Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of primary and secondary sludge. Effect of pre-treatment at elevated temperature

Anaerobic digestion is an appropriate technique for the treatment of sludge before final disposal and it is employed worldwide as the oldest and most important process for sludge stabilization. In general, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is more widely used compared to thermophilic digestion. Furthermore, thermal pre-treatment is suitable for the improvement of stabilization, enhancement of dewatering of the sludge, reduction of the numbers of pathogens and could be realized at relatively low cost especially at low temperatures. The present study investigates (a) the differences between mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sludge and (b) the effect of the pre-treatment at 70 degrees C on mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of primary and secondary sludge. The pre-treatment step showed very positive effect on the methane potential and production rate upon subsequent thermophilic digestion of primary sludge. The methane production rate was mostly influenced by the pre-treatment of secondary sludge followed by mesophilic and thermophilic digestion whereas the methane potential only was positively influenced when mesophilic digestion followed. Our results suggest that the selection of the pre-treatment duration as well as the temperature of the subsequent anaerobic step for sludge stabilization should depend on the ratio of primary to secondary sludge.     

Pre-treatment mechanisms during thermophilic-mesophilic temperature phased anaerobic digestion of primary sludge

Pre-treatment is used extensively to improve degradability and hydrolysis rate of material being fed into digesters. One emerging process is temperature phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD), which applies a short (2 day) 50-70 °C pre-treatment step prior to 35 °C digestion in the main stage (10-20 days). In this study, we evaluated a thermophilic-mesophilic TPAD against a mesophilic-mesophilic TPAD treating primary sludge. Thermophilic-mesophilic TPAD achieved 54% VS destruction compared to 44% in mesophilic-mesophilic TPAD, with a 25% parallel increase in methane production. Measurements of soluble COD and NH₄⁺-N showed increased hydrolysis extent during thermophilic pre-treatment. Model based analysis indicated the improved performance was due to an increased hydrolysis coefficient rather than an increased inherent degradability, suggesting while TPAD is suitable as an intensification process, a larger main digester could achieve similar impact.     

Mesophilic and thermophilic temperature co-phase anaerobic digestion compared with single-stage mesophilic- and thermophilic digestion of sewage sludge

The performance of thermophilic and mesophilic temperature co-phase anaerobic digestions for sewage sludge, using the exchange process of the digesting sludge between spatially separated mesophilic and thermophilic digesters, was examined, and compared to single-stage mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestions. The reduction of volatile solids from the temperature co-phase anaerobic digestion system was dependent on the sludge exchange rate, but was 50.7-58.8%, which was much higher than 46.8% of single-stage thermophilic digestion, as well as 43.5% of the mesophilic digestion. The specific methane yield was 424-468 mL CH(4) per gram volatile solids removed, which was as good as that of single-stage mesophilic anaerobic digestion. The process stability and the effluent quality in terms of volatile fatty acids and soluble chemical oxygen demand of the temperature co-phase anaerobic digestion system were considerably better than those of the single-stage mesophilic anaerobic processes. The destruction of total coliform in the temperature co-phase system was 98.5-99.6%, which was similar to the single-stage thermophilic digestion. The higher performances on the volatile solid and pathogen reduction, and stable operation of the temperature co-phase anaerobic system might be attributable to the well-functioned thermophilic digester, sharing nutrients and intermediates for anaerobic microorganisms, and selection of higher substrate affinity anaerobic microorganisms in the co-phase system, as a result of the sludge exchange between the mesophilic and thermophilic digesters.     

Fate of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) during anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge

The behaviour of 13 pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) has been studied during anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge: two musks (Galaxolide and Tonalide), one tranquilliser (Diazepam), one anti-epileptic (Carbamazepine), three anti-phlogistics (Ibuprofen, Naproxen and Diclofenac), two antibiotics (Sulfamethoxazole and Roxithromycin), one X-ray contrast medium (Iopromide) and three oestrogens (Estrone, 17beta-oestradiol and 17alpha-ethinyloestradiol). Two parallel processes have been carried out, one in mesophilic range (37 degrees C) and the other in thermophilic range (55 degrees C). The influence of temperature and sludge retention time (SRT) has been analysed. Among the substances considered, the higher removal efficiencies were achieved for the antibiotics, natural oestrogens, musks and Naproxen. For the other compounds, the values ranged between 20% and 60%, except for Carbamazepine, which showed no elimination. The removal of oestrogens, Diazepam and Diclofenac occurred after sludge adaptation. In general, no influence of SRT and temperature on PPCPs removal was observed. Considering the difficulty of obtaining reliable PPCPs concentrations, especially those corresponding to the fractions sorbed onto sludge, a methodology to validate the experimental data has been developed and successfully applied.     

