Electroosmotic Dewatering Research Articles

Mutual impact of temperature and voltage on electro-osmotic dewatering process of mine tailings – a numerical study

Temperature and voltage are critical operational parameters that significantly influence the efficiency of the electro-osmosis dewatering process. Despite their importance, there is a lack of comprehensive research to evaluate their combined effects on enhancing electro-osmotic dewatering process efficiency. In this study, mutual effects of temperature and voltage on electro-osmotic dewatering of tailings were investigated using numerical simulation. To validate the model, output data were compared with experimental results on thermal electro-osmotic dewatering of red mud. The results indicated that increase in temperature from 25 °C to 35 °C and 25 °C to 45 °C resulted in a 12% and 27% increase in electric current, and 25% and 50% increase in fluid outflow velocity, respectively. Additionally, electric current and fluid outflow velocity increased by about 50% and 100% for all considered temperatures when voltage increased from 10.5 V to 15.75 and 10.5 V to 21 V, respectively. Furthermore, the results proved that increase in temperature was more effective than voltage in enhancing Joule’s heating-induced dewatering. The study also revealed that increase in distance between electrodes by more than 1 m decreases the efficiency of electro-osmotic dewatering.

Ozone/percarbonate-Fe3+ conditioning enhanced pressurized electro-osmotic dewatering (PEOD) of waste activated sludge: Feasibility and mechanisms

Pressurized electro-osmotic dewatering (PEOD) process is an emerging technology for high-efficiency solid-liquid separation of sludge and has garnered extensive interest. This study proposed a novel sequential conditioning process based on ozone (O3)/percarbonate (SPC) treatment followed by Fe3+ coagulation, namely O3/SPC-Fe3+ conditioning, to improve the performance of PEOD. The optimal operating conditions and the related dewatering performance of O3/SPC-Fe3+ conditioning-PEOD process were investigated to verify the feasibility. The mechanisms of the O3/SPC-Fe3+ conditioning on improving PEOD process were also discussed from the enhancement of the water/filtrate flow in pores. The results showed that 53.44 % water content and 0.95 g/g dry solid (DS) of bound water in dewatered sludge cake were attained in the O3/SPC-Fe3+ conditioning-PEOD process with optimal O3 aeration time of 12 min, SPC dosage of 0.0610 g/g DS and Fe3+ dosage of 0.0310 g/g DS for sludge conditioning then 346 kPa mechanical pressure and 40 V voltage for dewatering. During the O3/SPC-Fe3+ conditioning-PEOD process, the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix was disintegrated, and the inner EPS migrated to the outside along with water. The values of α-helix/(β-sheet + random coil) adjusted by O3/SPC-Fe3+ conditioning process decreased to 7.38 and 5.12 in slime and LB-EPS, respectively, and these changes transformed to expose more hydrophobic sites. After conditioning, the proportion of protein-N decreased drastically from 81.67 % to 62.34 %, while the proportion of inorganic-N increased significantly from 18.33 % to 37.66 %, indicating that partial protein-N in EPS altered to inorganic-N. The enhancement of PEOD by the O3/SPC-Fe3+ process can be attributed to the EPS hydrophobicity transformation and the degradation/mineralization of EPS by oxidation of generated ·OH. The former triggered the reduction of water/filtrate viscosity within the interfacial region of pores. The latter provoked the decrease of bulk viscosity of water/filtrate within the pores. These two effects relieved the viscous resistance to water/filtrate flow within pores and promoted dewatering.

