Enhanced Dewatering of Activated Sludge by Skeleton-Assisted Flocculation Process.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Sludge dewatering is crucial for reducing sludge volume and enabling resource utilization.
• Developing efficient and eco-friendly sludge conditioning methods is essential for effective sludge treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the sludge dewatering performance of fly ash (FA), polymerized aluminum chloride (PAC), and polymer sulfate (PFS) individually.
• To investigate the combined effects of these conditioners on sludge dehydration properties.

Main Methods:

• Sludge conditioning using FA, PAC, and PFS separately and in composite formulations.
• Analysis of sludge floc characteristics, filtrate organic matter content, and sludge cake properties (moisture content, specific resistance).

Main Results:

• Composite conditioning enhanced sludge dewatering compared to single conditioners, increasing floc size and decreasing filtrate organic matter.
• Fly ash coupled with PFS reduced sludge cake moisture to 76.39% and SRF to 6.63 × 10^10 m/kg.
• Fly ash coupled with PAC resulted in 76.10% moisture and 6.91 × 10^10 m/kg SRF, with minimal pH change.

Conclusions:

• Fly ash coupled with PAC and PFS show promise as novel, effective, and environmentally friendly conditioning methods for sludge dewatering.
• These combined treatments offer significant improvements in sludge dehydration efficiency and sludge cake quality.