Pretreatment technologies for advancing anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper biotreatment residues

While anaerobic digestion is commonly practiced in the municipal sector, it has not gained popularity in the pulp and paper industry mainly because of its long sludge residence time requirement of 20-30 days. The construction of large digesters to provide such extended residence times is capital-intensive and thus the implementation of anaerobic digestion has remained economically prohibitive. A review of the literature suggests that recent developments in sludge preconditioning technologies have substantially reduced the sludge residence time requirement to the order of 7 days. Also, the preconditioned sludges have been reported to hold potential for higher methane recovery with reduced excess sludge production requiring disposal. Such advantages, coupled with escalating fuel prices and the introduction of carbon credits under the Kyoto Accord, have significantly improved the economics of anaerobic digestion. As the cost of sludge management varies from one mill to another, mill-specific economic assessment of anaerobic digestion could identify cost-saving opportunities.     

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of source-sorted organic fraction of household municipal solid waste: start-up procedure for continuously stirred tank reactor

Two feeding strategies for start-up of continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) treating source-sorted organic fraction of household municipal solid waste (SS-OFMSW) at 55 degrees C were evaluated. Two reactors were started up separately with a limited amount of initial inoculum (i.e. 10% of the final volume of 3.5l) and operated in a fed batch mode until the reactors were filled (30 days). A reference reactor was filled up with 3.5l of inoculum and fed at a constant rate (11.4 g volatile solids (VS)/d). Loading at progressively increasing rate (from 1.7 to 15 gVS/d), as calculated based on an activated biomass concept, showed superior process performance compared to a fixed feed rate (5.7 gVS/d). Methane yield of 0.32 m(3)/kg VS was produced during the start-up in reactor filled at progressively increasing rate and was comparable to the reference reactor. On the contrary, significant inhibition due to volatile fatty acid (VFA) build-up, mainly due to butyrate, was noticed in the reactor filled at constant rate. Thus, low initial and progressive increasing inoculum loading rate could be used as a strategy for a successful start-up of CSTR treating SS-OFMSW as it allowed a gradual acclimation of the biomass. Lab-scale results were further reaffirmed from the start-up of a full-scale plant (7000 m(3) total capacity) which was supplied with inoculum corresponding to approx. 16% of final volume and operated in a fed batch mode until the reactors were filled (58 days). Stable biogas production with low VFA (<3 g/L; based on titration method) were noticed during the start-up period when fed at progressively increasing rate. Thus, a controlled and reliable start-up procedure was found essential, which could allow rapid process stabilization and time to focus on other technical aspects of plant operation. In addition, the influence of substrate to inoculum amount (1.5-30% TS) and temperature (5-65 degrees C) on anaerobic degradation and methane production of SS-OFMSW was investigated in batch assays as a protocol for start-up procedure.     

Evaluation of continuous mesophilic, thermophilic and temperature phased anaerobic digestion of microwaved activated sludge

The effects of microwave (MW) pretreatment, staging and digestion temperature on anaerobic digestion were investigated in a setup of ten reactors. A mesophilic reactor was used as a control. Its performance was compared to single-stage mesophilic and thermophilic reactors treating pretreated and non-pretreated sludge, temperature-phased (TPAD) thermophilic-mesophilic reactors treating pretreated and non-pretreated sludge and thermophilic-thermophilic reactors also treating pretreated and non-pretreated sludge. Four different sludge retention times (SRTs) (20, 15, 10 and 5 d) were tested for all reactors. Two-stage thermo-thermo reactors treating pretreated sludge produced more biogas than all other reactors and removed more volatile solids. Maximum volatile solids (VS) removal was 53.1% at an SRT of 15 d and maximum biogas increase relative to control was 106% at the shortest SRT tested. Both the maximum VS removal and biogas relative increase were measured for a system with thermophilic acidogenic reactor and thermophilic methanogenic reactor. All the two-stage systems treating microwaved sludge produced sludge free of pathogen indicator bacteria, at all tested conditions even at a total system SRT of only 5 d. MW pretreatment and staging reactors allowed the application of very short SRT (5 d) with no significant decrease in performance in terms of VS removal in comparison with the control reactor. MW pretreatment caused the solubilization of organic material in sludge but also allowed more extensive hydrolysis of organic material in downstream reactors. The association of MW pretreatment and thermophilic operation improves dewaterability of digested sludge.     

