Conditioning fecal sludge of public toilets with coupled zero-valent iron and persulfate: Efficiency and mechanism.

This study investigated the efficiency of fecal sludge conditioning using peroxydisulfate (PDS) activated by zero-valent iron (ZVI). For fecal sludge obtained from public toilets in a densely-populated rural area in China, the ZVI/PDS coupling greatly improved its dewaterability as well as the supernatant quality in terms of organic matter and nutrient contents. The capillary suction time (CST) and supernatant turbidity of fecal sludge can be reduced up to 97% and 73% respectively in 10 min by the combination of 0.15 g/g TS ZVI and 0.2 g/g TS PDS. Protein removal, especially for tightly and loosely bound extracellular-polymeric-substance (EPS), is more linearly correlated to CST reduction than polysaccharide removal. Fecal sludge dewatering was improved by the hybrid functions of radical oxidation and iron coagulation. The ZVI/PDS treatment produced larger and looser flocs, probably because 1) surface ionic and hydrophilic groups of fecal sludge were reduced, 2) surface charge was neutralized, and 3) secondary structures of EPS proteins were altered by the radicals. The excellent fecal sludge dewatering was related to strengthened particle hydrophobicity and reduced sludge viscosity and compressibility. The results highlight that the ZVI/PDS combination is potentially an effective conditioning approach for fecal sludge from public toilets.

Correlation and mechanism of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the effect of sewage sludge electro-dewatering.

Electro-dewatering (ED) is an attractive technology for enhancing dewaterability of waste activated sludge (WAS), and the distribution and composition of EPS and secondary structure of extracellular protein in sludge has a great influence on the sludge dewaterability. Therefore, in order to optimize and regulate sludge ED process, it is necessary to study the influence of EPS components and composition on the efficiency of sludge ED. In this study, the effects of distribution and composition of EPS and the structure of extracellular proteins on the ED rates and performance were analyzed using eight sludges from different sewage treatment process. The results showed that ED rates at both electrodes were significantly negatively correlated with the concentration of soluble EPS (S-EPS) and loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS), and this correlation was gradually weakened with the in-depth structure of layered EPS structure. High concentration of S-EPS and LB-EPS decreased the initial current and the pH gradient, deteriorating the anodic oxidation and acidification, which affect the release and degradation of EPS. Additionally, the proteins secondary structure can be destroyed and transformed by anodic oxidation and acidification, which can impact the protein water-holding capacity and ED performance.

Enhanced technology based for sewage sludge deep dewatering: A critical review.

Sludge is an inevitable by product of sewage treatment, and it includes pathogens, heavy metals, organic pollutants and other toxic substances. The components of sludge are complex and variable with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) being one. EPS are highly hydrophilic and compressible, and make sludge dewatering difficult. Therefore, the development of efficient sludge-dewatering technology is an important means of mitigating rapid sludge growth. At present, the main methods used for sludge deep-dewatering technology are chemical preconditioning with high-pressure filtration and electrical mechanical dewatering. The selection of chemical preconditioning directly determines the final efficiency of the sludge-dewatering process. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive review of the problems related to sludge dewatering and systematically summarise the impact of different chemical conditioning technologies on the efficiency of sludge dewatering. Furthermore, the characteristics of different enhanced dewatering technologies are evaluated and analysed for their adaptability and final disposal methods. We believe that this review can clarify the chemical conditioner mechanism to improve sludge dewatering, provide reference debugging information for the sludge-dewatering process and promote the development of efficient and environmentally friendly sludge-dewatering technology.

Extracellular organic matter (EOM) distribution characteristic in algae electro-dewatering process.

The work evaluated the influence of different operating conditions (voltage, ionic strength and mechanical pressure) on algae electro-osmotic dewatering effect and extracellular organic matter (EOM) regionalization. It was found that the algae electro-dewatering effect became better as the voltage and ionic strength increased, but electro-dewatering effect was decreased when ionic strength was more than 0.006gNaCl/gTSS, this indicated that too high ionic strength will reduce algae electro-dewatering effect. In addition, electro-osmosis effect first increases and then weakens when the pressure was increased. The content of dissolved organic materials (DOM) in the filtrate of both electrodes was increased when the voltage and ionic strength enhanced, the DOM content of filtrate at cathode and anode were increased from 42.9 mg/L, 36.7 mg/L to 68.2 mg/L, 85.3 mg/L when ionic strength raised from 0gNaCl/gTSS to 0.01gNaCl/gTSS, this indicated that a large amount of EOM dissolution as the voltage and ionic strength increased. The DOM content of both electrodes did not change significantly when mechanical pressure changed, anodic oxidation can oxidize and decompose macromolecular weight substances into mid-molecular weight and low molecular weight substances.

Carbon-based materials reinforced waste activated sludge electro-dewatering for synchronous fuel treatment.

