Liquid–gas partitioning of selected volatile organic sulfur compounds in anaerobically digested sludges

Abstract

The gas phase partitioning of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) in anaerobic sludge digesters contributes to odors and can impact upon the suitability of biogases for use in alternative energy recovery technologies. In the present study, effective Henry's law coefficients (H′) were estimated for methyl mercaptan (MM), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in both deionized water and deactivated digested sludge. It was found that the complex matrix of digested sludge did not significantly affect the partitioning of VOSCs. Therefore, partitioning of VOSCs in digesters could be represented by their partitioning in clean water. A regression model was developed for the linear relationship between ln H′ and 1/T in the gas-water system. The H′ values of MM, DMS, and DMDS were able to be calculated over a temperature range of 12–58 °C.