Treatment of olive oil mill wastewater by combined process electro-Fenton reaction and anaerobic digestion

In this work, we investigated an integrated technology for the treatment of the recalcitrant contaminants of olive mill wastewaters (OMW), allowing water recovery and reuse for agricultural purposes. The method involves an electrochemical pre-treatment step of the wastewater using the electro-Fenton reaction followed by an anaerobic bio-treatment. The electro-Fenton process removed 65.8% of the total polyphenolic compounds and subsequently decreased the OMW toxicity from 100% to 66.9%, which resulted in improving the performance of the anaerobic digestion. A continuous lab-scale methanogenic reactor was operated at a loading rate of 10 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)l(-1) d(-1) without any apparent toxicity. Furthermore, in the combined process, a high overall reduction in COD, suspended solids, polyphenols and lipid content was achieved by the two successive stages. This result opens promising perspectives since its conception as a fast and cheap pre-treatment prior to conventional anaerobic post-treatment. The use of electro-coagulation as post-treatment technology completely detoxified the anaerobic effluent and removed its toxic compounds.     

Optimization of the hydrolytic-acidogenic anaerobic digestion stage (55 degrees C) of sewage sludge: influence of pH and solid content

In conventional single-stage anaerobic digestion processes, hydrolysis is regarded as the rate-limiting step in the degradation of complex organic compounds, such as sewage sludge. Two-stage systems have been proposed to enhance this process. However, so far it is not clear which are the best conditions for a two-stage anaerobic digestion process of sewage sludge, in terms of temperature and hydraulic retention time of each stage. The aim of this work was to determine the optimal conditions for the hydrolytic-acidogenic stage treating real sludge with a high concentration of total solids (40-50gL(-1)) and volatile solids (25-30gL(-1)), named high concentration sludge. The variables considered for this first stage were: hydraulic retention time (1-4 days) and temperature (55 and 65 degrees C). Maximum volatile fatty acids generation was obtained at 4 days and 3 days hydraulic retention time for 55 degrees C and 65 degrees C, respectively. Consequently, 4 days hydraulic retention time and temperature of 55 degrees C were set as the working conditions for the hydrolytic-acidogenic stage treating high concentration sludge. The results obtained when operating with high concentration sludge were compared with a low concentration sludge consisting of 17-28gL(-1) total solids and 13-21gL(-1) volatile solids. The effect of decreasing the influent sludge pH, when working at the optimal conditions established, was also evaluated.     

Long-term effect of ZnO nanoparticles on waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion

The increasing use of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) raises concerns about their environmental impacts, but the potential effect of ZnO NPs on sludge anaerobic digestion remains unknown. In this paper, long-term exposure experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of ZnO NPs on methane production during waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic digestion. The presence of 1 mg/g-TSS of ZnO NPs did not affect methane production, but 30 and 150 mg/g-TSS of ZnO NPs induced 18.3% and 75.1% of inhibition respectively, which showed that the impact of ZnO NPs on methane production was dosage dependant. Then, the mechanisms of ZnO NPs affecting sludge anaerobic digestion were investigated. It was found that the toxic effect of ZnO NPs on methane production was mainly due to the release of Zn²⁺ from ZnO NPs, which may cause the inhibitory effects on the hydrolysis and methanation steps of sludge anaerobic digestion. Further investigations with enzyme and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays indicated that higher concentration of ZnO NPs decreased the activities of protease and coenzyme F₄₂₀, and the abundance of methanogenesis Archaea.     

