Sludge Conditioning Research Articles

Oily cold rolling mill sludge conditioned by quicklime to improve dewatering performance: optimization and mechanism study.

Dewatering is critical to oily cold rolling mill (CRM) sludge treatment. Therefore, finding an efficient, energy-saving, and applicable dewatering technology for oily CRM sludge is still urgent. This study investigated the performance of quicklime as a conditioning agent for oily CRM sludge conditioning and dewatering. The interactive effects of quicklime dosage, temperature, and time on filter cake's specific resistance to filtration (SRF) and the dewatering rate of oily CRM sludge were studied by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal parameters for conditioning oily CRM sludge were quicklime dosage of 18.7%, temperature of 54 °C, and time of 43.3 min, which resulted in filter cake SRF of 0.50 × 1010 m/kg and dewatering rate of 61.2%. The viscosity of oily CRM sludge could be reduced by 90% after conditioned with quicklime, which caused by the neutralization or hydrolysis of high viscosity organic matter in the oil phase with quicklime to produce low viscosity organic matter. The study indicated the excellent performance of quicklime as a conditioning agent for oily CRM sludge treatment and provided an effective route for the recycling of the oily CRM sludge for steel production.

Microbial iron reduction activating sodium percarbonate for improving the dewaterability of iron-rich sludge

Sludge conditioning is a critical process to improve sludge dewaterability. This research developed a novel iron-rich sludge conditioning method by microbial iron reduction activating sodium percarbonate (MIR/SPC) treatment. The sludge conditioning parameters were optimized. The results showed that the MIR/SPC treatment could significantly improve the sludge dewaterability. The optimal conditions for sludge conditioning are as follows: 5-day anaerobic MIR treatment, pH 3 and 1 g/L of SPC. Under the optimal condition, the CST value of the conditioned sludge was reduced by over two-thirds, and the moisture content of dewatered sludge was decreased to 51.5% in full-scale application. The critical mechanism of MIR-promoted advanced oxidation process (AOP) in sludge conditioning was explored. The facilitation of iron reduction by MIR under microbial-driven reductive condition promoted the generation of hydroxyl radicals. The improved AOP generate more ROSs to attack floc structure of sludge, modify the EPS properties and cell status, strengthen the hydrophobicity and flocculability of sludge, and propel the release of bound water for enhanced dewaterability.

The novel application of polyoxometalates in sludge dewatering: Cells lysis and re-flocculation

Polyoxometalates (POMs) coupled with FeCl3 was tested as an efficient and eco-friendly sludge dewatering conditioning in this study. The results indicated that the water content of the sludge cake and capillary suction time were reduced from 86.61 % and 51.15 s to 67.68 % and 16.7 s under the optimum POMs and FeCl3 dosages of 1.20 mM/g volatile suspended solids (VSS) and 300 mg/g VSS, respectively. The underlying mechanism of the enhanced sludge dewaterability was elucidated based on the variation of physicochemical properties and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) fractions of the conditioned sludge. The strong acidity of POMs and its interaction with proteins contributed to tightly bound EPS leaching and cell lysis during POMs/FeCl3 conditioning, which disrupted the sludge flocs structure. POMs denatured the released proteins and exposed the internal hydrophobic groups, enhancing the hydrophobicity of the sludge samples. Likewise, the engagement of POMs with sludge cells promoted the lysis of sludge cells by triggering the inactivation of specific functional enzymes, releasing capillary water, surface bound water, and a portion of the intracellular water. Fe3+ re-flocculated the free EPS with the crushed sludge particles through electrical neutralization to form a rigid porous structure. The cells crushing and re-flocculation effects synergistically enhanced the release efficiency of internal bound water, thus achieving sludge deep dewatering. Moreover, POMs/FeCl3 conditioning decreased the absolute abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and intI1 by disrupting the bacterial hosts, resulting in the removal and oxidation of ARGs and intI1 from the solid phase.

