Adsorbent obtained from CEPT sludge in wastewater chemically enhanced treatment

Preparation of cationic aggregates derived from sewage sludge for efficient capture of organic matter

Capturing the abundant organic matter residing in wastewater can not only reduce the emission of CO₂ from the source, but the enriched organics can also be used for anaerobic fermentation to generate and offset energy consumption in wastewater treatment processes. The key is to find or develop low-cost materials that can capture organic matter. Herein, sewage sludge-derived cationic aggregates (SBC-g-DMC) were successfully prepared via a hydrothermal carbonization process coupled with a graft copolymerization reaction for recovering organic matter from wastewater. Based upon preliminary screening of synthesized SBC-g-DMC aggregates regarding grafting rate, cationic degree, and flocculation performance, SBC-g-DMC_2.5 aggregate prepared with 60 mg of initiator, DMC-to-SBC mass ratio of 2.5:1, 70 °C, and 2 h of reaction time was selected for further characterization and evaluation. Results showed that SBC-g-DMC_2.5 aggregate has a positively-charged surface over a wide pH range of 3-11 and a hierarchical micro-/nano-structure, endowing it with an excellent organic matter capture efficiency (97.2% of pCOD, 68.8% of cCOD, and 71.2% of tCOD). Meanwhile, SBC-g-DMC_2.5 exhibits inappreciable trapping ability for the dissolved COD, NH₃-N, and PO₄^3-, guaranteeing the regular running of subsequent biological treatment units. Electronic neutralization, adsorption bridging, and sweep coagulation between cationic aggregates surface and organic matter were identified as the primary mechanisms for SBC-g-DMC_2.5 to capture organics. This development is expected to provide a theoretical reference for sewage sludge disposal, carbon reduction, and energy recovery during municipal wastewater treatment.

Energy-neutral municipal wastewater treatment based on partial denitrification-anammox driven by side-stream sulphide

"Low-carbon" has become an important evaluation index of modernisation construction. In the area of wastewater treatment has also caused considerable concern. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a novel autotrophic nitrogen removal process that provides an opportunity for low-carbon remodelling of municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTPs). The stable supply of nitrite is of great significance for the application of anammox. As a process with stable nitrite supply, partial denitrification (PD) is of great significance in the coupling nitrogen removal with anammox in municipal wastewater. Furthermore, innovation of the low-carbon nitrogen removal process can enable the recovery of abundant bioenergy resource from MWTPs. The low-carbon nitrogen removal via PD-anammox process and the bioenergy recovery for municipal wastewater in the previous studies has been summarised. On this basis, a novel energy-neutralisation municipal wastewater treatment process based on partial denitrification-anammox driven by sulphide produced in the side-stream has been proposed. The long-term retention of mainstream anammox and improvement of energy recovery efficiency under the requirement of ensuring nitrogen removal require additional detailed investigation.

Enhanced adsorption of arsenic using calcined alginate bead containing alum sludge from water treatment facilities

An adsorbent of bead type to remove arsenic (As) was developed by calcination of sodium alginate and polyvinyl alcohol containing a powder form of alum sludge. The adsorbent was evaluated in terms of adsorption kinetics, capacities in batch tests and by a column study. The calcination process created rough surface and increased the surface area of bead 100 times, which enhanced the adsorption kinetics of As onto the calcined adsorbent 3-21 times than un-calcined bead. However, the adsorption capacity decreased slightly compared to the un-calcined adsorbent. The column study showed similar adsorption capacity with commercial adsorbent and powder form of alum sludge considering the standard value of As for drinking water. The calcination process enhanced the adsorption kinetics of the adsorbent for As removal, one of major barrier of bead type adsorbent compared to powder type, which could reduce the bed volume of the reactor.

Carbon and Phosphorus Removal from Primary Municipal Wastewater Using Recovered Aluminum

In this work, recovery of aluminum from coagulated primary sludge and its reuse potential as secondary coagulant were investigated. The recovery process consisted of releasing the particle-bound aluminum from primary sludge by acidification (HCl or H₂SO₄), followed by separation using centrifugation for dissolved coagulant recovery. The recovered coagulant was then reused for treating primary wastewater and overall coagulation efficiency was determined. While with fresh alum, the removal efficiencies of total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen were 85%, 65%, 80% and 33%, respectively, a drop in removal efficiency of total suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand was observed for recovered aluminum (85-60% and 65-50%, respectively). Nitrogen concentration remained almost constant with each cycle, while phosphorus in the effluent increased by 1 mg/L and 3 mg/L in the first and second cycle, respectively. Precipitation of various aluminum species was modeled for determining the recovery potential of aluminum at low pH. Preliminary cost analysis indicates that optimum recovery of aluminum occurred at a pH of 1.5 for both acids. Struvite precipitation effectively removed increased phosphorus solubilized by acidification at the end of second cycle, however, it also decreased the amount of aluminum available for recycle.

