Integrated Intensification and Nutrient Recovery Strategies in Two-Stage Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge and the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste: State of the Art, Engineering Challenges of Scale-Up, and Perspectives
Abstract
Two-stage anaerobic digestion (TSAD) is an alternative to single-stage anaerobic digestion, separating hydrolytic–acidogenic and methanogenic phases to improve stability, organic matter degradation, and methane production. This review examines TSAD for co-digestion of sewage sludge (SS) and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), emphasizing performance, scale-up challenges, digestate intensification, and nutrient recovery. TSAD can increase methane production by 25–50% compared with single-stage systems, while volatile solids removal can reach 87–93% depending on substrate type, temperature regime, hydraulic retention time, and organic loading rate. However, improvement remains variable and depends on substrate biodegradability, reactor configuration, and process control. Beyond methane recovery, the review highlights valorizing digestate as a secondary resource. Digestate post-treatment technologies, including thermal hydrolysis and steam explosion, report methane improvements from 26% to more than 300%, although energy demand and economic feasibility remain constraints. Nitrogen recovery technologies, including ammonia stripping and membrane contactors, can achieve efficiencies above 80–95% under optimized conditions, while phosphorus may be recovered through struvite precipitation, calcium phosphate recovery, or biochar-based pathways. Future TSAD development should integrate biological conversion, digestate recirculation, nutrient recovery, techno-economic assessment, and life-cycle evaluation to support circular, resource-efficient organic waste treatment systems.
Related
- Engineering perspectives on salt-induced transport limitation in saline aquifers: implications for long-term CO2 storage security
- Methodological Challenges of Multi-Criteria Assessment in Agri-Food Systems: Some Perspectives
- Global food security under a sustainability perspective: Assessment, challenges, and strategies
- Engineering chitosan-based metal oxide and metal nanoparticle composites for organic dye remediation: mechanisms, performance, and future perspectives.
- A critical review of pathways, fuels, and challenges to achieving decarbonization strategies in the maritime sector
BibTeX
@article{agumah2026integrated,
title = {{Integrated Intensification and Nutrient Recovery Strategies in Two-Stage Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge and the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste: State of the Art, Engineering Challenges of Scale-Up, and Perspectives}},
author = {Joel Awinzure Agumah and Xiaojun Liu and Laura André and Adrien Belacel and Antoine Brunet and Benjamin Remy and Thomas Moreau and Alain Magis and Olivier Bernat and Nabil Mabrouk and Florian Routhier and Patrick Billette and André Pauss and Thierry Ribeiro},
journal = {Eng},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/eng7090450},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05738273v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrated Intensification and Nutrient Recovery Strategies in Two-Stage Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge and the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste: State of the Art, Engineering Challenges of Scale-Up, and Perspectives
AU - Joel Awinzure Agumah
AU - Xiaojun Liu
AU - Laura André
AU - Adrien Belacel
AU - Antoine Brunet
AU - Benjamin Remy
AU - Thomas Moreau
AU - Alain Magis
AU - Olivier Bernat
AU - Nabil Mabrouk
AU - Florian Routhier
AU - Patrick Billette
AU - André Pauss
AU - Thierry Ribeiro
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/03
JO - Eng
DO - 10.3390/eng7090450
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05738273v1
AB - Two-stage anaerobic digestion (TSAD) is an alternative to single-stage anaerobic digestion, separating hydrolytic–acidogenic and methanogenic phases to improve stability, organic matter degradation, and methane production. This review examines TSAD for co-digestion of sewage sludge (SS) and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), emphasizing performance, scale-up challenges, digestate intensification, and nutrient recovery. TSAD can increase methane production by 25–50% compared with single-stage systems, while volatile solids removal can reach 87–93% depending on substrate type, temperature regime, hydraulic retention time, and organic loading rate. However, improvement remains variable and depends on substrate biodegradability, reactor configuration, and process control. Beyond methane recovery, the review highlights valorizing digestate as a secondary resource. Digestate post-treatment technologies, including thermal hydrolysis and steam explosion, report methane improvements from 26% to more than 300%, although energy demand and economic feasibility remain constraints. Nitrogen recovery technologies, including ammonia stripping and membrane contactors, can achieve efficiencies above 80–95% under optimized conditions, while phosphorus may be recovered through struvite precipitation, calcium phosphate recovery, or biochar-based pathways. Future TSAD development should integrate biological conversion, digestate recirculation, nutrient recovery, techno-economic assessment, and life-cycle evaluation to support circular, resource-efficient organic waste treatment systems.
SN - 2673-4117
ER -