Sludge treatment and disposal have become critical environmental issues in China. Electro-dewatering (ED) is an attractive technology for enhancing dewaterability and improving the sustainability of waste activated sludge (WAS) handling. However, electrically assisted mechanical dewatering processes consume more energy and the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) dissolution caused by electrochemical reactions can lead to clogging of the filter cloth. Carbon-based materials (CBMs) such as activated carbon and graphite have electrical conductivity and well-developed pore structures which can adsorb the biopolymers. Therefore, addition of CBMs is expected to improve WAS electro-dewatering performance for fuel treatment by enhancing sludge conductivity and filterability. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the three carbon materials (AC-0, AC-5, and graphite) on sludge electro-dewatering behavior and the flammability of sludge cakes. The results showed that CBMs promote the performance of WAS electro-dewatering, and the promoting effect of the carbon materials on the sludge electro-dewatering is proportional to the electrical conductivity of the carbon material, and carbon materials can increase the electrophoretic mobility of sludge flocs and the electro-osmotic effect. Moreover, CBMs can adsorb the dissolved EPS, thus alleviate the plugging and filtration resistance of the filter medium. The addition of CBMs also decreases the energy consumption for water removal during the electro-dewatering process and improves the calorific value and sustainable combustion time of the sludge cake. Our approach can facilitate the resource utilization of the dewatered sludge cake in electro-dewatering processes.

Variations of floc morphology and extracellular organic matters (EOM) in relation to floc filterability under algae flocculation harvesting using polymeric titanium coagulants (PTCs).

The work evaluated the algae cells removal efficiency using titanium salt coagulants with different degree of polymerization (PTCs), and the algae cells aggregates and extracellular organic matter (EOM) under chemical flocculation were investigated. The results indicated that PTCs performed well in algae cells flocculation and separation. The main mechanism using PTCs of low alkalisation degree for algae flocculation was associated with charge neutralization, while adsorption bridging and sweep flocculation was mainly responsible for algae removal by PTCs of high alkalisation degree treatment. In addition, the flocs formed by PTC1.0 showed the best filtration property, and EOM reached the minimum at this time, indicating the flocs formed by PTC1.0 were more compact than other PTCs, which can be confirmed by SEM analysis. Three-dimensional excitation emission matrix fluorescence (3D-EEM) and high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) revealed that the EOMs were removed under PTCs flocculation, which improved floc filterability.

Compartmentalization of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) solubilization and cake microstructure in relation to wastewater sludge dewatering behavior assisted by horizontal electric field: Effect of operating conditions.

Sludge treatment and disposal have become important environmental issues in China. Mechanical dewatering is widely used to reduce the amount of sludge to be disposed and relieve the rapid growth pressure of waste sludge. In comparison to traditional sludge dewatering processes, pressure electro-osmotic dewatering has many advantages on sludge dewatering efficiency, low conditioner dosage and concentrated cake are both beneficial to further recycling of waste sludge. In general, complex electrochemical effects (eg. electrochemical oxidation, ohmic heating and pH gradient effect) are accompanied by the pressure electro-osmotic dewatering process. These electrochemical effects will inevitably cause solubilization and/or degradation of key constituents of wastewater sludge - extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). In this study, the effects of voltage, pH and ionic strength on sludge electro-osmotic dewatering performance and electrochemical effects were investigated. The solubilization and degradation of EPS were analyzed by examining the variation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the filtrate, and the relationships between microstructural properties of sludge cake and DOM and electro-osmosis dewatering performance in electro-dewatering process was examined. It was found that electro-dewatering properties were improved by raising the operating voltage or decreasing the pH value, while dewatering rate initially increased at low ionic strength it decreases with increased ionic strength. In addition, the porous structure of cathodic cake was more plentiful than that at the anode. At the cathode, the EPS dissolution was mainly related to alkalization, while the oxidation and acidification were responsible for release of EPS at the anode. Meanwhile, electrophoresis effect was able to promote migration of EPS toward the anode. The average electro-osmotic dewatering rate at the anode (R2.>0.79, p < 0.02) and at the cathode (R2.>0.87, p < 0.03) strongly correlated with the volume of pore of sludge cake. There was no correlation between the total content of anodic DOM (R2<0.31, p>0.08) and electro-osmotic dewatering rate at the anode, however, the content of cathodic DOM (R2 > 0.62, p < 0.09) negatively correlated with average electro-osmosis dewatering rate of cathode. Since cathode is the main water-permeable side in sludge electro-dewatering, and the sticky biopolymers (proteins and humic subtances) could not be converted into small molecules, higher EPS release was associated with worse sludge filterability. As for the anode, the biopolymers were degraded into small molecules due to electrochemical oxidation, which greatly reduced the impact of DOM on dewatering effect. Therefore, the operating conditions (voltage, pH and ionic strength) caused changes in electrochemical effects, which played a crucial role in compartmentalization of sludge EPS dissolution and consequently sludge electro-dewatering behavior.

Characterization of changes in floc morphology, extracellular polymeric substances and heavy metals speciation of anaerobically digested biosolid under treatment with a novel chelated-Fe2+ catalyzed Fenton process.