Effect of linear alkylbenzene sulphonates (LAS) on the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge

Batch anaerobic biodegradation tests with different alkylbenzene sulphonates (LAS) at increasing concentrations were performed in order to investigate the effect of LAS homologues on the anaerobic digestion process of sewage sludge. Addition of LAS homologues to the anaerobic digesters increased the biogas production at surfactant concentrations 5-10 g/kg dry sludge and gave rise to a partial or total inhibition of the methanogenic activity at higher surfactant loads. Therefore, at the usual LAS concentration range in sewage sludge, no adverse effects on the anaerobic digesters functioning of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) can be expected. The increase of biogas production at low surfactant concentrations was attributed to an increase of the bioavailability and subsequent biodegradation of organic pollutants associated with the sludge, promoted by the surfactant adsorption at the solid/liquid interface. When the available surfactant fraction in the aqueous phase instead of the nominal surfactant concentration was used to evaluate the toxicity of LAS homologues, a highly significant relationship between toxicity and alkyl chain length was obtained. Taking into account the homologue distribution of commercial LAS in the liquid phase of the anaerobic digesters of a WWTP, an EC(50) value of 14 mg/L can be considered for LAS toxicity on the anaerobic microorganisms.     

Toxicity of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on the anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge

Previous studies on the microbial degradation of individual phthalic acid esters (PAEs) have demonstrated that the compounds with short ester hydrocarbon chains are easily biodegraded and mineralized, but PAEs with long ester chains are less susceptible to degradation and some of them are considered recalcitrant. Moreover, they inhibit methanogenesis. However, studies have not been made on the effect of feeding a combination of recalcitrant and biodegradable PAEs into anaerobic digesters treating wastewater sludge. The present study was conducted with wastewater sludge from the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation's Hyperion Treatment Plant. Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), the most common persistent PAE found in wastewater, and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), a common PAE with short ester chains, were sorbed into the sludge fed to a bench-scale digester for a period of 12 weeks. DEHP degradation was always poor, and accumulation of DEHP was correlated with inhibition of the microbial degradation of DBP and with process instability of the test digester. Inhibition of the DBP removal was completely reversed after DEHP addition was discontinued, but biogas production never recovered to the level observed in a control digester. Other process parameters of digester performance were not affected by DEHP accumulation. These results are similar to the toxic effects of long chain fatty acids on sludge digestion, suggesting that DEHP or its degradation products affect all the microbial populations in the anaerobic bioreactor. Our results imply that high levels of DEHP or other recalcitrant PAEs in wastewater sludge are likely to compromise methanogenesis and removal of biodegradable PAEs in sludge digesters.     

Temperature phased anaerobic digestion increases apparent hydrolysis rate for waste activated sludge

It is well established that waste activated sludge with an extended sludge age is inherently slow to degrade with a low extent of degradation. Pre-treatment methods can be used prior to anaerobic digestion to improve the efficiency of activated sludge digestion. Among these pre-treatment methods, temperature phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) is one promising method with a relatively low energy input and capital cost. In this study, an experimental thermophilic (50-70 °C)-mesophilic system was compared against a control mesophilic-mesophilic system. The thermophilic-mesophilic system achieved 41% and 48% volatile solids (VS) destruction during pre-treatment of 60 °C and 65 °C (or 70 °C) respectively, compared to 37% in the mesophilic-mesophilic TPAD system. Solubilisation in the first stage was enhanced during thermophilic pre-treatment (15% at 50 °C and 27% at 60 °C, 65 °C and 70 °C) over mesophilic pre-treatment (7%) according to a COD balance. This was supported by ammonia-nitrogen measurements. Model based analysis indicated that the mechanism for increased performance was due to an increase in hydrolysis coefficient under thermophilic pre-treatment of 60 °C (0.5 ± 0.1 d⁻¹), 65 °C (0.7 ± 0.2 d⁻¹) and 70 °C (0.8 ± 0.2 d⁻¹) over mesophilic pre-treatment (0.2 ± 0.1 d⁻¹), and thermophilic pre-treatment at 50 °C (0.12 ± 0.06 d⁻¹).     

