Effects of particle size of zero-valent iron (ZVI) on peroxydisulfate-ZVI enhanced sludge dewaterability

The advanced oxidization process has proven to be an effective conditioning technique for the improvement of sludge dewaterability. Zero-valent iron (ZVI) is often used as the catalyst of the oxidization process. This study applied ZVI with different particle sizes to the ZVI- peroxydisulfate reactions, and investigated their effects on the improvement of sludge dewaterability. It was found that ZVI particles with smaller sizes (100 and 400 meshes) led to slightly higher enhancement of sludge dewaterability (69.1%–72%) than the larger size particles (20–40 meshes) with the reduction rate of CST by 64%. However, after the treatment, the recycle rate of larger size ZVI particles was obviously higher than the small sizes ZVI particles: 98.3% vs. 87.6–89.7%. Different surface areas of the ZVI particles with different sizes might contribute to the phenomenon. For the small ZVI particles with the sizes of 100 and 400 meshes, no obvious differences of oxidization effects and the improvements of sludge dewaterability were found between them, which might be because an oxide layer could have been formed on the surface of fine ZVI particles and led to agglomeration. According to the economical analysis, the small particles (100 and 400 meshes) of ZVI were more economically favorable for the oxidative conditioning process with ZVI-peroxydisulfate than large ZVI particles (20–40 meshes).     

碱性发酵污泥脱水性能的变化及其原因分析

通过控制温度在25℃和35℃,利用Ca(OH)₂和NaOH调节碱性发酵过程中pH至10,研究了碱性产酸发酵过程中碱性发酵液脱水性能的变化,并且分析了影响碱性发酵液脱水性能的因素。研究发现NaOH条件下得到的发酵污泥的脱水性能比Ca(OH)₂条件下得到的发酵污泥的脱水性能差,同种碱试剂条件下,35℃条件下的发酵污泥脱水性能比25℃条件下差。通过对溶解的蛋白和多糖含量的分析,得出在一定范围内,两者的含量与标准化CST(毛细吸水时间)存在较好的线性关系,并且单位多糖比单位蛋白更能引起发酵污泥脱水性能的恶化。通过对溶解的蛋白多糖结合Zeta电位、平均粒径分析,得出温度和Ca²⁺可能是引起碱性发酵污泥脱水性能差异的根本原因,Ca²⁺能中和胶体表面较多的负电荷,在污泥絮体之间起到良好的吸附架桥作用,从而不利于污泥的水解,抑制有机物的溶出,而有利于污泥的脱水。从脱水成本和产酸量综合分析,Ca(OH)₂比NaOH更适合作为碱试剂调节pH,25℃条件下更适合作为碱性发酵的温度。     

Strength and breakage of activated sludge flocs

The breakage of activated sludge flocs under turbulent shear conditions was investigated as a function of floc size. Municipal activated sludge flocs were fractionated by sieving to narrow size fractions. Shear stress distribution functions for the breakage of activated sludge floc samples were obtained. It was found that by increasing the floc size, this distribution was skewed towards smaller shear stress values and became broader. Results of experiments showed that the median shear stress, τ₅₀, required for floc breakage reduced by about 23% from 3.9 Pa for 45-63 μm sieve fraction to 3 Pa for the 150-180 μm sieve fraction. Under steady conditions, the median shear stress for the breakage of fragments that formed due to the breakage of larger flocs was as much as three times larger than that of the original flocs.     

The Use of Ultrasonics in the Treatment of Waste Activated Sludge

1 INTRODUCTION Waste activated sludge (WAS) processes are key technologies to treat wastewater. Through their micro-bial activity, these biological processes produce how-ever huge amounts of WAS as an inevitable drawback of the WAS-process. Various techniques have been studied to further reduce the amount of excess sludge through (1) the maximum use of biological phospho-rus removal instead of chemical precipitation[1,2]; (2) the use of advanced treatment techniques such as per-oxidati…     

Influence of microwave irradiation on sludge dewaterability

The study focuses on the effect of microwave irradiation on sludge dewaterability. Capillary suction time and specific resistance of filtration were used to evaluate sludge dewaterability. Soluble chemical oxygen demand, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content and sludge particle size were determined in an attempt to explain the observed changes in sludge dewaterability. The results indicated that microwave application slightly enhanced sludge dewaterability with short contact time, while it significantly deteriorated sludge dewaterability with long contact time. The results show that 900 W and 60 s is an ideal microwave condition, yielding maximum sludge dewaterability characteristics by generating sludge with optimal disintegration (1.5–2%), EPS concentration (1500–2000 mg/l), and particle size distribution (120–140 μm).     