(Invited) Sequential Development of Continuous Electro-Osmotic Dewatering for Phosphatic Clay Suspensions

The beneficiation plant associated with a typical Florida phosphate mining operation produces more than 6,300 L/s of a dilute 2-3 wt.% suspension of phosphatic clay. The clay-water suspension is pumped into large impoundments called clay settling areas in which partial separation is achieved by hindered settling and self-consolidation. As clay settles, the supernatant water is recycled for use in the beneficiation plant. A top crust is formed after a few years, but the clay beneath the crust has a large water content and a pseudo-plastic character that limits the amount of weight the settling area can support. Clay settling areas cover roughly 390 square kilometers of land in Florida. Uses for the land are limited by the properties of the clay that leave the settling areas unstable, even after 50 years of elapsed time. In addition, failure of the impoundments has caused major releases into local rivers.1 Research in use of electrokinetic phenomena to accelerate the dewatering process of phosphatic clay has been active for more than 50 years.2,3 The use of an electric field to separate the water from the solids is attractive because the inherent stability of the clay suspension is due, in part, to the surface charges residing on the platelets. This presentation will describe the results of a 7-year research project, funded by Mosaic, to create an electrokinetic alternative to the creation of clay settling areas. Through a systematic development of prototypes, from batch4,5 to semi-continuous with emphasis on water clarification6 to semi-continuous with emphasis on solids extraction, our team has developed a fully continuous prototype using electrokinetic dewatering. The fully continuous prototype itself underwent several prototype designs, culminating in a single-stage design for continuous electro-osmotic dewatering of phosphatic clay suspensions that demonstrated efficient production of a dewatered cake with a solids content of 35 wt.% at a dry-clay production rate of 4.5 kg/h m2 from a feed clay of 10 wt.%.7,8 The results were supported by measurements of yield stress and a mathematical model that accounted for compressibility of the cake and for both electro-osmotic and hydraulic permeability.9 Patents were published that correspond to the above stages of development.10-12 References Damage Cases and Environmental Releases from Mines and Mineral Processing Sites, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 1997.A. Dizon and M. E. Orazem, “Advances and Challenges of Electrokinetic Dewatering of Clays and Soils,” Current Opinion in Electrochemistry, 22 (2020), 17-24.J. Q. Shang and K. Y. Lo, “Electrokinetic Dewatering of a Phosphate Clay,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, 55 (1997), 117-133J. P. McKinney and M. E. Orazem, “A Constitutive Relationship for Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Slurries,” Minerals & Metallurgical Processing, 28 (2011), 49-54.J. P. McKinney and M. E. Orazem, “Electrokinetic Dewatering Phosphatic Clay Settling Areas: Numerical Simulation and Economic Assessment,” Minerals & Metallurgical Processing, 28 (2011), 71-76.R. Kong and M. E. Orazem, “Semicontinuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” Electrochimica Acta, 140 (2014), 438-446.R. Kong, A. Dizon, S. Moghaddam, and M. E. Orazem, “Development of Fully-Continuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” in Electrochemical Engineering: From Discovery to Product, Volume XVIII of Advances in Electrochemical Science and Engineering, R. Alkire, P. N. Bartlett, and M. Koper, editors, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2018, 159-192.A. Dizon and M. E. Orazem, “Efficient Continuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” Electrochimica Acta, 298 (2018), 134-141.A. Dizon and M. E. Orazem, “Mathematical Model and Optimization of Continuous Electro-Osmotic Dewatering,” Electrochimica Acta, 304 (2019) 42-53.M. E. Orazem and R. Kong, “Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” U.S. Patent No. 10,486,108 B2, Issued: November 22, 2019.M. E. Orazem, R. Kong, S. Moghaddam, H. Lai, D. Yu, Y. Huang, and D. Bloomquist, “Continuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” U.S. Patent No. 10,315,165 B2, Issued: June 11, 2019.M. E. Orazem and A. R. Dizon, “Device for Efficient Continuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” U.S. Patent No. 11,208,342 B2, Issued: Dec. 28, 2021.