Improving sewage sludge dewaterability via heterogeneous activation of persulfate by Fe–Al layered double hydroxide: Role of generated SO4−•

In this study, Fe–Al layered double hydroxide (Fe–Al LDH) was prepared and applied to activate persulfate to condition sewage sludge and improve its dewaterability. The results showed that Fe–Al LDH activated persulfate to generate a large amount of free radicals, which attacked extracellular polymeric substances and reduced their content, disrupted microbial cells, released bound water, decreased sludge particle size, increased sludge zeta potential, and improved sludge dewaterability. After sewage sludge was conditioned with Fe–Al LDH (0.20 g/g total solids (TS)) and persulfate (0.10 g/g TS) for 30 min, the capillary suction time of the sludge dropped from 52.0 s to 16.3 s, while the moisture content of the sludge cake decreased from 93.2% to 68.5%. The dominant active free radical produced by the Fe–Al LDH-activated persulfate was SO4−•. The maximum Fe3+ leaching of the conditioned sludge was only 102.67 ± 4.45 mg/L, thus effectively alleviating the secondary pollution of Fe3+. The leaching rate of 2.37% was significantly lower than that of the sludge homogeneously activated with Fe2+ (738.4 ± 26.07 mg/L and 71.00%).

Conditioning fecal sludge of public toilets with coupled zero-valent iron and persulfate: Efficiency and mechanism

This study investigated the efficiency of fecal sludge conditioning using peroxydisulfate (PDS) activated by zero-valent iron (ZVI). For fecal sludge obtained from public toilets in a densely-populated rural area in China, the ZVI/PDS coupling greatly improved its dewaterability as well as the supernatant quality in terms of organic matter and nutrient contents. The capillary suction time (CST) and supernatant turbidity of fecal sludge can be reduced up to 97% and 73% respectively in 10 min by the combination of 0.15 g/g TS ZVI and 0.2 g/g TS PDS. Protein removal, especially for tightly and loosely bound extracellular-polymeric-substance (EPS), is more linearly correlated to CST reduction than polysaccharide removal. Fecal sludge dewatering was improved by the hybrid functions of radical oxidation and iron coagulation. The ZVI/PDS treatment produced larger and looser flocs, probably because 1) surface ionic and hydrophilic groups of fecal sludge were reduced, 2) surface charge was neutralized, and 3) secondary structures of EPS proteins were altered by the radicals. The excellent fecal sludge dewatering was related to strengthened particle hydrophobicity and reduced sludge viscosity and compressibility. The results highlight that the ZVI/PDS combination is potentially an effective conditioning approach for fecal sludge from public toilets.

Preparation, Properties, and Application of Biochar for Improving Sewage Sludge Dewatering Performance: A Review

Biochar is a widely available carbon-based material that has been used for soil remediation and sewage treatment. However, in recent years, biochar has received more attention as a conditioning agent to improve the dewatering performance of sewage sludge. The sludge from the secondary sedimentation tank of wastewater treatment plants has high microbial activity and poor dewatering performance, which poses a challenge to sludge dehydration. Biochar and modified biochar can be injected into sludge as a skeleton to effectively reduce sludge compressibility, increase permeability, and release bound water, thus improving the dewatering performance of sludge. In this review, the preparation and characteristics of biochar are described, the current methods of sludge dewatering and the properties of sludge are introduced, and the research on the application of biochar in sludge conditioning is summarized. In addition, the existing problems and future development directions of biochar in sludge conditioning are discussed.

