ARS | Publication request: CONVERSION OF PAPER SLUDGE INTO LAND APPLICATION MATERIALS AND DIESEL FUEL PRECURSORS

Submitted to: Great Lakes Regional American Chemical Society Symposium
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 5, 1998
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Paper sludge (a cellulosic waste) accounts for a major portion of landfill materials in Wisconsin. We tested the feasibility of a process, which employs a co-culture of ruminal cellulolytic bacteria coupled with Clostridium kluyveri to produce butanoic acid, hexanoic acid, and a nitrogen-enriched residue, directly from the fermentation of paper sludge. The nitrogen-enriched residue was tested (by growing oats) in a greenhouse study as a potential land application material for sandy soil. Solvent toxicity and solvent extraction of the fatty acids (which have the potential to serve as diesel fuel precursors) were studied. Decane and oleyl alcohol showed good extraction capability and the least toxicity to the co-cultures. Selective and optimum extraction of hexanoic acid was achieved, albeit at lower pH levels. Addition of fermentation residue to sandy soil (at 2.5-5.0% by weight) obviated the need to add fertilizer and showed lower inhibitory effects than unfermented sludge.