Effect of organic polyelectrolyte characteristics on floc strength

Agricultural and non-agricultural directions of bio-based sewage sludge valorization by chemical conditioning

This literature review outlines the most important-agricultural and non-agricultural-types of sewage sludge management. The potential of waste sludge protein hydrolysates obtained by chemical sludge conditioning was reported. The discussed areas include acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, lime conditioning, polyelectrolyte dewatering and other supporting techniques such as ultrasounds, microwave or thermal methods. The legislative aspects related to the indication of the development method and admission to various applications based on specified criteria were discussed. Particular attention was devoted to the legally regulated content of toxic elements: cadmium, lead, nickel, mercury, chromium and microelements that may be toxic: copper and zinc. Various methods of extracting valuable proteins from sewage sludge have been proposed: chemical, physical and enzymatic. While developing the process concept, you need to consider extraction efficiency (time, temperature, humidity, pH), drainage efficiency of post-extraction residues and directions of their management. The final process optimization is crucial. Despite the development of assumptions for various technologies, excess sewage sludge remains a big problem for sewage treatment plants. The high costs of enzymatic hydrolysis, thermal hydrolysis and ultrasonic methods and the need for a neutralizing agent in acid solubilization limit the rapid implementation of these processes in industrial practice.

A facile disposal of Bayer red mud based on selective flocculation desliming with organic humics

Humics flocculant was applied in the disposal of Bayer red mud based on selective flocculation desliming process. The parameters affecting selective flocculation behavior such as flocculant dosage, slurry pH and agitation intensity were studied. For flocculating mechanism analysis, the iron mineral and the flocs product were characterized by ζ-potential testing, settling experiments, optical microscope and SEM imaging. The results show that humics exhibits a good selective flocculation performance in the high alkaline pH range. With an optimal condition of 2% solid density, flocculant dosage 30 mg L(-1), Na2SiO3 dosage 200 mg L(-1), slurry pH 10.0 and agitation speed 1000 rpm, the recovery of iron minerals of 86.25±1.31%, the iron grade of concentrate of 61.12±0.10%, the separation index of 0.69±0.02 can be obtained in the selective flocculation. It is found that the adsorption bridging of humics polymer dominates the selectively flocculating the iron minerals. Large flocs or aggregates with a better settling capacity are generated because of humics occurring. The maximum settling velocity of 38.23±1.51 m h(-1) is reached at pH 10. This work brings the easiness in directly recovering fine particle size of iron-bearing minerals from red mud.

Fouling of microfiltration membranes by organic polymer coagulants and flocculants: controlling factors and mechanisms

Organic polymers are commonly used as coagulants or flocculants in pretreatment for microfiltration (MF). These high molecular weight compounds are potential membrane foulants when carried over to the MF filters. This study examined fouling of three MF membranes of different materials by three commonly used water treatment polymers: poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride (pDADMAC), polyacrylamide (PAM), and poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide (PACA) with a wide range of molecular weights. The effects of polymer molecular characteristics, membrane surface properties, solution condition and polymer concentration on membrane fouling were investigated. Results showed severe fouling of microfiltration membranes at very low polymer concentrations, suggesting that residual polymers carried over from the coagulation/flocculation basin can contribute significantly to membrane fouling. The interactions between polymers and membranes depended strongly on the molecular size and charge of the polymer. High molecular weight, positively charged polymers caused the greatest fouling. Blockage of membrane pore openings was identified as the main fouling mechanism with no detectable internal fouling in spite of the small molecular size of the polymers relative to the membrane pore size. Solution conditions (e.g., pH and calcium concentration) that led to larger polymer molecular or aggregate sizes resulted in greater fouling.