Advanced oxidation-based combined conditioning technologies to improve sludge dewaterability: A mini review

With the acceleration of urbanization, sludge production is increasing significantly. The high moisture content of sludge brings great challenges to subsequent incineration or landfill disposal. The advanced oxidation process (AOP) destroys extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by generating oxidative hydroxyl radicals or sulfate radicals, thereby improving the sludge dewaterability. Due to the promising treatment efficiency of this process, it has become the research focus of chemical conditioning. However, the relatively high cost of pharmaceuticals and subsequent environmental risks limit the widespread application of advanced oxidation methods. Moreover, in order to compensate for the limitations of single sludge conditioning technology, the sludge conditioning technology is currently being developed in the direction of a combined process. Based on AOP, this paper reviews the improvement of sludge dewaterability by other sludge conditioning methods and their combinations in recent years, analyzes the shortcomings of the current technology, and looks into the future development of this technology.

Moringa oleifera Seed Addition Prior to Sludge Thickening for Supernatant Quality Improvement: Analyses of Clarification Performance and Toxicity

Low-cost and easily accessible sludge treatment technologies are necessary in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to evaluate the use of Moringa oleifera seed powder (MO) as a natural sludge conditioner for supernatant quality improvement prior to thickening as a result of gravity settling. The zone settling rate (ZSR) and sludge volume index (SVI) were used to evaluate the gravity settling capacity. Supernatant clarification was evaluated in terms of the capacity to remove turbidity, apparent colour, Escherichia coli, and organic matter associated with zeta potential evolution. The effects on the values of pH and electrical conductivity were also evaluated. Finally, the effects on the toxicity (chronic and acute) of the supernatant effluent were examined. A significant supernatant quality improvement was observed with the addition of MO. The ZSR (0.16 cm/min) and SVI (53 mL/g) results showed that the sludge had good sedimentability, and the addition of MO maintained these characteristics in a statistical manner. Increasing the MO dosage increased the zeta potential of the supernatant, resulting in an optimal dosage of 1.2 g/L, with a removal of 90% turbidity, 70% apparent colour, 99% E. coli, and 40% organic matter. The pH and electrical conductivity values did not change with increasing MO dosage, which is a competitive advantage of MO addition compared to iron and aluminium salt addition. A reduction in the ability to remove organic matter was observed at higher dosages of the natural coagulant due to the presence of residual MO in the final effluent. The optimal MO dosage of 1.2 g/L did not affect the acute or chronic toxicity of the supernatant. These results emphasized that M. oleifera seed powder can improve the supernatant quality and can potentially be a low-cost and easily accessible conditioner for wastewater sludge thickening.

CO2 capture using biochar derived from conditioned sludge via pyrolysis

To reduce pollution and simultaneously mitigate carbon emission. Biochar samples were prepared via the pyrolysis of sludge after conditioning with K2FeO4 and cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) or chitosan (CTS), and their CO2 capture performance was compared. The optimal preparation conditions were 600 °C and 80 mg/g dry solid (DS) for K2FeO4, 20 mg/L for CPAM, and 1 mg/g DS for CTS. The results showed that the CO2 capture capacity of the biochar with K2FeO4 (K2FeO4-B) increased from 75.69 mg/g to 81.68 mg/g compared to RSB, the CO2 capture capacity of the biochar with PF + CPAM (K2FeO4-CPAM-B) was 94.81 mg/g, and the CO2 capture capacity of the biochar with PF + CTS (K2FeO4-CTS-B) was 86.56 mg/g. The CO2 capture capacity of the biochar (K2FeO4-CTS-B) was 86.56 mg/g. The main reason for this improved capacity is that the addition of K2FeO4 and CPAM enhanced chemical properties of the biochar surface (carbon content, N–H content, etc.). Additionally, the biochar conditioned with K2FeO4 and CPAM demonstrated better cyclic adsorption performance and economic efficiency than the other samples. It has the prospect of engineering application. This study provides a reference for the selection of conditioning agents for wastewater treatment plants and a new solution for sludge disposal.