Floc Formation,Size Distribution,and its Transformation Detected by Online Laser Particle Counter

Abstract

Coagulation and flocculation are widely applied in water and wastewater treatment. Removal of suspended particles is essential in water treatment and greatly depends upon the performance of the coagulant and the production of flocs with suitable properties. For monitoring floc size, formation, and size transformation, no particle size method now can be considered ideal. In this work an on‐line laser particle counter was used to follow coagulation with aluminum sulfate. The experiments showed that the floc formation and floc size distribution could be well monitored. The results showed that it is feasible to use particle counting for dosage control and for monitoring changes in floc formation, transformation and size distribution.     

Adsorption kinetics of cadmium ions onto powdered corn cobs

Environmental pollution caused by the presence of toxic materials such as cadmium is becoming global problem and concern. This paper presents a report on kinetics of Cd²⁺ removal from aqueous solutions through adsorption using powdered corn cobs (PCC). Corn cobs were collected from a selected location, washed to remove sand, air dried, ground and sieved into different particle sizes. The selected properties of PCC were determined using acid digestion method. Adsorption capacities through kinetics of Cd²⁺ removal from synthetic solutions, typical raw water and domestic‐institutional wastewater were studied. Effects of pH, PCC particle size, initial concentration of Cd²⁺ and temperature on adsorption capacities were monitored through pseudo first‐ and second‐order models, Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models to present adsorption rate parameters. The study revealed that PCC contained 86.89% volatile solids, had 4.56% acid solubility, 0.52 water solubility and 2.33% ash content. PCC removed Cd²⁺ from aqueous solutions (synthetic, raw water, and wastewater). The relationship between time and concentration of Cd²⁺ remaining in the solution followed exponential functions with squared correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9928 to 0.9993, 0.8701 to 0.9284, and 0.8514 to 0.9290 for synthetic solution, raw water, and typical domestic‐institutional wastewater, respectively. Mechanism of cadmium adsorption onto PCC was in two separate stages linear portions in the first parts, while the final parts are curves indicating intraparticle diffusion. It was concluded that PCC is an effective adsorbent for Cd²⁺ removal. The estimated production cost was 0.068 USD as against 0.50, 2.12, and 3.12 USD for producing adsorbents from empty fruit bunches; pencom shell and sugar cane based activated carbons, respectively.     

Improvement in the coagulation performance by combining Al and Fe coagulants in water purification

This study evaluated the beneficial effects on the coagulation process of combining coagulants with Fe and Al in the removal of turbidity and DOC (dissolved organic carbon), and proposed conditions for proper operation of a coagulation process. In addition, the floc characteristics and sludge dewater ability were evaluated. Blended coagulants were more effective than single coagulants at lower concentrations in water purification. The optimal blended ratio for the removal of DOC was 1.45 mM as Al/mM as Fe. Also, blended coagulants were less affected than single coagulants by pH, temperature, and rapid mixing intensity. Based on the results of the change in the apparent molecular weight distribution (AMWD) of DOC in raw and treated water by coagulation, low molecular weight organic matters were removed by 40.7% for the blended coagulant (1.45 mM as Al/mM as Fe). Blended coagulants formed larger flocs than single coagulants did. At pH 6.0, floc strength and sludge dewaterablity were both improved.     

Focused beam reflectance technique for in situ particle sizing in wastewater treatment settling tanks

Due to the complexities involved with measuring activated sludge floc size distributions, this parameter has largely been ignored by wastewater researchers and practitioners. One of the major reasons has been that instruments able to measure particle size distributions were complex, expensive and only provided off‐line measurements. The Focused Beam Reflectance Method (FBRM) is one of the rare techniques able to measure the particle size distribution in situ. This paper introduces the technique for monitoring wastewater treatment systems and compares its performance with other sizing techniques. The issue of the optimal focal point is discussed, and similar conclusions as found in the literature for other particulate systems are drawn. The study also demonstrates the capabilities of the FBRM in evaluating the performance of settling tanks. Interestingly, the floc size distributions did not vary with position inside the settling tank flocculator. This was an unexpected finding, and seriously questioned the need for a flocculator in the settling tank. It is conjectured that the invariable size distributions were caused by the unique combination of high solids concentration, low shear and zeolite dosing. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

