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ludge treatment and disposal - sludge wastewater treatment

Sludge treatment and disposal

Optimising sludge treatment: dewatering and disposal

The level of wastewater produced each year is putting treatment plants under increasing pressure. The disposal of sludge is a growing challenge for the industry. Our aim is to reduce sludge output and chemical use and in case of digestors increase the production of biogas.

Gaining better control of your sludge line delivers more degradation, better dewatering and reduces chemical use. Further benefits include higher biogas production and improved transportation.

Aquasuite MINE enables the sludge line of wastewater treatment plants to maximise efficiencies within their existing digestion and dewatering infrastructure.

Learn more about our sludge dewatering and disposal solutions.

MINE

Insight in sludge transport

Sludge from several external wastewater treatment plants is transported by trucks to a central sludge facility. Although there are usually large buffers within a sludge facility, the supply by truck is often so varied that the plant is unable to drive the digestion and dewatering of sludge efficiently.

Aquasuite MINE gives the operator a live status of the external sludge buffers, such as filling level and filling speed. It advises which buffers need most urgent emptying at the fermentation / dewatering location. Based on this data and advanced prediction, MINE provides instant transport advice to the truck driver. This approach drives a more consistent sludge supply, in terms of both quality and quantity.

Increase biogas production

Harnessing biogas from sludge is an important source of green energy, delivering value from waste. New pre-treatment technologies combine specific process temperature and contact time with process control and can be applied in existing sludge digestion tanks. It drives greater removal of organic material and increases biogas production.

In addition, sludge digestion technologies can improve the breakdown of sludge to boosts biogas production by 20-30% (Ephyra® technology). The extra biogas production for using the transport module of Aquasuite MINE is estimated up to 10%.

In some applications, these technologies have enabled wastewater treatment plants to act as energy sources, providing gas to local homes or to power industrial processes.

Reduce chemical used and sludge disposal costs in biosolid processing

Chemicals such as poly electrolyte and iron solutions are applied in the dewatering of sludge. The dosage of these chemicals is very precise and dependent on the settings of the dewatering equipment. Dosing higher concentrations will not always lead to a better dewatering result.

Aquasuite MINE continuously monitors the settings and chemical dosages and dewatering results and adjusts the installation settings accordingly. In operation 7 days a week, day and night, Aquasuite MINE continuously achieves optimum results.

Reduce human dependency sludge line

Sludge handling is a complex process where operators retain a large amount of knowledge and experience. When these experienced operators are unavailable due to illness, under-availability or retirement then the performance of the sludge line decreases.

Aquasuite MINE automates and measures the performance of the sludge line 24/7. As a result, the line is much less dependent on the presence and dedication of the process operator.

Better understand sludge handling

Optimal sludge treatment depends on many different parameters that change over time. Experienced operators often carry out actions based on ‘gut feeling’ rather than data and analysis. Aquasuite MINE drives more scientific understanding of the sludge line by presenting live information in insightful graphs and dashboards, so that performance is immediately clear to an operator.

Harvest biochemicals

Sludge itself increasingly has the potential to become a valuable resource, contributing to a future where wastewater treatment is a zero-waste process.

Processing sludge can release chemicals, alginates and biopolymers with a wide range of potential applications, including agricultural and industrial resources. It is an area of dedicated research today that could result in new revenue streams as part of wastewater processing.

Note: This solution is provided by Kaumera, part of our wastewater treatment technology Nereda®, also a Royal HaskoningDHV product.

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