Effect of Potassium Ferrate as a Dewatering Conditioner on Sludge Pyrolysis Characteristics and the Releasing Characteristics of Nitrogen, Sulfur, and Chlorine during Sewage Sludge Pyrolysis

Sludge pyrolysis is a promising method for treating excess sludge as a by-product of municipal sewage plants, allowing for energy self-sufficiency and resource recovery. Before sludge pyrolysis begins, a few conditioning agents are added to the sludge that promote sludge dewatering. Potassium ferrate (K2FeO4) is applied as a conditioning agent with both cracking and flocculation effects, but the effects of K2FeO4 on the release characteristics of nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine during sludge pyrolysis have not been elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the sludge pyrolysis characteristics and chemical state changes of N, S, and Cl contaminants in the dewatered sludge after K2FeO4 conditioning before and after pyrolysis. Further, the release characteristics of condensable/noncondensable gases during pyrolysis were assessed using thermogravimetric mass spectrometry (TG-MS) and pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) analyses before and after conditioning. We found that potassium pertechnetate reduced the activation energy required for the sludge in the pyrolysis process. Noticeably this process made the sludge more susceptible to thermal decomposition leading to volatile production and also influenced the release of different contaminants generated by the pyrolysis process. Moreover, K2FeO4 promoted the release of C/H/O gases and reduced the release of N/S/Cl pollutant gases from the sludge. Overall, this study provides a theoretical basis for the selection of conditioning agents for the sludge conditioning and dewatering steps during the sludge pyrolysis process.

Optimization of biological enzymes combined with Fe2+-activated advanced oxidation process for waste activated sludge conditioning using the response surface method

Waste activated sludge (WAS) conditioning is crucial for enhancing sludge dewaterability and effectively reducing the management cost. The feasibility of bio-enzymes with Fe2+-activated advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for WAS conditioning was investigated in this study. Two representative bio-enzymes, α-amylase and neutral protease, and two typical AOPs, the Fenton system and Fe2+/Ca(ClO)2 system, were chosen. The medical dosages of AOPs were first optimized by single-factor experiments. On this basis, the dosages of bio-enzyme, ferrous ion, and oxidant were optimized using the response surface method (RSM). Results showed that neutral protease combined with the Fe2+/Ca(ClO)2 system performed better in CST and SRF reduction rates while reducing the medical dosages of AOPs. Under the optimal conditions of neutral protease dosage of 20.9 mg/g TSS, Fe2+ dosage of 0.64 mmol/g TSS, and Ca(ClO)2 dosage of 0.54 mmol/g TSS, the reduction in sludge CST and SRF reached 84.81 % and 94.06 %, respectively. The neutral protease with the Fe2+/Ca(ClO)2 system was a potential method for improving sludge dewatering performance.

Parametric and kinetic studies of activated sludge dewatering by cationic chitosan-like bioflocculant BF01314 produced from Citrobacter youngae

Bacterial strains belonging to Citrobacter spp. were reported to produce polysaccharides consisting of N-acetylglucosamine and glucosamine like chitosan, with high flocculation activity. In this work, the flocculation dewatering performance of activated sludge conditioned by a novel cationic chitosan-like bioflocculant (BF) named BF01314, produced from Citrobacter youngae GTC 01314, was evaluated under the influences of flocculant dosage, pH, and temperature. At BF dosage as low as 0.5 kg/t DS, the sludge dewaterability was significantly enhanced in comparison to the raw (untreated) sludge, featuring well-flocculated characteristic (reduction in CST from 22.0 s to 9.4 s) and good sludge filterability with reduced resistance (reduction in SRF by one order from 7.42 × 1011 to 9.59 × 1010 m/kg) and increased compactness of sludge (increase in CSC from 15.2 to 23.2%). Besides, the BF demonstrated comparable high sludge dewatering performance within the pH range between 2 and 8, and temperature range between 25 °C and 80 °C. Comparison between the BF, the pristine chitosan and the commercial cationic copolymer MF 7861 demonstrated equivalent performance with enhanced dewaterability at the dosage between 2.0 and 3.0 kg/t DS. Besides, the BF demonstrated strong flocculation activity (>99%) when added to the sludge suspension using moderate to high flocculation speeds (100–200 rpm) with at least 3-min mixing time. The BF's reaction in sludge flocculation was best fitted with a pseudo first-order kinetic model. Electrostatic charge patching and polymer bridging mechanisms are believed to be the dominant mechanistic phenomena during the BF's sludge conditioning process (coagulation-flocculation).