微污染水处理中混合液特性对膜污染的影响

重点研究了各工艺条件下的膜污染状况和混合液特性变化对膜阻力分布的影响。结果表明投加PAC和原水可生化性较好时都利于减缓膜污染。它们分别通过增加膜表面泥饼层的孔隙率和增大混合液的粗径分布来提高混合液可过滤性，使沉积层阻力Rc分别降至原MBR工艺的51．4％和33．3％。试验证实与原MBR工艺相比，投加PAC和采用可生化性较好的原水后，单位膜面积处理单位体积湖水时膜比通量的下降率分别由4．64％m^-1下降至1．85％m^-2和14．31％m^-1。     

Role of paper sludge particle size and extrusion temperature on performance of paper sludge–thermoplastic polymer composites

The effect of paper sludge's particle size and extrusion temperature on the physical and mechanical properties of paper sludge–thermoplastic polymer composites was investigated. In the experiment three levels of particle sizes for the paper sludge and four extrusion temperatures were designed to examine the physical and mechanical properties of these composites. The ash contents of the paper sludge were about 73.7, 46.2, and 38.1% with particle sizes of below 0.15, 0.18–0.25, and 0.42–0.84 mm, respectively, which meant lower ash content and higher cellulose fiber content, in the larger particle size of paper sludge. As the particle size of the paper sludge decreased, the swelling thickness, water absorption, and tensile and flexural strengths of the composite improved; but the particle size of the paper sludge had no effect on its unnotched impact strength. With the increase of the extrusion temperature the thickness swelling and water absorption of the composites were slightly improved but not statistically different. A rise of the extrusion temperature generally had a positive effect on the tensile and flexural properties of the composite. The notched and unnotched impact strengths of the composite increased with the increase of the extrusion temperature from 190 to 230°C, but they decreased slightly at an extrusion temperature of 250°C. This low impact energy at an extrusion temperature of 250°C may be attributed to the excessively brittle fibers from thermal decomposition. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2709–2718, 2001     

磁加载絮凝处理含铜废水

目前磁加载絮凝技术已被研究用于处理多种类型的废水,然而关于此技术中磁粉作用机理方向少有报道。为了解决这一问题,本文采用磁加载絮凝法处理模拟微蚀铜废水,研究了磁粉的加入对Cu²⁺和浊度去除率、絮体沉降速率以及絮体粒径的影响,深入分析了磁粉的作用规律和机理,为磁加载絮凝法应用到实际工程中提供了理论依据和技术参数。结果表明,当磁粉投加量和粒径分别取2.0g/L和300～400目时,磁加载絮凝效果最好。此时,Cu²⁺和浊度去除率均达到最高值98.53%和94.72%,比传统絮凝法高出4.11%和0.61%;絮体沉降速率最快,达5cm/min,是传统絮凝沉降速率的3.64倍;絮体粒径D₅₀也达到最大值41.94μm,较传统絮体粒径大20μm。磁粉投加量过多或过少、粒径过大或过小都会相应地减慢磁絮体的生长速率。     

Revised capillary suction time (CST) test to reduce consumable costs and improve dewaterability interpretation

The aim of this paper is to critically assess the standard capillary suction time (CST) test and to propose a modified device (prototype) and a revised CST procedure. The empirical CST test (using a circular funnel) is well established as the leading method for the determination of sludge dewaterability in spite of its current shortcomings such as restricted modelling possibilities, and therefore the ability to predict physical processes such as the amount of water bound by the paper. Nevertheless, the CST apparatus is portable, and the method is easy to conduct, quick, cost‐effective and accurate, if the product of solid concentration and average specific resistance to filtration is of interest. A novel prototype with a rectangular instead of a circular funnel incorporating a stirrer (optional), and using a cheaper paper with similar or improved characteristics is proposed to reduce consumable costs and improve dewaterability interpretation. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

The relationship between cation ions and polysaccharide on the floc formation of synthetic and activated sludge