Preparation of ferric-activated sludge-based adsorbent from biological sludge for tetracycline removal

Ferric activation was novelly used to produce sludge-based adsorbent (SBA) from biological sludge through pyrolysis, and the adsorbents were applied to remove tetracycline from aqueous solution. The pyrolysis temperature and mass ratio (activator/dried sludge) greatly influenced the surface area and pore characteristics of SBA. Ferric activation could promote the porous structure development of adsorbents, and the optimum preparation conditions were pyrolysis temperature 750°C and mass ratio (activator/dried sludge) 0.5. In batch experiments, ferric-activated SBA showed a higher adsorption capacity for tetracycline than non-activated SBA, because the enhanced mesoporous structure favored the diffusion of tetracycline into the pores, the iron oxides and oxygen-containing functional groups in the adsorbents captured tetracycline by surface complexation. The results indicate that ferric activation is an effective approach for preparing adsorbents from biological sludge to remove tetracycline, providing a potential option for waste resource recovery.

Improved dewatering of CEPT sludge by biogenic flocculant from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Bioleaching using an iron-oxidizing bacterium, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, and its biogenic flocculants was evaluated to improve the dewaterability of chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) sewage sludge. CEPT sludge in flasks was inoculated with A. ferrooxidans culture, medium-free cells and the cell-free culture filtrate with and without the energy substance Fe(2+), and periodically the sludge samples were analysed for the dewaterability. This investigation proves that bioleaching effectively improved the sludge dewaterability as evidenced from drastic reduction in capillary suction time (≤20 seconds) and specific resistance to filtration (≥90%); however, it requires an adaptability period of 1-2 days. On the other hand, the biogenic flocculant produced by A. ferrooxidans greatly decreased the time-to-filtration and facilitated the dewaterability within 4 h. Results indicate that rapid dewatering of CEPT sludge by biogenic flocculants provides an opportunity to replace the synthetic organic polymer for dewatering.

Effects of waste glass additions on quality of textile sludge-based bricks

This research investigated the utilization of textile sludge as a substitute for clay in brick production. The addition of textile sludge to a brick specimen enhanced its pores, thus reducing the quality of the product. However, the addition of waste glass to brick production materials improved the quality of the brick in terms of both compressive strength and water absorption. Maximum compressive strength was observed with the following composition of waste materials: 30% textile sludge, 60% clay and 10% waste glass. The melting of waste glass clogged up pores on the brick, which improved water absorption performance and compressive strength. Moreover, a leaching test on a sludge-based brick to which 10% waste glass did not detect significant heavy metal compounds in leachates, with the product being in conformance with standard regulations. The recycling of textile sludge for brick production, when combined with waste glass additions, may thus be promising in terms of both product quality and environmental aspects.

Development of sludge-based adsorbents: preparation, characterization, utilization and its feasibility assessment

The increasing generation of sludge and its subsequent treatment are very sensitive environmental problems. For a more stable and sustainable treatment of sludge, there have been many studies, including the conversion of sludge into sludge-based adsorbents (SBAs) for pollutants removal. In this review, current SBAs preparation conditions and use as adsorbent for contaminant removal in water treatment are summarized and discussed. Carbonization, physical activation and chemical activation are three common preparation methods. The controlling key parameters include pyrolysis temperature, dwell time, heating rate, activator and feedstock type. The efficacy of SBAs in contaminant adsorption depends on their surface area, pore size distribution, surface functional groups and ion-exchange capacity. It has been demonstrated that SBAs can attain high uptakes of dyes and metal ions due to their high cation exchange capacity; whereas the strong antibiotics adsorption performance of SBAs derives from high degree of mesoporosity. In addition, thermal treatment significantly stabilizes heavy metals contained in sludge. The paper also discusses the economic feasibility and environmental safety of preparation and application of SBAs. Further research will include investigations on the migration and transformation of element in sludge by thermal treatment, more economical and efficient chemical activation reagents, obtaining SBAs for designated application, combination of coagulation and SBAs adsorption, regeneration of SBAs and full-scale tests.

Characteristics of adsorbents made from biological, chemical and hybrid sludges and their effect on organics removal in wastewater treatment

Meso-macropore adsorbents were prepared from biological sludge, chemical sludge and hybrid sludge of biological and chemical sludges, by chemically activating with 18.0 M H(2)SO(4) in the mass ratio of 1:3, and then pyrolyzing at 550 °C for 1 h in anoxic atmosphere. The physical and chemical characteristics of the sludge-based adsorbents were examined in terms of surface physical morphology, specific surface area and pore size distribution, aluminum and iron contents, surface functional groups and crystal structure. Furthermore, the adsorption effect of these adsorbents on the organic substances in wastewater was also investigated. The results indicated that the adsorption capacities of the sludge-based adsorbents for UV(254) were lower than that of commercial activated carbon (AC), whereas the adsorption capacities of the adsorbents prepared from hybrid sludge (HA) and chemical sludge (CA) for soluble COD(Cr) (SCOD(Cr)) were comparable or even higher than that of the commercial AC. The reasons might be that the HA and CA possessed well-developed mesopore and macropore structure, as well as abundant acidic surface functional groups. However, the lowest adsorption efficiency was observed for the biological sludge-based adsorbent, which might be due to the lowest metal content and overabundance of surface acidic functional groups in this adsorbent.