A sustainable strategy for recovery of phosphorus as vivianite from sewage sludge via alkali-activated pyrolysis, water leaching and crystallization

A sustainable strategy for P recovery from sewage sludge via alkali-activated pyrolysis, water leaching and crystallization was proposed, and a high value-added product of vivianite was recovered. Effects of the type and dose of alkali activator on P transformation during sludge pyrolysis were investigated. 50 wt% dose of KHCO3 was determined as the alkali-activated pyrolysis condition. The content of water-soluble P (referred to as Water-P) in biochar derived from raw sludge (referred to as RS) and ferric sludge (Fenton's reagent conditioned sludge, referred to as FS) by KHCO3-activated pyrolysis at different temperatures was compared. The Fe element in the Fenton's reagent enhanced the content of Fe-bound P in the dewatered sludge, which was readily transformed into potassium phosphate during KHCO3-activated pyrolysis, thus increasing the Water-P content in the biochar derived from FS. The proportions of Water-P to total P in the biochar samples obtained by KHCO3-activated pyrolysis of RS and FS at 600 °C were 72.5% and 96.2%, respectively, which were notably higher than those in the biochar samples obtained by direct pyrolysis of RS and FS (3.5% and 0.5%), respectively. The water leaching solution of biochar obtained by KHCO3-activated pyrolysis of FS at 600 °C was purified to remove impurity elements, and vivianite with high purity was finally recovered by crystallization. A total P recovery efficiency of 88.08% was achieved throughout the process from sewage sludge to the final vivianite product. This study proposes a promising and sustainable approach for realizing the recovery of high value-added product vivianite from sewage sludge.

Metal Cation and Surfactant-Assisted Flocculation for Enhanced Dewatering of Anaerobically Digested Sludge

Flocculation and dewatering of anaerobically digested sludge is known to be a major cost factor in the economy of wastewater treatment plants. Hence, several endeavors have been underway in search of affordable and effective alternatives. This study focuses on the effects of different metal cations, including FeCl3, CaCl2 and MgSO4, on the dewaterability of digested sludge. The effects of these metal flocculants were also investigated in the presence of co-polymers and surfactants, which can be considered the novelty of this study. The polymers and surfactants investigated in this study were emulsion polymer, CTAB and SDS. Sampling and characterization of digested sludge was conducted, and total solid (TS), volatile solid (VS), dewaterability in capillary suction time (CST), total dissolved solids (TDS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH and conductivity of the unconditioned digested sludge samples were determined. The dewaterability of FeCl3, CaCl2 and MgSO4 conditioned digested sludge samples were compared, and MgSO4 conditioned digested sludge showed better dewaterability compared to the other two metal conditioning agents at a pH of 6.8. The dewaterability was further improved by the addition of emulsion polymer (EMA 8854), cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Fe Cl3 was found to perform better under an acidic pH of around 3. The dual conditioning using polymer and CTAB resulted in better dewaterability, with CaCl2 as metal conditioning agent. Moreover, the effects of pH, metal dose and polymer dose on the dewaterability of digested sludge were also investigated. The effects of metal and polymer conditioning on the particle size of the sludge flocs was also investigated. Optimum dewatering performance was achieved for metal doses of 0.16 v/v, 0.075 v/v and 0.16 v/v for FeCl3, CaCl2 and MgSO4, respectively, and a corresponding CTAB dose of 0.1 v/v and EMA dose of 15 kg/TDS were found to be the optimum. SDS as a polymer conditioning agent resulted in the deterioration of dewatering performance.