This study has investigated in a comparative fashion the effect of cation ions and polysaccharide on the floc formation of both synthetic and activated sludge. Synthetic sludge was prepared according to established procedures; activated sludge was produced in a lab-scale, continuous-flow reactor which was fed with live activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant. The results from experiments indicate that cation ions and polysaccharide could influence sludge floc formation. The relationship between polysaccharide concentration and cation ions concentration was examined at laboratory scale during flocculation with both synthetic and activated sludge; an increase in feed cation ions concentration led to a decrease in final polysaccharide concentration in the supernatant. An increase in cation ions concentration in the feed to the reactors was also associated with an increase in the bound biopolymer concentration. The changes in the bound biopolymer were explained according to the cation bridging model. Synthetic and activated sludge behave very similarly in terms of their characteristics and synthetic sludge can be used as a surrogate in activated sludge studies. The results of this work also indicate that the formation of cation-polymer complexes and polymer gelation are amongst the most important mechanisms for sludge coagulation-flocculation, and offer a means for optimisation of the activated sludge process.     

700密度等级渣土陶粒制备及其性能研究

为进一步促进城市渣土资源化利用,本文研究了原材料(渣土、粉煤灰、污泥和秸秆)和温度对渣土陶粒密度等级的影响,确定了700密度等级,不同粒径(10～15 mm、15～25 mm)的渣土陶粒配方和工艺.在上述基础上,通过超景深光学显微镜和扫描电镜观察分析了700密度等级,不同粒径下渣土陶粒的表面和内部微观结构.研究结果表明:(1)焙烧温度分别为1200 ℃和1230 ℃,渣土-粉煤灰质量比例相应为70:30和60:40时,可分别获得粒径为15～25 mm、10～15 mm两种粒径,密度等级均为700的渣土陶粒;(2)渣土陶粒的筒压强度和密度随着粒径的减小而逐渐增加,筒压强度由15～25 mm下的4.3 MPa增加到4.9 MPa;烧失量和1 h吸水率随着粒径的减小而逐渐降低;(3)随着粒径的减小,相同密度等级的渣土陶粒表面和内部结构不同.大粒径陶粒表面和内部结构中含有的孔隙较多,孔径尺寸较大.     

Biological modelling of MBR and impact of primary sedimentation

Within the AMEDEUS European project, a work package is dedicated to biological modelling of Membrane Bioreactors (MBR) processes as well as the impact of a pre-treatment by primary sedimentation on sludge production, sludge characteristics and permeate quality. The supposed interest of this pre-treatment is to decrease sludge production and to improve oxygen transfer by decreasing sludge concentration.Two MBR pilots were operated side by side under the same operating conditions, one fed by screened (1 mm screen) raw municipal wastewater and the other by primary settled raw municipal wastewater. This side by side operation allows a true comparison of the performances and model calibration. In average, screened water was observed to contain 30% more solids than settled water. In this study, the sludge age was fixed at 40 days and then modified to 15 days to calibrate the model on a broad range of operating conditions in order to validate and identify the biological activated sludge model (ASM) limits.With a sludge retention time (SRT) of 15 days, sludge production is less important in the pilot fed by settled water because of better bio-accessibility behaviour of settled water. In comparison with ASM1 default parameter values, calibrated parameters are quite different concerning nitrification and denitrification because of an improvement of oxygen transfer induced by lower floc size distribution (K_OA = 0.25-0.3 g O₂/m³, K_OH = 0.1 g O₂/m³). With a SRT of 40 days, model calibration is not validated and the pilot fed with screened water has a sludge production reduction that is less important than the one of the pilot fed by settled water where accumulation of inert organic matter is observed.     

壳聚糖投加对MBR污泥混合液性质及膜污染的影响

通过试验研究了壳聚糖投加对膜一生物反应器中污泥混合液的颗粒粒径、污泥粘度、污泥脱水性能,溶解性微生物产物（SMP）及胞外聚合物（EPS）的影响。探讨了投加壳聚糖减缓膜污染的原因。结果表明投加壳聚糖提高了反应器对COD、TN、TP及NH3-N的去除效果。投加壳聚糖能够降低混合液粘度,增大污泥粒径,使污泥比阻值下降约80％。提高了污泥脱水性能,并降低了反应器中SMP的含量,从而降低了膜污染速率。     

