Electrical conductivity measurements in sewage sludge pellets: innovative techniques for environmental management

This paper presents research on the behaviour of electrical conductivity of sludge pellets resulting from the treatment of urban wastewater at the drying grounds of the El Trebal wastewater processing plant, located in the Mapocho river basin of the Metropolitana Region, Santiago, Chile. In the methodology used samples were taken that correspond to three horizons of the sewage sludge pile. The first horizon made up the upper portion of the pile (the surface), the second the central portion (mesophilous), and the third the lower one (thermophilous). Electrical conductivity measurements were taken in sewage sludge pellets under pressures on the order of 15-50 MPa with currents of 10(-15)A. Electrical conductivity measurements were also taken for different horizons, and innovative techniques and methodologies for sludge samples presented in the form of pellets are used for this purpose. Such pellets are easily reproduced with sufficient precision, and at the same time allow modifying other variables like mass, sample dimensions and compaction levels. The trends of the conductivity curves are similar for the sludge from the isolation surface horizon (H1) as well as for the mesophilous area horizon (H2). In the case of the thermophilous area horizon (H3), the electrical conductivity shows extremely high values when compared to horizons H1 and H2. This paper could be useful in establishing a general rule for taking electrical conductivity measurements in sewage sludge samples. Such a rule could bring accurate reproducible values, and be used for other types of dry wastes.