Impacts of floc breakage on dewaterability of chemically conditioned sludges and implications on practical conditioning strategies

While chemical conditioning is the most commonly used conditioning process for sludge dewatering, the dewaterability of chemically conditioned sludge is found to be significantly affected by shear force. However, relevant studies are still lacked, which obstructed an in-depth understanding on sludge conditioning. In this study, we systematically investigated the impacts of floc breakage induced by shearing on the sludges conditioned with polyacrylamides (PAMs)/inorganic salts. Although PAM-conditioned sludges had better structural strength and dewaterability than the ones conditioned with inorganic salts, they exhibited a drastically deteriorated dewaterability upon floc breakage after shearing. Further analysis revealed that the PAM-conditioned flocs were mainly wrapped by polymer chains and thus floc breakage would lead to a substantial release of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and exposure of massive non-neutralized negative charge. In comparison, the coagulation by inorganic salts was mainly completed by charge neutralization and compression of EPS, which resulted in a conditioned sludge with a much less deteriorated dewaterability after shearing. Accordingly, PAMs are suggested as the chemical agents if screw pump is used for the sludge conditioning, while extra shearing should be minimized in the conditioning process. Inorganic salts are more applicable for the conditioning layout with a flexibly located equalization tank due to their relatively low coagulation kinetics but well-maintained sludge dewaterability. This study fills some critical knowledge gaps in the fundamental understandings on chemical conditioning process and offers a guideline for the selection of practical conditioning strategy.

Characteristics of Solidified Carbon Dioxide and Perspectives for Its Sustainable Application in Sewage Sludge Management.

Appropriate management is necessary to mitigate the environmental impacts of wastewater sludge. One lesser-known technology concerns the use of solidified CO2 for dewatering, sanitization, and digestion improvement. Solidified CO2 is a normal byproduct of natural gas treatment processes and can also be produced by dedicated biogas upgrading technologies. The way solidified CO2 is sourced is fully in line with the principles of the circular economy and carbon dioxide mitigation. The aim of this review is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the production and application of solid CO2 in the pretreatment and management of sewage sludge. Using solidified CO2 for sludge conditioning causes effective lysis of microbial cells, which destroys activated sludge flocs, promotes biomass fragmentation, facilitates efficient dispersion of molecular associations, modifies cell morphology, and denatures macromolecules. Solidified CO2 can be used as an attractive tool to sanitize and dewater sludge and as a pretreatment technology to improve methane digestion and fermentative hydrogen production. Furthermore, it can also be incorporated into a closed CO2 cycle of biogas production-biogas upgrading-solidified CO2 production-sludge disintegration-digestion-biogas production. This feature not only bolsters the technology's capacity to improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of digestion processes, but can also help reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions, a crucial advantage in terms of environment protection. This new approach to solidified CO2 generation and application largely counteracts previous limitations, which are mainly related to the low cost-effectiveness of the production process.

Behavior of Sludge Dewaterability and Nutrient Contents after Treatment with Cellulose-Based Flocculants with Combined PTS and Catalytic Behavior of Sludge towards Tetracycline Degradation

Wastewater treatment plants are increasingly interested in adopting inorganic coagulants and organic flocculants in their sludge treatment process since sludge disposal costs more than half of the overall operational costs. This study synthesized poly titanium sulfate (PTS) by different molar ratios and used the best one with cellulose-based flocculants for sludge conditioning. PTS synthesized with a 1:2 molar ratio showed the lowest capillary suction time (CST) of sludge and was selected for further studies with cellulose-based flocculants. As bio-based flocculants have gained popularity due to current environmental problems, cationized cellulose-based flocculants (Ce-CTA) were used in this work with or without PTS for sludge treatment. After coagulation–flocculation, dewaterability of sludge enhanced, and the Lowry and Anthrone method was used to assess proteins and polysaccharides. Next, metal content and nutrients such as total phosphorus, phosphate, and nitrate were measured by ICP-OES and IC, and we found promising results of phosphate especially at pH 3. Higher total phosphorus content was found at pH 3 and 9, and even at pH 6 after PTS or PTS+Ce-CTA treatment. In addition, PTS-treated sludge materials also showed catalytic behavior, suggesting a new research avenue for future development. Based on this study, the PTS+Ce-CTA combination is promising for sludge treatment and nutrient recovery, along with the possibility for the further valorization of the sludge materials.

