Electro-dewatering (EDW) as Hybrid Dewatering Technology: Influence of Operating Parameters and Energy Efficiency

Abstract

Electro-dewatering (EDW) is a hybrid technology for separating liquids from solids in the wastewater sludge dewatering process. EDW has excellent prospects because it is able to remove water from sludge with high efficiency and low energy consumption. EDW can be applied simultaneously with the dewatering process (filtration/compression) as a preliminary treatment or after the dewatering process. This study focuses on the effect of voltage and pressure on EDW performance. Several scenarios with voltage and pressure variations were applied to the sludge. The application of voltage of 20 V and 30 V and pressure of 5 kPa and 10 kPa were found to be good enough to remove the water content that could not be achieved by mechanical dewatering. A moisture content value of 66.56 % was obtained with a voltage of 30 V and 10 kPa pressure for 60 minutes. The experimental results show that the greater the applied voltage and pressure values, the higher the water content reduction rate. However, the application of EDW must pay attention to energy consumption which is closely related to the voltage (electric current generated) and the application time. This research can be used as a supporting theory and input in understanding the potential application of the EDW process for the treatment of soy sauce and syrup industry wastewater sludge.