collado S, Laca A, Díaz M (2015). Rheological behaviour of activated sludge treated by thermal hydrolysis. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 5: 153–159
Veluchamy C, Kalamdhad A S (2017). A mass diffusion model on the effect of moisture content for solid state anaerobic digestion. Journal of Cleaner Production, 162: 371–379
Wang F, Hidaka T, Uchida T, Tsumori J (2014). Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge with high solids content. Water Science and Technology, 69(9): 1949–1955
Wang T, Zhang D, Dai L, Dong B, Dai X (2018). Magnetite triggering enhanced direct interspecies electron transfer: A scavenger for the blockage of electron transfer in anaerobic digestion of high-solids sewage sludge. Environmental Science & Technology, 52(12): 7160–7169
Wang Z W, Xu F, Manchala K R, Sun Y, Li Y (2016). Fractal-like kinetics of the solid-state anaerobic digestion. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 53: 55–61
Wu Z L, Lin Z, Sun Z Y, Gou M, Xia Z Y, Tang Y Q (2020). A comparative study of mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of municipal sludge with high-solids content: Reactor performance and microbial community. Bioresource Technology, 302: 122851
Xu F Q, Li Y B, Wang Z W (2015). Mathematical modeling of solidstate anaerobic digestion. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 51: 49–66
Xu Y, Dai X (2020). Integrating multi-state and multi-phase treatment for anaerobic sludge digestion to enhance recovery of bio-energy. Science of the Total Environment, 698: 134196
Xu Y, Lu Y, Zheng L, Wang Z, Dai X (2020a). Perspective on enhancing the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 389: 121847
Xu Y, Lu Y, Zheng L, Wang Z, Dai X (2020b). Effects of humic matter on the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: New insights from sludge structure. Chemosphere, 243: 125421
Xue Y G, Liu H J, Chen S S, Dichtl N, Dai X H, Li N (2015). Effects of thermal hydrolysis on organic matter solubilization and anaerobic digestion of high solid sludge. Chemical Engineering Journal, 264: 174–180
Yenigün O, Demirel B (2013). Ammonia inhibition in anaerobic digestion: A review. Process Biochemistry, 48(5–6): 901–911
Yin Q, Wu G (2019). Advances in direct interspecies electron transfer and conductive materials: Electron flux, organic degradation and microbial interaction. Biotechnology Advances, 37(8): 107443
Young M N, Krajmalnik-Brown R, Liu W, Doyle M L, Rittmann B E (2013). The role of anaerobic sludge recycle in improving anaerobic digester performance. Bioresource Technology, 128: 731–737
Zhang J, Xue Y, Eshtiaghi N, Dai X, Tao W, Li Z (2017). Evaluation of thermal hydrolysis efficiency of mechanically dewatered sewage sludge via rheological measurement. Water Research, 116: 34–43
Zhang Y, Feng Y, Yu Q, Xu Z, Quan X (2014). Enhanced high-solids anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge by the addition of scrap iron. Bioresource Technology, 159: 297–304
Zhang Y, Li H, Liu C, Cheng Y (2015). Influencing mechanism of high solids concentration on anaerobic mono-digestion of sewage sludge without agitation. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 9(6): 1108–1116
Zhang Y Y, Li H, Cheng Y C, Liu C (2016). Influence of solids concentration on diffusion behavior in sewage sludge and its digestate. Chemical Engineering Science, 152: 674–677
Zhi S L, Zhang K Q (2019). Antibiotic residues may stimulate or suppress methane yield and microbial activity during high-solid anaerobic digestion. Chemical Engineering Journal, 359: 1303–1315
Zhou J, You X, Niu B, Yang X, Gong L, Zhou Y, Wang J, Zhang H (2020). Enhancement of methanogenic activity in anaerobic digestion of high solids sludge by nano zero-valent iron. Science of the Total Environment, 703: 135532
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant Nos. 51978498 and 51538008), the Support Program of Postdoctoral Innovative Talents (BX20190239), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M671227), and the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFC1906301).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Highlights
• High-solid anaerobic digestion (HS-AD) of sewage sludge (SS) is overviewed.
• Factors affecting process stability and performance in HS-AD of SS are revealed.
• HS effect and knowledge gaps of current research on the HS-AD of SS are identified.
• Future efforts on addressing knowledge gaps and improving HS-AD of SS are proposed.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
Dr. Xiaohu Dai received his B.E. and M.S. degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Tongji University, China (1987) and Ph. D. degree from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany (1992). He is currently a full professor and the Dean of College of Environmental Science and Engineering in Tongji University. His research interests mainly are on the resource utilization of organic wastes, especially sewage sludge and sewage pollutants.
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Xu, Y., Gong, H. & Dai, X. High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: achievements and perspectives. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 15, 71 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1364-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1364-4