Dynamic behavior of electro-osmosis in variable charge soils: Insights on termination and direction reversal

Electro-osmosis offers an effective method for dewatering and remediating low permeability soil. Long-term observations on nonlinear behavior of electro-osmosis and the influencing factors are not commonly reported. Connection between cessation and direction reversal of electro-osmotic flow (EOF), and the evolution of electro-chemical parameters inside of the soil mass thus remains unclear. The dynamic response of EOF in variable charge soil could be significant, whereas the investigations on which are currently lacking. A series of electro-osmotic experiments were performed with two natural variable charge soils. The results indicated that initial electro-osmotic rate was positively proportional to electric current and initial electrical conductivity of the pore fluid, which could be explained by the ion migration model. The dynamic evolution of electro-osmotic rate and electro-chemical parameters corresponding to the solute and pH conditionings at the electrode compartments demonstrated that: 1) coupling effects of non-uniform distribution of voltage gradient and pH determined the magnitude and direction of EOF rate; 2) compared to the final pHIEP value, the bigger, close and smaller values of the novel index “voltage gradient weighed mean of spatial pH″ represented the forward, terminated and reversed EOF respectively; 3) the classical Helmholtz-Smoluchowski model are proved to be more applicable interpreting the coupled nonlinearity of electro-osmosis during the later steady phase. This work would facilitate future research for a comprehensive electro-osmotic model, and provide guidance to condition the initial and boundary conditions in application of electro-osmotic dewatering and electrokinetic remediation.

Dewatering and valorizing lake sediments by electroosmotic dewatering for lakes restoration.

Dredging eutrophic lake sediments can improve water quality, but it also requires dewatering and valorizing the dredged material to avoid wasting resources like phosphorus. This study experimentally investigated the basic mechanism and performance of electroosmotic dewatering of 1-L dredged sediments using different electric currents (20mA, 40mA, and 60mA) after gravity filtration. The dewatering performance, moisture content and distribution, effect of electrochemical reaction on dewaterability, energy consumption, and changes in metals and phosphorus (P) distribution and pH values were analyzed. The results indicated that electroosmotic dewatering effectively decreased sediment mass by predominantly eliminating free and a portion of interstitial water, with reductions ranging from 7 to 20%. The optimal duration and current should, however, be considered to balance water removal and energy consumption. Higher moisture removal occurred with 40mA for 24h and 60mA for 6h, while the energy consumption obtained with 60mA (0.201 kWh/kg water removed) was significantly lower than that of applying 40mA for 24h (0.473 kWh/kg water removed), with the assistance of ohmic heating, resulting in reduced viscosity and water release from capillaries. The tested conditions did not significantly extract heavy metals or P from the sediments, which may facilitate the disposal of the removed water back into the lake and the utilization of the treated sediments for different purposes. This technology is easy to operate and suitable for the treatment of dredged sediments, and the dewatering result is comparable to low pressurized filtration but at low energy consumption.

Electroosmotic permeability in kaolinite and CaCO3 poultice mixtures

Electrokinetic treatment of masonry for desalination or electroosmotic dewatering depends on a poultice, in which the electrodes are placed, which fulfills several purposes. Poultice composed of kaolinite and CaCO3 have been shown to have good workability and high pH buffering capacity. In this work, the electroosmotic (EO) permeability is studied in different kaolinite - CaCO3 mixtures. In addition, the effect on EO of using NaCl as a mixing solution is investigated. A special cell is used to test the EO in the specimens. A phenomenological approach, based on the potential gradient and the flux of solution, was used to calculate the EO flow rate and EO permeability coefficient. Results showed that by increasing the concentration of CaCO3 in the poultice mixture, the EO flow rate decreased and the poultice with 80 % CaCO3 and more did not have any EO flow. Furthermore, the ionic strength in the mixing solution decreases the EO flow rate.