Breakage–reflocculation implemented by two-stage shear for enhancing waste-activated sludge dewaterability: Effects of shear condition and extracellular polymeric substances

The conditioning of waste-activated sludge (WAS) before dewatering is crucial for enhancing sludge dewaterability. The breakage–reflocculation that was implemented by two-stage shear (drastic first-stage shear for breakage and moderate second-stage shear for reflocculation utilizing the bioflocculation function) which was proposed as a novel WAS conditioning method with several advantages (simple operation, lower cost, and none added reagent) compared to traditional methods. Effects of the shear condition and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on breakage–reflocculation were orderly investigated. Two equations were developed by response surface methodology for predicting breakage–reflocculation conditioning performance. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that individual effects of first-stage shear rate (G₁), second-stage shear rate (G₂), second-stage shear time (t₂), and interactive effect of G₁G₂ were significant. More compact WAS flocs with better dewaterability and larger floc size formed through breakage–reflocculation. This was reflected in that the capillary suction time decreased by 16.9% and mean floc size increased by 24% under the optimum shear condition. In addition, the loosely bound EPS was revealed to be closely negatively correlated with breakage–reflocculation conditioning performance, indicating its adverse role in breakage–reflocculation. The breakage–reflocculation could be used as an independent conditioning method with low cost or a part of combined method.     

Conditioning and Dewatering of Phosphorus-Rich Biological Sludge

The conditioning and dewatering of phosphorus-rich biological sludge, obtained from a pilot-scale biological phosphorus removal plant, was investigated. Dual conditioning utilizing a polyampholyte (AC4601) in combination with aluminum chloride (AlCl₃), ferric chloride (FeCl₃), and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) was studied. Capillary suction time (CST) and specific resistance to filtration (SRF) were utilized to assess sludge dewaterability. The dewaterability and removal of dissolved phosphorus from the phosphorus-rich sludge were examined. Compared with conditioning with only AC 4601, dual conditioning by adding 49 kg/ton of AlCl₃ prior to addition of AC4601 resulted in formation of large flocs, better dewaterability, and removal of 50% of soluble phosphorus. Better dewaterability, even larger flocs (> 1 cm), and 75% removal of soluble phosphorus were found when dosage of AlCl₃ increased to 189.2 kg/ton. The use of alumina (Al₂O₃) in combination with AC4601 could achieve equivalent dewaterability. However, only insignificant removal of soluble phosphorus (ca. 10%) was found. Sludge conditioning utilizing FeCl₃ and AC4601 was also very effective. A higher dosage of AC4601 was required and insignificant removal of soluble phosphorus was found when CaCl₂ was used in combination with AC4601. The interactions between hydrolyzed species of trivalent metal ions and polyampholyte contributed to enhanced dewaterability. Precipitates acted as skeleton builder and assisted in dewaterability as well. In addition, the removal of phosphorus was due to its precipitation reactions with metal ions. This study demonstrated an alternative way to condition phosphorus-rich sludge that could control the release of phosphorus from sludge to aqueous phase under anaerobic environment and achieve enhanced dewaterability simultaneously.     

Properties of flocs in sludge conditioning by a novel amphoteric polymer with different anionic degrees

This paper aimed to examine how the amphoteric conditioner poly (acrylamide‐′acryloyloxyethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride ?2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐propane sulfonate) (PADA) with different anionic degrees (AD) affected the properties of sludge flocs in the conditioning. The floc properties were characterized by morphological parameters (floc size distribution, fractal dimension, specific surface area, and pore volume), physical properties (floc strength and surface charge density), and chemical constituents (Fe³⁺, Al³⁺ and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), including the polymeric proteins and carbohydrates). The results of this investigation revealed that (1) morphological properties of flocs were associated with anionic degree, particularly in the range of 0–4%, where the anionic degree led to a shift of the particle size toward groupings of larger diameter, meanwhile better regularity and increased compactness of floc structure formed. (2) The introduction of the anionic groups indeed had bad effects on flocs in terms of its stability and charge neutralization, but the downtrend could be inhibited by adjusting the anionic degree of polymer to a reasonable level. (3) The dissolved EPS for sludge followed a role of decreasing firstly then increasing with increased anionic degree, but the content of bound EPS kept nearly constant. (4) The polymer with anionic groups had apparent effects on enrichment of metal ions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:197–205, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers