Effect of thermal hydrolysis for the inactivation of fecal coliforms present in the sludge of the Panama Wastewater Treatment Plant

During the treatment of wastewater, residual sludge is generated, which is difficult to manage, which is why, through time, different processes have been sought to stabilize it in order to obtain a usable product that is not a danger to health and the environment. The commonly used process is anaerobic digestion, the Panama City (WWTP) has implemented an additional sludge preconditioning process known as thermal hydrolysis worldwide. This research sought to evaluate the effect of thermal hydrolysis on the inactivation of fecal coliforms present in hydrolyzed sludge, where 90% inactivation was obtained, compared to non-hydrolyzed sludge, taking as a reference the technical standard DGNTI-COPANIT 47-2000.