Enhancement of anaerobic batch digestion of sisal pulp waste by mesophilic aerobic pre-treatment

Pre-treatment of sisal pulp prior to its anaerobic digestion was investigated using an activated sludge mixed culture under aerobic conditions in batch bioreactors at 37 degrees C. The progression of aerobic pre-treatment of the residue in relation to the activities of some extracellular hydrolytic enzymes in the slurry was monitored. The highest activity of hydrolytic enzymes was obtained at 9 h of pre-treatment. Filter paper cellulase had a maximum activity of 0.90 IU/ml, while carboxymethyl cellulase, amylase and xylanase were produced to a maximum of about 0.40 IU/ml. The methane yield obtained after anaerobic digestion of the pre-treated pulp ranged between 0.12 and 0.24 m3 CH4/kg VS added. The highest and lowest values were obtained for 9 and 72 h of pre-treatment, respectively. Nine hours of pre-treatment of sisal pulp prior to anaerobic digestion demonstrated a 26% higher methane yield when compared to the sisal pulp without pre-treatment. The consortia of microorganisms in activated sludge demonstrated a useful potential in the production of hydrolases acting on major macromolecules of sisal pulp. The fact that a correlation was observed between high enzyme activity and high methane yield at 9 h of aerobic pre-treatment suggests that such a short pre-treatment period could be an alternative option for increasing solubilization of sisal pulp and promoting methane productivity.     

Thermophilic treatment of acidified and partially acidified wastewater using an anaerobic submerged MBR: Factors affecting long-term operational flux

The long-term operation of two thermophilic anaerobic submerged membrane bioreactors (AnSMBRs) was studied using acidified and partially acidified synthetic wastewaters. In both reactors, cake formation was identified as the key factor governing critical flux. Even though cake formation was observed to be mostly reversible, particle deposition proceeds fast once the critical flux is exceeded. Very little irreversible fouling was observed during long-term operation, irrespective of the substrate. Critical flux values at the end of the reactors operation were 7 and 3L/m(2)h for the AnSMBRs fed with acidified and partially acidified wastewaters, respectively, at a gas superficial velocity of 70m/h. Small particle size was identified as the responsible parameter for the low observed critical flux values. The degree of wastewater acidification significantly affected the physical properties of the sludge, determining the attainable flux. Based on the fluxes observed in this research, the membrane costs would be in the range of 0.5euro/m(3) of treated wastewater. Gas sparging was ineffective in increasing the critical flux values. However, preliminary tests showed that cross-flow operation may be a feasible alternative to reduce particle deposition.     

谈污泥厌氧消化预处理方法

结合传统的污泥厌氧消化周期长、消化速率低的特点,综述了热、化学、生物和机械预处理方法及其在研究中对污泥厌氧消化的影响,并提出厌氧消化预处理方法的展望,以期改善污泥理化性质,提高厌氧消化效率。     

Performance and kinetic evaluation of the anaerobic digestion of two-phase olive mill effluents in reactors with suspended and immobilized biomass

A lab-scale study was conducted on the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of two-phase olive mill effluents constituted by the mixture of the wash waters derived from the initial cleansing of the olives and those obtained in the washing and purification of virgin olive oil. The digestion was conducted in two continuously stirred tank reactors, one with biomass immobilized on Bentonite (reactor B) and other with suspended biomass used as control (reactor C). The reactors B and C operated satisfactorily between hydraulic retention times of 25.0 and 4.0 days and 25.0 and 5.0 days, respectively. Total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) efficiencies in the ranges of 88.8-72.1% and 87.9-71.2% were achieved in the reactors with immobilized and suspended biomass, respectively, at organic loading rates of between 0.86 and 5.38 g TCOD/ld and 0.86-4.30 g TCOD/ld, respectively. On comparing both reactors for the same OLRs applied, it was observed that the reactor with support was always more efficient and stable showing higher TCOD, SCOD removal efficiencies and lower VFA/alkalinity ratio values than those found in the control reactor. A mass (TCOD) balance around the reactors allowed the methane yield coefficient, Y(G/S), to be obtained, which gave values of 0.31 and 0.30l CH(4)/g TCOD(removed) for reactors B and C, respectively. The cell maintenance coefficients,k(m), obtained by means of this balance were found to be 0.0024 and 0.0036 g TCOD(removed)/g VSSd, respectively. The volumetric methane production rates correlated with the biodegradable TCOD concentration through an equation of the Michaelis-Menten type for the two reactors studied. This proposed model predicted the behavior of the reactors very accurately showing deviations lower than 10% between the experimental and theoretical values of methane production rates.     

