While the pharmaceutical industry is safeguarding people's health, the problem of sludge treatment generated during the production process is becoming increasingly serious. Pharmaceutical sludge has always been a tough nut to crack in the field of sludge treatment due to its complex composition, high content of toxic and harmful substances, and high microbial activity. When treating pharmaceutical sludge, traditional dewatering methods are not only inefficient but also prone to causing secondary pollution. The emergence of sludge enhancers has brought a new turning point to the deep dewatering of pharmaceutical sludge and has demonstrated remarkable and outstanding performance in this field.
I. Characteristics and Dewatering Challenges of Pharmaceutical Sludge
(1) It has complex components and high toxicity
Pharmaceutical sludge often contains residual antibiotics, hormones, organic solvents, heavy metals and various chemical agents. For instance, during the production of antibiotics, the residual antibiotics can inhibit the activity of microorganisms, making it difficult for the microorganisms in the sludge to decompose organic matter through biological treatment. Heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead not only cause long-term pollution to the environment, but also undergo chemical reactions with dehydration agents, affecting the normal function of the agents and increasing the difficulty of dehydration.
(2) High microbial activity and viscosity
There are numerous and highly active microorganisms in pharmaceutical sludge. The extracellular polymers (EPS) produced by the metabolism of microorganisms make the sludge highly viscous. These viscous substances tightly wrap the sludge particles, forming a stable colloidal structure that hinders the separation of water. Conventional dewatering equipment is prone to problems such as filter cloth clogging, long dewatering time and incomplete dewatering when dealing with such sludge.
(3) Large fluctuations in pH value
The pH values of sludge produced by different pharmaceutical manufacturing processes vary significantly, with some being strongly acidic and others strongly alkaline. This large fluctuation in pH value makes it difficult for conventional dehydration agents to achieve the best effect. Because most dewatering agents have a certain applicable range for pH values, beyond this range, the flocculation performance and dewatering effect of the agents will decline significantly.
Ii. The working principle of sludge enhancers in dealing with pharmaceutical sludge
The sludge enhancer adopts a design concept of multi-component synergistic action in response to the special properties of pharmaceutical sludge.
Iii. The Remarkable Effects of sludge enhancement in the deep dewatering of Pharmaceutical Sludge
(1) Significantly reduce the moisture content
In practical applications, the sludge enhancer has demonstrated a powerful dewatering capacity. After a large pharmaceutical enterprise introduced a sludge enhancer and combined it with a high-pressure diaphragm filter press to treat pharmaceutical sludge, the moisture content of the sludge was reduced from the initial 92% - 95% to 45% - 55%. Compared with traditional dewatering methods, the dewatering effect has been significantly improved, effectively achieving a substantial reduction in sludge volume and lowering the cost and difficulty of subsequent treatment.
(2) Reduce the content of harmful substances
During the dewatering process, the sludge enhancer reduces the content of harmful substances in the sludge cake through chemical reactions or physical adsorption with harmful substances. For instance, after processing, the content of heavy metals in the mud cake is significantly reduced, and the residual amount of antibiotics is also greatly decreased. As a result, the potential harm to the environment during the subsequent disposal of the dehydrated mud cake is greatly reduced, making it easier to meet environmental protection standards.
(3) Improve dehydration efficiency
After the use of sludge enhancers, the dewatering cycle of pharmaceutical sludge was significantly shortened. As the sludge enhancer can rapidly improve the dewatering performance of sludge, the working efficiency of the filter press has been significantly enhanced. Previously, it might take 8 to 10 hours to process a batch of pharmaceutical sludge. However, after using sludge enhancers, the processing time has been shortened to 3 to 5 hours, significantly enhancing the production efficiency of enterprises and reducing the operating costs of equipment.
Iv. Application Advantages of Sludge Enhancers
(1) Environmentally friendly and reduce secondary pollution
Compared with traditional dewatering methods, sludge enhancers do not produce new toxic and harmful substances during the treatment of pharmaceutical sludge, nor do they increase the complexity of pollutants. It stabilizes harmful substances through chemical and physical actions, reducing the risk of secondary pollution that may occur during the transportation and disposal of sludge, and meeting the current strict environmental protection requirements.
(2) The equipment has strong adaptability
Sludge enhancer is suitable for various types of dewatering equipment. Whether it is a plate and frame filter press, a belt filter press or a centrifugal dewatering machine, it can work well with the sludge enhancer. Enterprises do not need to carry out large-scale renovations on their existing dewatering equipment for the use of sludge enhancers, which reduces the cost of technological upgrades and also minimizes the downtime and economic losses caused by equipment renovations.
(3) Reduce the overall cost
Although the procurement cost of sludge enhancers is slightly higher than that of some traditional chemicals, on the whole, their highly efficient dewatering performance and optimized treatment of sludge have significantly reduced the subsequent sludge disposal costs. For example, when incinerating mud cakes with low moisture content, the usage of auxiliary fuel can be reduced. When landfilled, it reduces the occupied area of the landfill site and the cost of leachate treatment. Based on comprehensive calculation, the long-term use of sludge enhancers can effectively reduce the overall cost of sludge treatment for pharmaceutical enterprises.
V. Conclusion
In the challenging field of deep dewatering of pharmaceutical sludge, sludge enhancers, with their unique mechanism of action and remarkable application effects, have become an effective means to solve the problems in the treatment of pharmaceutical sludge. It not only overcomes the problems of complex composition and difficult dewatering of pharmaceutical sludge, but also demonstrates significant advantages in environmental protection, economy and equipment compatibility. With increasingly strict environmental protection regulations and the pharmaceutical industry's pursuit of green production, sludge enhancers are expected to be more widely applied in the field of deep dewatering of pharmaceutical sludge, promoting the development of sludge treatment in the pharmaceutical industry towards a more efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable direction.