A novel chelated-Fe2+ catalyzed Fenton process (CCFP) was developed to enhance dewatering performance of anaerobically digested biosolid, and changes in floc morphology, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and heavy metals speciation were also investigated. The results showed that addition of chelating agents caused EPS solubilization by binding multivalent cations. Like traditional Fenton, CCFP performed well in improving anaerobically digested sludge dewatering property. The highly active radicals (OH, O2-) produced in classical Fenton and CCFP were responsible for sludge flocs destruction and consequently degradation of biopolymers into small molecules. Furthermore, more plentiful pores and channels were presented in cake after Fenton treatment, which was conducive to water drainage under mechanical compression. Additionally, a portion of active heavy metals in the form of oxidizable and reducible states were dissolved under CCFP. Therefore, CCFP could greatly simplify the operating procedure of Fenton conditioning and improve its process adaptability for harmless treatment of biological sludge.

Improvement of wastewater sludge dewatering performance using titanium salt coagulants (TSCs) in combination with magnetic nano-particles: Significance of titanium speciation.

In this study, the effects of chemical conditioning using titanium salt coagulants (TSCs) of different hydrolysis speciation in combination with magnetic nano-particles on dewatering performance of waste activated sludge were evaluated by means of specific resistance to filtration (SRF) and capillary suction time (CST). The morphological and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) properties under chemical conditioning were investigated in detail to understand the reaction mechanisms involved. The results showed that the TSC with basicity of 0.5 performed better in improving sludge dewatering performance than other TSCs. Sludge floc formed by TSC0.5 treatment was characterized by larger floc size and higher floc strength than that conditioned by other TSCs. EPS compression and densification were the major mechanisms of sludge conditioning, and TSC0.5 had better performance in compressing EPS structure. In addition, reduction of soluble EPS concentration, especially protein-like substances contributed to improvement of sludge filterability under conditioning. Furthermore, addition of Fe2O3 nanoparticles could further improve dewatering performance and decrease compressibility of sludge system by acting as skeleton builders and enhancing floc strength. The sludge particles aggregation efficiency was effectively improved with addition of nano-Fe2O3. They also were able to bind with protein-like substance in EPS component, which might contribute to promotion of sludge filterability.

Wastewater sludge dewaterability enhancement using hydroxyl aluminum conditioning: Role of aluminum speciation.

Chemical conditioning is one of the most important processes for improve the performance of sludge dewatering device. Aluminum salt coagulant has been widely used in wastewater and sludge treatment. It is generally accepted that pre-formed speciation of aluminum salt coagulants (ASC) has an important influence on coagulation/flocculation performance. In this study, the interaction mechanisms between sludge particles and aluminum salt coagulants with different speciation of hydroxy aluminum were investigated by characterizing the changes in morphological and EPS properties. It was found that middle polymer state aluminum (Alb) and high polymer state aluminum (Alc) performed better than monomer aluminum and oligomeric state aluminum (Ala) in reduction of specific resistance to filtration (SRF) and compressibility of wastewater sludge due to their higher charge neutralization and formed more compact flocs. Sludge was significantly acidified after addition Ala, while pH was much more stable under Alb and Alc conditioning due to their hydrolysis stability. The size of sludge flocs conditioned with Alb and Alc was small but flocs structure was denser and more compact, and floc strength is higher, while that formed from Ala is relatively large, but floc structure was loose, floc strength is relatively lower. Scanning environmental microscope analysis revealed that sludge flocs conditioned by Alb and Alc (especially PAC2.5 and Al13) exhibited obvious botryoidal structure, this is because sludge flocs formed by Alb and Alc were more compact and floc strength is high, it was easy generated plentiful tiny channels for water release. In addition, polymeric aluminum salt coagulant (Alb, Alc) had better performance in compressing extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) structure and removing sticky protein-like substances from soluble EPS fraction, contributing to improvement of sludge filtration performance. Therefore, this study provides a novel solution for improving sludge dewatering property by controlling aluminum speciation.

Influence of wastewater sludge treatment using combined peroxyacetic acid oxidation and inorganic coagulants re-flocculation on characteristics of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are highly hydrated biopolymers and play important roles in bioflocculation, floc stability, and solid-water separation processes. Destroying EPS structure will result in sludge reduction and release of trapped water. In this study, the effects of combined process of peracetic acid (PAA) pre-oxidation and chemical re-flocculation on morphological properties and distribution and composition of EPS of the resultant sludge flocs were investigated in detail to gain insights into the mechanism involved in sludge treatment. It was found that sludge particles were effectively solubilized and protein-like substances were degraded into small molecules after PAA oxidation. A higher degradation of protein-like substances was observed at acid environments under PAA oxidation. Microscopic analysis revealed that no integral sludge floc was observed after oxidation with PAA at high doses. The floc was reconstructed with addition of inorganic coagulants (polyaluminium chloride (PACl) and ferric chloride (FeCl3)) and PACl performed better in flocculation due to its higher charge neutralization and bridging ability. Combined oxidative lysis and chemical re-flocculation provide a novel solution for sludge treatment.