9.

0
SLUDGE
TREATMENT
 LESSON OUTCOMES

Ability to explain sludge treatment processes:

1.Thickening
2.Stabilization
3.Conditioning
4.Dewatering
5.Reduction
SLUDGE TREATMENT
● Sludge treatment processes are concerned with
separating the large amounts of water from the
solid residues,
● The separated water is returned to the
wastewater plant for processing.
Sludge
Characteristics
● Grit – the sand, broken glass, nut, bolts and
other dense material that is collected in the
grit chamber.
● Primary or raw sludge – sludge from the
bottom of the primary clarifiers contains from
3-8% solids.
Sludge
Characteristics
●
Secondary sludge – consists of
microorganisms and inert materials that have
been wasted from the secondary treatment
processes.
●
Tertiary sludge – the characteristics of
sludges from the tertiary treatment
processes depend on the nature of the
process
Basic sludge handling alternatives
 1. Thickening
●
The goal is to remove as much water as
possible before final dewatering or digestion
of the sludge. It is a low-cost means of
reducing sludge volumes.

●
Accomplished in two ways:
-Floatation: solids are floated to the top of
the liquid or
-Gravity thickening: solids are allowed to
settle to the bottom
Air floatation thickener
In floatation, air is injected into the sludge
under pressure (275 – 550 kPa)
Under this pressure, a large amount of air can
be dissolved in the sludge.

Gravity thickening is a simple and inexpensive

process that has been used widely on primary
sludges. It is a sedimentation process similar to
that which occurs in all settling tanks.
 2. Stabilization
The purpose are:
●
to break down the organic solids bio-
chemically so that they are more stable
(less odorous and less putrescible)
●
to reduce the mass of sludge
Two basic stabilization processes in use:
a)Aerobic digestion – by injecting air into the
sludge
b)Anaerobic digestion – carried out in closed
tanks devoid of oxygen
 a) Aerobic Digestion
● When a culture of aerobic heterotrophs is
placed in an environment containing a source of
organic material, the microorganisms remove
and utilize most of this material.
● A fraction of the organic material removed will
be used for the synthesis of new biomass.
● the portion remaining will exist at such a low
energy state that it can be considered
biologically stable and suitable for disposal in
the environment.
 b) Anaerobic Digestion
● Anaerobic treatment of complex wastes
involves 3 distinct stages:
STAGES DESCRIPTIONS
1st stage complex waste components e.g. fats, proteins etc.

2nd stage known as acid fermentation. In this stage, organic

material is simply converted to organic acids,
alcohols and new bacteria cells.

3rd stage – the end products of the first stage are converted to
gases (e.g. methane and CO2) by several different
species of anaerobic bacteria. It is also known as
methane fermentation.
A standard rate anaerobic digester
 3. Conditioning
● The purpose is to improve dewatering
characteristics of the sludge

● Methods used:
– Chemical conditioning

– Heat treatment
 3. Conditioning
a) Chemical conditioning
– Coagulants are added such as ferric chloride,
lime or organic polymers.
– Chemical coagulants act to clump the solids
together so that they are more easily
separated from the water.
b) Heat treatment
- The sludge is heated at high temperatures
(175 – 230oC) and pressures (1,000 – 2, 000
kPa)
- Under this condition, water that is bound up in
the solids is released, improving the dewatering
characteristics of the sludge.
 4. Dewatering
There are three methods used:
a)Sludge drying beds
b)Vacuum filtration
c)Belt press
a) Drying bed
●
These beds are used in small plants because of their
simplicity of operation and maintenance
●
It can be built with or without provision for mechanical sludge
removal and roof.
b) Vacuum filtration
●
It consists of a cylindrical drum covered with a filtering
material or fabric, which rotates partially submerged in a vat
of conditioned sludge.
c) Continuous belt filter presser (CBFP)
●
In general, results with these units closely parallel those
achieved with rotary vacuum filters, with lower energy
requirement
 5. Reduction
● If sludge use as a soil
conditioner is not practical, or
if a site is not available for
landfill using dewatered
sludge, cities may turn to the
alternative of sludge
reduction.
● Incineration completely
evaporates the moisture in the
sludge and combusts the
organic solids to a sterile ash.
● To minimize the amount of fuel used, the sludge
must be dewatered as completely as possible
before incineration.
● The exhaust gas from an incinerator must be
treated carefully to avoid air pollution.
SLUDGE DISPOSAL
3 approaches;
a) Land spreading – for the purposes of recovering
nutrients, water or reclaiming despoiled land such as
strip mine spoils.
b) Landfilling – planned burial of wastewater solids,
including processed sludge, screening, grit and ash at
a designated site.
c) Utilization – such as wastewater solids may
sometimes be used beneficially in ways other than
as soil nutrients. Example: composting and co-
firing with municipal solid waste.