Sewage sludge-based adsorbents: a review of their production, properties and use in water treatment applications

The imposition of more stringent legislation governing the disposal and utilisation of sewage sludge, coupled with the growth in its generation and the loss of traditionally accepted disposal routes, has prompted a drive for alternative uses for sewage sludge. One option that exhibits special promise, due to its potential to valorise the sludge, is the conversion of the sludge into adsorbents. This paper seeks to review the published research in this field: it covers the means of production, the characteristics and the potential applications of sewage sludge-based adsorbents (SBAs). The literature has indicated that chemical activation utilising alkali metal hydroxides is the most effective technique for producing high surface area SBAs. In addition, acid washing is highly effective at raising the BET surface area of SBAs, especially when coupled with physical activation. Due to their relatively low microporosity, the phenol uptake of SBAs produced by physical activation is low, but through a combination of their favourable surface chemistry and relatively high mesoporosity, the best of these adsorbents can attain high uptakes of organic dyes. The SBAs produced by carbonisation, through their high cation exchange capacity, generally exhibit a high metal cation capacity. For further research, the following investigations are recommended: the utilisation of alternative chemical activation reagents; the optimisation of the most effective chemical activation techniques; the combined utilisation of different activation and surface chemistry modification techniques to produce application-specific adsorbents.

Recycle of Alum recovered from water treatment sludge in chemically enhanced primary treatment

An investigation was made to study the feasibility of recovering the Alum from coagulation sludges and reusing it in chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) process to make the CEPT more cost-effective and recover the resource (Alum) efficiently. The optimum condition and efficiency of the acidification method for Alum recovery from coagulation sludge were investigated in the test. The results show that when the recovery rate of Alum reaches its highest level, 84.5%, the reduction rate of sludge is 35.5%. It turns out that the capability of recovered coagulant to remove turbidity, UV(254) and COD are 96%, 46% and 53%, respectively. The results prove that the recovered coagulants could be used in CEPT and the efficiency of recovered coagulant to remove pollutants is similar to that of fresh coagulant. Although some substances will be enriched during recycle, they have little effect on the quality of treated wastewater. The experiments verify that it would be an advisable and cost-effective way to recover Alum from coagulation sludges in water treatment and chemical wastewater treatment, and it could be then recycled to CEPT as well as reduce sludge volume.

Ceramsite made with water and wastewater sludge and its characteristics affected by SiO2 and Al2O3

To solve the disposal problems of residual sludges, wastewater treatment sludge (WWTS) and drinking-water treatment sludge (DWTS) were tested as components for production of ceramsite. SiO2 and Al2O3 were the major acidic oxides in WWTS and DWTS, so their effect on characteristics of ceramsite was also investigated to optimize the process. Results show that WWTS and DWTS can be utilized as resources for producing ceramsite with optimal contents of SiO2 and Al203 ranging 14-26% and 22.5-45%, respectively. Ceramsite within the optimal SiO2 and Al2O3 contents ranges was characterized using thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), morphological structures analyses, and compressive strength measurements. Significant weight loss below 600 degrees C is through the release of structural water and gases. Bloating and crystallization in ceramsite above 900 degrees C are caused by the oxidation and volatilization of inorganic substances. Higher strength ceramsite with less Na-Ca feldspars and amorphous silica and more densified surfaces can be obtained at 18% < or = Al203 < or = 26% and 30% < or = SiO2 < or = 45%, while porous ceramsite with complex crystalline phases and lower strength can be obtained at 14% < or = Al2O3 < 18% and 22.5% < or = SiO2 < 30%. This revolutionary technology of utilization of WWTS and DWTS can produce high performance ceramsite, in accordance with the concept of sustainable development.

Phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater by hydrous ferric oxide reactive filtration and coupled chemically enhanced secondary treatment: part I--performance

This work examines the performance of a hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) reactive filtration (RF) process with coupled chemically enhanced secondary treatment (RECYCLE) for phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater (HFO-RF-RECYCLE). A 3-month, 0.95-ML/d (0.25-mgd) demonstration of HFO-RF-RECYCLE was performed at a municipal wastewater treatment plant equipped with oxidation ditches and secondary clarifiers. Influent to the plant averaged 6.0 mg/L phosphorus, with a tertiary effluent average of 0.011 mg/L phosphorus. Iron doses to the plant were low, at 5 mg/L. Inline recycling of HFO solution rejects to the plant influent resulted in a maximum 90.3%, dose-dependent reduction of phosphorus in the secondary effluent at 4.5 ML/d (1.2 mgd). Other results included reduction of total suspended solids and turbidity. A mass balance analysis was performed. We conclude that HFO-RF-RECYCLE may allow very low levels of phosphorus discharge from municipal wastewater treatment plants with a ferric-iron-based tertiary filtration process and residual recycling.