Anaerobic stabilisation and conversion of biopolymers in primary sludge--effect of temperature and sludge retention time

The effect of sludge retention time (SRT) and process temperature on the hydrolysis, acidification and methanogenesis of primary sludge was investigated in completely stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). The CSTRs were operated to maintain SRTs of 10, 15, 20 and 30 days at process temperatures of 25 degrees C and 35 degrees C. The rates of hydrolysis and the biodegradability of primary sludge were assessed in batch reactors incubated at 15 degrees C, 25 degrees C and 35 degrees C. The results revealed that the major amount of sludge stabilisation occurred between 0 and 10 days at 35 degrees C and 10 and 15 days at 25 degrees C. Hydrolysis was found to be the rate limiting-step of the overall digestion process, for the reactors operated at 35 degrees C and 25 degrees C, except for the reactor operated at 10 days and 25 degrees C. At the latter conditions, methanogenesis was the rate-limiting step of the overall digestion process. Proteins hydrolysis was limited to a maximum value of 39% at 30 days and 35 degrees C due to proteins availability in the form of biomass. The biodegradability of primary sludge was around 60%, and showed no temperature dependency. The hydrolysis of the main biopolymers and overall particulate COD of the primary sludge digested in CSTRs were well described by first-order kinetics, in case hydrolysis was the rate-limiting step. Similarly, the hydrolysis of the overall particulate COD of the primary sludge digested in batch reactors were described by first-order kinetics and revealed strong temperature dependency, which follows Arrhenius equation.     

Isolation, identification and utilization of thermophilic strains in aerobic digestion of sewage sludge

Two representative thermophilic bacterial strains (T1 and T2) were isolated from a one-stage autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion pilot-scale reactor. 16S rRNA gene analysis indicated that they were Hydrogenophilaceae and Xanthomonodaceae. These isolated strains were inoculated separately and/or jointly in sewage sludge, to investigate their effects on sludge stabilization under thermophilic aerobic digestion condition. Four digestion conditions were tested for 480 h. Digestion without inoculation and inoculation with strain T2, as well as joint- inoculation with strains T1 and T2, achieved 32.6%, 43.0%, and 38.2% volatile solids (VS) removal, respectively. Removal in a digester inoculated with stain T1 only reached 27.2%. For the first 144 h, the three inoculated digesters all experienced higher VS removal than the digester without inoculations. Both specific thermophilic strains and micro-environment significantly affected the VS removal. DGGE profiles revealed that the isolated strains T1 and T2 can successfully establish in the thermophilic digesters. Other viable bacteria (including anaerobic or facultative microbes) also appeared in the digestion system, enhancing the microbial activity.     

Size fractionation of wood extractives, lignin and trace elements in pulp and paper mill wastewater before and after biological treatment

Integrated kraft pulp and paper mill wastewater was characterized before (influent) and after (effluent) the activated sludge process by microfiltration (8, 3, 0.45 and 0.22 μm) and ultrafiltration (100, 50, 30 and 3 kDa) into different size fractions. Wood extractives, lignin, suspended solids and certain trace elements were determined in each fraction. Forty four percent of the resin and fatty acids in the influent (12.8 mg/L) occurred in particles (>0.45 μm), 20% as colloids (0.45 μm-3 kDa) and 36% in the <3 kDa fraction. The corresponding values for sterols (1.5 mg/L) were 5, 46 and 49%. In the effluent, resin and fatty acids (1.45 mg/L) and sterols (0.26 mg/L) were mainly present in the <3 kDa fraction, as well as a small proportion in particles. β-sitosterol was present in particles in the effluent (88 ± 50 μg/L). Lignin in the influent was mainly in the colloidal and <3 kDa fractions, whereas in the effluent it was mainly in the <3 kDa fraction. Thus the decrease of lignin in the biological treatment was concentrated on the colloidal fraction. In the influent, Mn, Zn and Si were mainly present in the <3 kDa fraction, whereas a significant proportion of Fe and Al were found also in the particle and colloidal fractions. In the effluent, Fe and Al were mainly present in the colloidal fraction; in contrast, Mn, Zn and Si were mainly in the <3 kDa fraction. The results indicated that the release of certain compounds and elements into the environment could be significantly decreased or even prevented simply by employing microfiltration as a final treatment step or by enhancing particle removal in the secondary clarifier.