Enhancing sludge dewatering efficiency through bioleaching facilitated by increasing reactive oxygen species

Bioleaching facilitated by iron-oxidizing bacteria is regarded as a promising sludge dewatering method due to excellent dewaterability and low cost. However, a two-days bioleaching time for sludge conditioning decreased its daily treatment capacity. In fact, Fe2+ easily reacts with O2 to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) with high oxidizing activity. Can bioleaching performed in Fe2+-rich system generate ROS to decompose sludge extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)? Here both contribution of ROS produced in bioleaching to improve sludge dewaterability and the increase of ROS content to shorten sludge bioleaching treatment time were investigated. The introduction of H2O2 in sludge bioleaching treatment (BS+H2O2) to increase ROS could simultaneously improve sludge dewaterability and decrease bioleaching time. Specific resistance to filtration (SRF) and capillary suction time (CST) reduction ratios (90.3% and 80.9%) in BS+H2O2 process were much higher than those in other processes after only 30 min reaction. Mechanisms of improving sludge dewaterability in BS+H2O2 mainly included ROS oxidation and Fe3+ flocculation by analysis of the contribution factors. These findings not only provide an effectively method to promote sludge dewatering efficiency of bioleaching, but also give new sights into the design of cost-efficient processes for improving the sludge dewatering.

Advances in Chemical Conditioning of Residual Activated Sludge in China

Municipal sludge is characterized by high organic matter content, high viscosity, and fine particles, resulting in poor dewatering performance. This article analyzes the composition and properties of municipal sludge, examines the factors affecting the dewatering performance of sludge and the mechanisms corresponding to each influencing factor, and introduces chemical conditioning in detail. Chemical conditioning includes flocculation conditioning, oxidation conditioning, acid-base conditioning, and aggregate conditioning. The principles and applications of existing sludge conditioning technologies are systematically analyzed. By comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies, it is pointed out that the key to developing sludge conditioning technology lies in developing a more appropriate combination of the sludge conditioning and dewatering process according to the sludge quality of different municipal wastewater treatment plants, taking into account their local environment, input costs, subsequent sludge disposal methods, and other factors, and further optimizing the sludge dewatering process by developing new efficient and environmentally friendly sludge conditioning agents.

The enhanced dewaterability of sludge by a starch-based flocculant combined with attapulgite

Coagulation/flocculation is one of the most widely used and cost-effective pretreatment methods for improving the dewaterability of sludge. In this study, a cationic modified starch-based flocculant (St-CTA) in conjunction with a popular clay, attapulgite (ATP), was used for the conditioning of waste-activated sludge. The dewatering properties, including the filter cake moisture content, filtration specific resistance, capillary suction time, filtration rate and compressibility coefficient, were measured and compared by varying the doses of St-CTA and ATP. By combination of the apparent dewatering performance and the changes in the contents and distributions of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) fractions and components, sludge flocs, and microstructures of sludge cakes, the dewatering mechanisms were discussed in detail. St-CTA in conjunction with ATP can exhibit an enhanced dewaterability of sludge and the water content in final sludge cake can be stably reduced below 80% owing to the synergistic effects of St-CTA and ATP. In addition to the efficient charge neutralization of St-CTA, ATP not only acts as a skeleton builder in the sludge dewatering process which makes the sludge flocs more compact and improves the filterability and permeability, but also tightly interacts with the proteins in EPS of the sludge which reduces the protein content and further enhances the dewatering effect. This study provides an economical, green, and effective way to further improve the dewaterability of sludge.