Sludge Quantities,

characteristics and behavior

of sludge
Moisture weight volume relationships
Digestibility, Fuel value
Fertilizer value, Flow characteristics
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Introduction
 To design sludge processing, treatment, and
disposition facilities properly, the sources,
characteristics and quantities of the sludge to be
handled must be known.
 The method of primary and secondary treatment of
wastewater has a significant impact on quantity and
quality of the sludge produced.
 Characteristics of sludge vary depending on the origin
of sludge, amount of aging that has taken place and
the type of processing that has taken place.
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Characteristics
Type Description
Primary sludge From PST, gray, slimy, offensive odor in most
cases, can be readily treated in most cases.
Sludge from Chemical Sludge with metal salts are usually dark in color,
precipitation Iron Red ; Lime sludge Greyish
Objectionable odor, gelationous in nature.
Activated sludge Brown flocculant appearance.
Dark color indicates sludge approaching septic
condition.
Lighter sludge may be due to underaeration as
sludge. settles slowly, also it tends to become
septic rapidly.
Good condition sludge has inoffensive earthy odor.
Activated sludge digests well aerobically, but not
anaerobically.

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Type Description
Trickling filter sludge Humus sludge is brownish, flocculant, and relatively
inoffensive when fresh.
Undergoes decomposition more slowly than other
undigested sludges.
Aerobically digested bio- Brown to dark brown and have a flocculant
solids appearance.
The odor of aerobically digested sludge is not
offensive, often characterized as musty.
Well digested aerobic sludge dewaters easily on
drying beds.
Anaerobically digested bio- Dark brown to black and contain exceptionally large
solids quantity of gas.
When thoroughly digested, they are not offensive,
the odor being relatively faint and like that of hot
tar, burnt rubber or sealing wax.

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Characteristics and Quantity of sludge from
various wastewater treatment units

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Moisture weight volume relationships

1 = %Ww + %Ws
Ssl Sw Ss

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 Digestibility

 The process of biologically degrading organic matter in

sludge, thereby reducing the concentration of volatile solids
and pathogens is called Sludge digestion.
 Both anaerobic and aerobic digestion are widely used for digestion
purpose so that destruction of pathogens and reduction of volatile
solids (and, therefore, reduction of odor potential and vector
attraction) in waste solids can be achieved.
 Digestibilty is thus a property of sludge which determines the
degree of digestion that can occur under various treatment.

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 Fertilizer value
 Sewage sludge is known to be rich in nutrients (nitrogen and
phosphorous), organic matter and trace elements that are
beneficial for plant growth and better yield.
 Sewage sludge is considered a suitable substitute for
commercial fertilizers and the use of sewage sludge as a
fertilizer decreases the requirement for commercial
fertilizers.
 Application of sludge has been observed to improve the
physico-chemical and biological properties of soils which in
turn facilitates better growth of plants.
 Treated sewage sludge can enrich soil with macronutrients
such as phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium
and micro nutrients 8
 Fertilizer value of the sludge where it is to be used as soil
conditioner is to be calculated. It is primarily based on the
content of Nitrogen, Phosporous and Potassium.

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 Fuel value
 The amount of heat energy produced on combustion of 1kg of
fuel is called the Calorific value.
 Wastewater sludge contains large amount of volatile organic
solids.
 The volatile solids content within the sludge determine the
fuel value.
 If sludge has high calorific value then the sludge could be
acceptable for conversion to solid fuel.
 High moisture content
 Methane generation

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 Flow characteristics
 The study of flow characteristics in called Rheology.
 Sludge exhibits large variation, non-homogeneity and complex
behavior.
 For pumping, head loss computation etc determining flow
characteristics becomes very important.
 Sludge is a non Newtonian fluid. Pressure drop under laminar
condition is not proportional to flow, so the viscosity is not
constant.
 Sludge is found to behave like a Bingham plastic, a substance
with a straight-line relationship between shear stress and flow
only after the flow begins.

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 Described by two constants; the yield stress and coefficient
of rigidity. Pressure drop can be determined by the following
eqn once the constant are determined.

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Thank You

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