Pressurized electro-osmotic dewatering treatment of sludge: focusing on the influences on nutrients for agricultural application

ABSTRACT Sewage sludge requires effective dewatering and high nutrients retention before disposal for agricultural application. Pressurized electro-osmotic dewatering (PEOD) process with low energy consumption can effectively remove water from sludge, but the influences of PEOD process on nutrients for agricultural application still lacks in-depth research. In this study, the influences of PEOD process on nutrients for agricultural application were investigated, including organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and silicon contents. Layered experiments were conducted to investigate the layered variation of nutrients in sludge and to understand the potential change mechanisms. The experimental results showed that PEOD process caused small losses (<10%) of organic matter and total phosphorus (TP) in sludge, but caused 11.2−18.4% loss of total nitrogen (TN). PEOD process also caused 18.6−27.0% loss of total potassium (TK) and over 80% loss of available potassium in sludge, and could weaken the potential salt damage during the agricultural application of sludge. Furthermore, the available phosphorus content of sludge in the anode area increased significantly after the PEOD process, indicating that PEOD process could enhance the phosphorus bioavailability of sludge in the anode area. Besides, PEOD process caused a slight loss of silicon components in sludge, but improved the long-term silicon dissolution and release ability of sludge. This work could expand the knowledge about the influences of PEOD process on sludge nutrients and provide scientific guidance for the agricultural application of PEOD sludge.

Electro-osmotic particulate flow of non-Newtonian fluid in a bulged out cavity with lubrication: electro-osmotic dewatering approach

Electro-osmotic particulate flow of non-Newtonian fluid in a bulged out cavity with lubrication: electro-osmotic dewatering approach

Understanding mechanism of improved-dewatering of waste activated sludge by multi-stage pressurized vertical electro-osmotic

A multi-stage pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering (MS-PVEOD) were designed to break through the dewaterability limit of pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering (PVEOD) process and reduce energy consumption (EC). The effects of mechanical pressure and voltage on sludge moisture content (MC) are studied. The sludge MC can be reduced to 44.6 % and 54.7 % respectively after MS-PVEOD (0–2–3.5 MPa) and PVEOD (2–2–2 MPa) process dewatering under 40 V, and the total EC of the former is 33 % lower than that of the latter. The sludge morphology, electric current, protein (PN) and polysaccharide (PS) content and fluorescence spectrum of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were analyzed. The PN/PS of the sludge treated by the MS-PVEOD process is 16.3 % higher than that of the PVEOD process, and 20.0 % higher than that of the raw sludge (RS). The three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum (3D-EEM) showed that the fluorescence of hydrophilic fulvic acid and humus decreased more than that of hydrophobic tryptophan protein and tyrosine protein. The present work may be helpful to understand the dewatering mechanism of MS-PVEOD and provides some useful technical guidance for the industrial application of efficient deep dewatering of sludge.

Vacuum Preloading Combined with Electroosmotic Dewatering of Dredger Fill Using the Vertical-Layered Power Technology of a Novel Tubular Electrokinetic Geosynthetics: Test and Numerical Simulation

Abstract A novel tubular EKG material in electroosmotic field test combined with a vacuum preloading method was first conducted in a reclamation project in Ningbo, China, by using a vertical-layere...

Electroosmotic Dewatering of Iron Ore Tailings: A Laboratory Study to Improve Geotechnical Properties

Minerals are subjected to ore processing to turn them into usable and saleable raw materials. First of all, the ore is reduced to the smallest size with the crushing‐grinding process, and after using water and chemical additives, according to the characteristics of the ore, useful minerals are taken, and unwanted minerals are stored in the tailings pools. Approximately, 26 million tons of mineral wastes were generated annually from ore processing facilities in Turkey. The construction of tailings pools, the stability of the tailing sludge, and the safety of dams are a burdensome issue faced by miners. In the ore plants, an average of 3 tons of water is used to enrich 1 ton of ore, and most of the wastewater cannot be removed by traditional methods, causing various economic, environmental, and stability problems. In this study, the dewatering of an iron ore tailing by applying different voltages by the electroosmosis method was investigated in the laboratory environment. By discharging the water of the iron ore tailings by the electroosmosis method, the solid content was increased from 43.01% to 87.63%. Thus, it has been observed that there will be a significant improvement in the geotechnical properties of the tailings’ material. It has been estimated that electroosmotic dewatering rises with increasing the voltage gradient and the energy consumption varies in the range of 0.588–30.645 kWh/dry ton. The void ratio decreased from 5.58% to 0.23%. In the dewatering experiments, different parameters such as the amount of water discharged, density, void ratio, water content, and power consumed were measured or calculated and the relationships between them were discussed with graphics. In electroosmosis experiments, it has been observed that besides the voltage applied in the discharge of water, the mineralogy of the tailings has a significant effect. Since there are serious abrasions on the electrodes used in the experiments, alternative electrodes should be tried.

Cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) enhanced pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering of activated sludge

Pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering (PVEOD) has been regarded as a feasible method to achieve sludge deep-dewatering, but the dewatering efficiency is still challenged by high electric resistance. This study employed cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) as a skeleton builder to enhance electro-osmotic flow in PVEOD. The sludge dewatering efficiency and synergistic effect of CPAM and PVEOD were elucidated. The sludge morphology, surface property, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) destruction and migration, spatial distributions of proteins and polysaccharides, and current changes were investigated. After the addition of optimal CPAM dose, the sludge formed a uniform and porous structure that provided water channels and enhanced electric transport, thus promoting EPS destruction. The sludge moisture content (MC) analysis indicated the more liberation of bound water due to EPS destruction. Besides, the re-flocculation of disintegrated sludge flocs improved the sludge filtration and thus dewaterability. Instantaneous energy consumption (Et,0.5) was optimized and two-step synergistic mechanism was thus proposed. These findings indicated that the combination of CPAM and PVEOD is a promising strategy to broaden the scope of industrial application of sludge deep-dewatering.

(Invited) Process for Continuous Electro-Osmotic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions

A recent spill of wastewater at a former phosphate mining facility in Piney Point Florida, reported in March 2021, highlights the need for alternatives to creating large impoundments of the dilute 2-3 wt.% suspension of phosphatic clay produced as a waste stream in the beneficiation of phosphate ore. A 1997 report highlights releases in Florida.1 In 1994, the earthen berm of a clay settling area operated by Hopewell Mine failed along a section of approximately 100 feet. Approximately 482 million gallons of water were lost. A series of releases of large volumes of turbid water from clay settling areas into nearby surface waters occurred between 1989 and 1993 at the MMM Nichols Phosphate Mine. In 1994, the dike of an inactive settling area was breached over a section of approximately 150 linear feet, causing very rapid dewatering of the impoundment.A typical Florida phosphate mining operation produces more than 6,300 L/s of phosphatic clay. The clay-water suspension is pumped into large impoundments called clay settling areas in which separation is achieved by hindered settling and self-consolidation. As it settles, the supernatant water is recycled for use in the beneficiation plant. A top crust is formed after a few years, but the clay beneath the crust has a large water content and a pseudo-plastic character that limits the amount of weight the settling area can support. Clay settling areas cover roughly 390 square kilometers of land in Florida. Uses for the land are limited by the properties of the clay that leave the settling areas unstable, even after 50 years of elapsed time.This presentation will describe the results of a research project, funded by Mosaic, to create an electrokinetic alternative to creation of clay settling areas. Research in use of electrokinetic phenomena to accelerate the dewatering process has been active for more than 50 years.2 The use of an electric field to separate the water from the solids is attractive because the inherent stability of the clay suspension is due, in part, to the surface charges residing on the platelets. A single-stage design was developed for continuous electro-osmotic dewatering of phosphatic clay suspensions that demonstrated efficient production of a dewatered cake with a solids content of 35 wt.% at a dry-clay production rate of 4.5 kg/h m2 from a feed clay of 10 wt.%.3,4 The results were supported by measurements of yield stress and a mathematical model that accounted for compressibility of the cake and for both electro-osmotic and hydraulic permeability.5 References Damage Cases and Environmental Releases from Mines and Mineral Processing Sites, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 1997.Dizon and M. E. Orazem, "Advances and Challenges of Electrokinetic Dewatering of Clays and Soils," Current Opinion in Electrochemistry, 22 (2020), 17-24.Kong, A. Dizon, S. Moghaddam, and M. E. Orazem, “Development of Fully-Continuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” in Electrochemical Engineering: From Discovery to Product, Volume XVIII of Advances in Electrochemical Science and Engineering, R. Alkire, P. N. Bartlett, and M. Koper, editors, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2018, 159-192.Dizon and M. E. Orazem, “Efficient Continuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” Electrochimica Acta, 298 (2018), 134-141.Dizon and M. E. Orazem, “Mathematical Model and Optimization of Continuous Electro-Osmotic Dewatering,” Electrochimica Acta, 304 (2019) 42-53.

