Sludge Treatment and Disposal

SLUDGE
- An inevitable by – product of wastewater treatment
Sources:
a) Primary clarifiers (TSS removed by gravity) – primary sludge
b) Secondary clarifiers (Biomass or biological solids) – secondary sludge
Characteristics:
1) Primary sludge – contains both organic (BOD) and inorganic solids (sand, silt, etc). Contains about 5% solids (heavier
than secondary sludge)
2) Secondary sludge – consist of dead bacteria. For activated sludge, it is 1% solid, TF & RBC’s, it is 5% solids
Regulations:
- EPA has standards for sludge, depending on final use or disposal. Can be applied to agricultural use, compost, landfilling
& incineration.
Sludge Disposal Philippine Context:
- RA 6969 (Toxic, Hazardous, & Nuclear Wastes Control Act)
Reasons for Regulations:
a) Toxics tend to concentrate in sludge (HM, PCB’s, pesticides, dioxins, RA materials)
b) Restrictions on sludge use depending on concentration of toxics and pathogens
Potential Hazard of Sludge:
- HM, Refractory organics, PCB’s, Dioxins, Acidic wastes, Radioactive contaminants
Goals for Sludge treatment:
a) Stabilize primary & secondary sludges
b) To kill pathogens
c) To decrease water content (untreated = 0.5 to 8% solids, treated = 6 to 12% solids)

Sludge Processing:
1) Conditioning 2) Thickening 3) Stabilization 4) Disinfection 5) Sludge dewatering 6) Solids reduction
7) Beneficial use system 8) Biosolids disposal

1) CONDITIONING
• Improve dewatering and thickening efficiency
1.a) Chemical addition / Chemical treatment – to prevent destabilization
Addition of coagulants (chemical conditioning)
a) Alum – prevent destabilization, prevents/controls odor
b) FeCl3
c) FeSO4 + lime
d) Organic polyelectrolytes or polymers – usually cationic polymers
1.b) Elutriation – washing of sludge (removal of soluble compounds & fine solids)
1.c) Heat Treatment / Thermal Conditioning
- releases boundwater and reduces water affinity of the residual solids
- destroys biological cells, cellular component of biological sludge breaks down
- it produces sterile sludge
- temperature = 180 - 200°C, retention time = 20 – 30 min
- pressure = 1500 kPa

2) THICKENING
• To reduce water content, decrease volume and concentrate solids
• Thickening makes use of the force of gravity as the main agent in the settling and thickening process
2.a) Gravity thickeners/Picket fence thickener – similar to sedimentation basins but smaller in size and it is provided with
picket fence
2.b) Flotation thickeners – used to thicken light sludges
2.c) Centrifugation – settling/concentration by centrifugal force
 Sludge Treatment and Disposal

(a) Gravity/Picket fence thickener (b) Flotation thickener

3) STABILIZATION
• Reduce and stabilize organics, reduce threat to human health
• Eliminate odors and concentrate solids
• Kill pathogens/reduce m.o. levels (render sludge pathogen free)
• Stabilized solids are called biosolids
3. a) Digestion
• Sludge digestion is a biological process in which organic solids are decomposed into stable substances. Digestion
reduces the total mass of solids, destroys pathogens, and makes it easier to dewater or dry the sludge.
 Aerobic digestion – generally restricted to biological solids in the absence of primary sludge. It is achieved by
extended aeration, maintaining the m.o. in the endogenous respiration, a process wherein the m.o. are forced
to metabolize their own protoplasm.
 Anaerobic digestion – most common process in dealing with wastewater sludge containing primary sludge.
Anaerobic sludge digestion divides the organisms into broad groups namely the acid and methane formers.
a) Acid formers – consist of facultative and anaerobic bacteria. They ferment soluble organic solids to
acids and alcohols of low molecular weights.
b) Methane formers – consist of strict anaerobic bacteria that convert acid and alcohols along with
hydrogen and carbon dioxide to methane. “Primadonnas”

(a) Aerobic Digester (b) Anaerobic Digester

3.b) Chemical Stabilization or Lime Stabilization – addition of hydrated lime, Ca(OH)2 or quicklime, CaO to sludge to raise
pH to about 11 or above. This reduces odor and helps in the destruction of pathogens. Odor control is only temporary.
3.c) Composting – an aerobic biological method of sludge stabilization, can produce a product which has high quality, is
reasonably safe and is aesthetically acceptable. Composting is aerobic to a certain degree and takes 30 – 40 days.
3.d) Sludge melting – used when inorganics are dominant
3.e) Pyrolysis or Incineration
3.f) Thermal drying – serves as disinfection method
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4) DISINFECTION
• Killing of pathogens that survive after stabilization process.
4.a) Physical process – Heat/Cooling
4.b) Chemical process – Chlorination or lime addition

5) SLUDGE DEWATERING
• Remove water from stabilized sludge
Methods:
5.a) Centrifugation – use of centrifugal force to increase sedimentation rate
5.b) Filtration – use of belt filter, vacuum filter, plate and frame filter press, to remove water from sludge
5.c) Drying in drying beds – dewatering by evaporation or percolation through the sludge bed or underlying media. This is
weather dependent, land and labor intensive
5.d) Sludge lagoons – this is common in industrial plants or very large communities with available land space. However,
odor problem becomes a disadvantage.
5.e) Sludge freezing beds – for cold climates

(a) Belt filter (b) Drying Beds

(c) Sludge Lagoon

6) SOLIDS REDUCTION
6.1) Incineration
6.2) Thermal drying
6.3) Pyrolysis – combination of thermal cracking and condensation reactions into gases, liquid and solid

7) BENEFICIAL USE
7.1) Composting – stabilize organics by reclaiming nutrients, eliminating pathogens. Compost can be used as fertilizers or
soil conditioners.
 Sludge Treatment and Disposal
7.2) Alkaline/Lime stabilization – Ca(OH)2 or CaO addition (stabilized sludge). It can be used as cement mix
7.3) Thermal drying – P & N are retained, dried sludge. For agricultural use as soil conditioner.
7.4) Vitrification – vitrified sludge can be used as material for floorings

8) BIOSOLIDS DISPOSAL
8.1) Land Application
8.2) Landfill
8.3) Market (for composted sludge)
8.4) Deep well injection/ soil injection
8.5) Ocean dumping
8.6) Land spreading (to agricultural lands or forestry)
8.7) Land reclamation
8.8) Land revegetation