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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
15:19
Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor
Published on: October 15, 2015
Lignite aided dewatering of digested sewage sludge.
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Building 35, Clayton Campus, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia.
Water Research
|December 9, 2008
Summary
Lignite conditioning significantly improves mechanical dewatering of municipal sludge. This method enhances filtration rates and solids content by maintaining cake permeability, making sludge disposal more cost-effective.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Material Science
Background:
- Mechanical dewatering is crucial for municipal sludge disposal.
- Slow filtration rates increase the cost of mechanical dewatering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of lignite conditioning for improving sludge dewatering.
- To analyze the impact of lignite on sludge cake properties and dewatering efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Mechanical compression tests on polyelectrolyte-flocculated sludge with and without lignite conditioning.
- Application of Darcy's filtration theory to determine specific cake resistance and permeability.
- Mercury porosimetry and yield stress tests to characterize sludge cake structure and compressibility.
Main Results:
- Lignite conditioning, combined with polyelectrolyte flocculation, yields superior dewatering compared to polyelectrolyte flocculation alone.
- Specific cake resistance and permeability are significantly improved by lignite conditioning.
- Lignite conditioning increases sludge cake porosity and maintains cake permeability during compression, enhancing dewatering rates up to fivefold.
Conclusions:
- Lignite conditioning effectively enhances mechanical sludge dewatering by improving cake structure and compressibility.
- This approach offers a cost-effective solution for increasing solids content in municipal sludge.
- Optimizing lignite dosage balances dewatering rate and final solids content.
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