Use of filtration and electricity analogy in simulation of underflooding protection in urban construction

Introduction. The fight against underflooding remains an urgent problem. The application of the analogy between water filtration and electric current has the goal of protecting the environment, built-up areas and, in particular, highways in cities from underflooding. Writing Ohm’s law similarly to Darcy’s filtration law, we achieve a better match to their analogy. This, in turn, makes it possible to develop new technologies for protection against underflooding in urban construction, for example, electroosmotic dewatering and its modeling. Such technologies make it possible to drain clayey soils.Methods and materials. Darcy’s law, Ohm’s law and the law of electroosmotic filtration are considered together. A methodology for modelling construction dewatering is given, taking into account the combined effect of the two physical laws of water filtration and electroosmosis, optimally combining the high-altitude geometric arrangement of drainage bases and contact electrodes. The options for draining clay soil under the action of an electric field are presented. With the combined use of gravitational forces and electric direct current forces in the drained soil, the total filtration rate is the sum of the Darcy’s law component and another component of the water velocity – electroosmotic filtration. An additional feature of joint modelling in a porous medium of water filtration and electroosmosis is that the mass of the water-resistant part of the soil and its part related to the dielectric may not coincide. This complexity of the model is overcome by dividing it into modules, which can then be combined in compliance with the balance principle, stitching modules along the boundaries. To continue the scientific discussion, a short but informative overview of international publications on the topic under consideration is given.Discussion. The methodology for complex calculation and modelling of the joint processes of water filtration in soils, the flow of electric current and electroosmotic filtration can find useful application in the development of effective protection against underflooding in urban construction. a sequence of algorithmic modelling steps is recommended. initially, it is recommended to run rough spreadsheet simulations on personal computers and mobile phones. next, a different modelling approach should be applied. based on the initial rough models of the previous step, it is necessary to write the algorithms in the programming language. the compiled model of the investigated filtration and electroosmosis processes will significantly increase the reliability of the design of protection against underflooding.conclusion. a comparison is made of the joint use of construction dewatering means of different physical essence, with simultaneous processes of gravitational filtration of underground water and passing a direct electric current through the drained soil, which causes an additional effect of electroosmosis. it is proposed to apply in a new way the analogy of water filtration and electric current in order to achieve more effective results of engineering activities by modeling protection against underflooding of building areas, ensuring the safety of urban construction when the level of groundwater rises.

Siderite/PMS conditioning-pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering process for activated sludge volume reduction: Evolution of protein secondary structure and typical amino acid in EPS

