Effect of Ferric Chloride on the Properties of Biological Sludge in Co-precipitation Phosphorus Removal Process

This paper studied the effect of ferric chloride on waste sludge digestion, dewatering and sedimentation under the optimized doses in co-precipitation phosphorus removal process. The experimental results showed that the concentration of mixed liquid suspended solid (MLSS) was 2436 mg·L^?1 and 2385 mg·L^?1 in co-precipitation phosphorus removal process (CPR) and biological phosphorous removal process (BPR), respectively. The sludge reduction ratio for each process was 22.6% and 24.6% in aerobic digestion, and 27.6% and 29.9% in anaerobic digestion, respectively. Due to the addition of chemical to the end of aeration tank, the sludge content of CPR was slightly higher than that of BPR, but the sludge reduction rate for both processes had no distinct difference. The sludge volume index (SVI) and sludge specific resistance of BPR were 126 ml·g^?1 and 11.7×10¹² m·kg^?1, respectively, while those of CPR were only 98 ml·g^?1 and 7.1×10¹² m·kg^?1, indicating that CPR chemical could improve sludge settling and dewatering.