Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants
Published on: June 3, 2022
Dewaterability characteristics of sludge conditioned with surfactants pretreatment by electrolysis
Haiping Yuan1, Nanwen Zhu, Fanyong Song
1School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
The potential benefits of electrolysis-conditioned sludge dewaterability treatments with surfactants were investigated in this study. Capillary suction time (CST) and specific resistance of filtration (SRF) were used to evaluate the sludge dewaterability. Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content, viscosity and zeta potential were determined in an attempt to explain the observed changes in the conditioning process. The results indicated that SDS (Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate) and Triton X-100 have negative effect on the dewaterability of sludge pretreated both with and without electrolysis. However, with a combination of CTAB (Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide) and electrolysis pretreatment presented clear advantages over surfactant conditioning alone for improving sludge dewaterability. The optimal dosage of CTAB to give maximal dewaterability was found to be 2000 mg/L, which generated sludge with optimal EPS concentration (150-300 mg/L), viscosity (55-62 mpa s) and zeta potential (-2.12 to -1.19 mV).
Related Concept Videos
Surface Active Agents
Factors Affecting Solubility
Biological Treatment of Effluent and Waste Water
Colloidal precipitates
Enthalpy of Solution
Solubility
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...