In this study, the siderite/PMS conditioning-pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering (PEOD) process was used to reduce the volume of activated sludge (AS). The changes in water content, cell, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) distribution, protein secondary structures and typical amino acids in EPS fractions of AS along siderite/PMS conditioning-PEOD process were investigated. Results showed that the final water content (WC) of dewatered AS was 58.02% under the RSM optimized conditioning conditions of 0.05 g/g TSS siderite dosage, 0.23 g/g TSS PMS dosage, 600 kPa mechanical pressure and 20 V voltage. At conditioning and PEOD stages, the bound water content(BWC) of AS decreased by 25.23% and 91.76%, respectively. The HO• and SO4−· generated from siderite activating PMS could lead to the disruption of cells. The ratio of Ala-to Lys (Ala/Lys) showed strong negative correlations with BWC or WC in slime (RBWC2=−0.803, p<0.01; RWC2=−0.771, p<0.01) and TB-EPS (RBWC2=−0.693, p<0.01; RWC2=−0.705, p<0.01), and could be considered as an indicator of AS dewaterability. Compared with raw AS, conditioning led to the occurrence of the denser protein structure in TB-EPS and the looser one in slime. The contact number between Ala-and water decreased in TB-EPS and increased in slime, which indicated that the migration of water adhered in TB-EPS to outer layer. At the DG, MC and EC process, while the looser protein structure in TB-EPS and the denser one in slime occurred, as well as higher contact number between Ala-and water in TB-EPS than that in slime, which indicated that more water flowed outsider of slime than TB-EPS. This implied that the variations of the compactness of protein secondary structures and the contact number between Ala-and water in EPS layers correlated with AS dewaterability.

Effect of the pore fluid salinities on the behaviour of an electrokinetic treated soft clayey soil

Dredging activities of harbours and rivers are becoming very important in many countries all over the world and, as a consequence, the disposal of dredged sediments is a critical concern from an environmental point of view. In order to facilitate the disposal or the reuse of large volume of dredged soils, usually under-consolidated and with a high water content, an electrokinetic treatment can be adopted with the goal to dewater and strengthen the sediments.This paper presents the results of some electrokinetic tests performed on reconstituted clayey specimens at different pore fluid salinities (0.2 < sc < 30 g/l) treated with electrokinetic (EK) technique. The results indicate that the presence of small quantities of salts in the pore fluid enhances the electro-osmotic consolidation. On the contrary, for high salt concentrations of the pore fluid the electro-osmotic dewatering is significantly reduced. The mechanical behaviour of treated specimens has been investigated at the micro (SEM) and macro scale (triaxial and oedometer tests). The experimental results highlighted the relevant and expected contribution of the pore fluid characteristic on the effectiveness of the treatment as ground improvement technique.

Optimizing and understanding the pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering of activated sludge

Pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering (PVEOD) is an emerging mechanical technology for deep dewatering of wastewater sludge. In this study, the influence of main operation variables including sludge dosage, voltage, mechanical pressure on electro-osmotic dewatering was investigated. Response surface method (RSM) was applied to evaluate and optimize the interactive effects of the three major operating variables. The results indicated the optimum conditions to be 2.70MPa of mechanical pressure, 18.33V of voltage and 0.0169kWh/kg water of energy consumption. Layered distribution study was conducted between anode side and cathode side to investigate the vertical changes of moisture content, zeta potential, three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (3D-EEM) spectra of extracellular polymeric substances, the concentration of proteins and polysaccharides. The morphology changes of sludge observed by microscope images unveiled the possible mechanisms of enhancing the sludge dewaterability in the PVEOD process. The electrochemical at electrodes and electro-osmosis are important for interpreting the dryer sludge at anode layer.

Extracellular organic matter (EOM) distribution characteristic in algae electro-dewatering process

The work evaluated the influence of different operating conditions (voltage, ionic strength and mechanical pressure) on algae electro-osmotic dewatering effect and extracellular organic matter (EOM) regionalization. It was found that the algae electro-dewatering effect became better as the voltage and ionic strength increased, but electro-dewatering effect was decreased when ionic strength was more than 0.006gNaCl/gTSS, this indicated that too high ionic strength will reduce algae electro-dewatering effect. In addition, electro-osmosis effect first increases and then weakens when the pressure was increased. The content of dissolved organic materials (DOM) in the filtrate of both electrodes was increased when the voltage and ionic strength enhanced, the DOM content of filtrate at cathode and anode were increased from 42.9 mg/L, 36.7 mg/L to 68.2 mg/L, 85.3 mg/L when ionic strength raised from 0gNaCl/gTSS to 0.01gNaCl/gTSS, this indicated that a large amount of EOM dissolution as the voltage and ionic strength increased. The DOM content of both electrodes did not change significantly when mechanical pressure changed, anodic oxidation can oxidize and decompose macromolecular weight substances into mid-molecular weight and low molecular weight substances.

