Alhraishawi, AliAslan, SukruOzturk, Mustafa2024-10-262024-10-2620241735-68652008-2304https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-024-00589-3https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12418/28867This study investigates the effect of microwave treatment on the disintegration of municipal activated sludge. Sludge samples underwent heating at a targeted temperature of 90 degrees C for 35 min, with a 5-min retention time. Soluble chemical oxygen demand, sugars, proteins, nitrogen, and phosphorus exhibited notable increases compared to untreated samples. Results indicate a substantial (42-45%) rise in CH4 production during the anaerobic digestion process of the disintegrated sludge compared to the untreated counterpart CH4 production was estimated using a transference model, which showed the best fit compared to other models. Further experimentation involved testing digested sludge with excess soluble NH4-N and PO4-P for the recovery of struvite at a 1.50/1/1 (Mg/N/P) ratio. The findings reveal that up to 90.1% and 90.4% of PO4-P and NH4-N, respectively, can be efficiently removed from the solution. Despite the increased CH4 output, the energy recovered was insufficient to offset the electrical energy used by the microwave. There was a significant deterioration in sludge filter resistance due to the increase in fine particles and bound water after anaerobic digestion of the pretreated sludge.en10.1007/s41742-024-00589-3info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessMW irradiationBMPStruviteCH4 productionEnergyArticle1832-s2.0-85189209060Q2WOS:001197227100001N/A