Mathematical Model and Optimization of Continuous Electro-Osmotic Dewatering

A dilute 2-3 wt.% suspension of phosphatic clay is produced as a waste stream in the beneficiation of phosphate ore. A typical Florida phosphate mining operation produces more than 6,300 L/s of phosphatic clay. The clay-water suspension is pumped into large impoundments called clay settling areas in which separation is achieved by hindered settling and self-consolidation. As it settles, the supernatant water is recycled for use in the beneficiation plant. A top crust is formed after a few years, but the clay beneath the crust has a large water content and a pseudo-plastic character that limits the amount of weight the settling area can support. Uses for the land are limited by the properties of the clay that leave the settling areas unstable, even after 50 years of elapsed time.1 The objective of the present work was to develop a mathematical model based on soil mechanics, electrokinetic phenomena, and transport phenomena that describes a fully continuous electrokinetic dewatering apparatus for processing a dilute phosphatic clay to a dewatered plastic cake. The physical system studied is based on a prototype developed by Dizon and Orazem.2 A constrained optimization strategy was developed that yielded the process parameters of a cost-optimized continuous electrokinetic dewatering process and was used to simulate an industrial-scale operation.3 The model developed in this work adequately represented experimental data collected for the operation of the lab-scale continuous electrokinetic dewatering prototype. The optimization strategy consisted of a constrained maximum electric field and final solids content of 35 wt% for a continuous electrokinetic dewatering process starting with a feed clay with a solids content of 10 w%. Optimal operating parameters were identified for an industrial-scale continuous electrokinetic dewatering process capable of processing the effluent production rate of the Mosaic Co. Four Corners Mine. The simulation results suggest that lower total costs may be achieved with small electrode gaps. The cost-optimized process parameters were a feed-side gap of 8.5 cm, a residence time of 1.3 hours, and a dry-clay production rate of 7.58 kg/h m2. An estimated total electrode area of 0.17 km2 was required. The total cost of an optimized industrial-scale continuous electrokinetic dewatering process was estimated to be $9.12 per metric ton of dry clay. References Kong, A. Dizon, S. Moghaddam, and M. E. Orazem, “Development of Fully-Continuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” in Electrochemical Engineering: From Discovery to Product, Volume XVIII of Advances in Electrochemical Science and Engineering, R. Alkire, P. N. Bartlett, and M. Koper, editors, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2018, 159-192.Dizon and M. E. Orazem, “Efficient Continuous Electrokinetic Dewatering of Phosphatic Clay Suspensions,” Electrochimica Acta, 298 (2018), 134-141.Dizon and M. E. Orazem, “Mathematical Model and Optimization of Continuous Electro-Osmotic Dewatering,” Electrochimica Acta, 304 (2019) 42-53.

Biodegradation of volatile solids and water mass balance of bio-drying sewage sludge after electro-dewatering pretreatment

Using pressurized electro-osmotic dewatering (PEOD) as the pretreatment process for sewage sludge (SS) bio-drying can improve the dewatering performance, but the kinetics of volatile solids biodegradation and the water mass balance are still unknown. These processes were first investigated in this study. Experiments were conducted with three different initial materials, which were composed of SS, bio-dried product and SS dewatered by PEOD (EDSS) as different mass ratios. Six kinetic models and a nonlinear regression method were used to estimate the kinetic parameters, and the models were analyzed using four statistical indicators. Satisfactory fitting of the proposed kinetic model to the experimental data was achieved. Through the water mass balance, the results showed that EDSS had the best dewatering performance for bio-drying. EDSS provided the most appropriate conditions for the bio-drying process; the highest correlation coefficient was 0.9291 and the total water removal rate was 51.13% in the bio-drying of all EDSS.