In modern wastewater treatment processes, sludge dewatering is a crucial step in the treatment process, directly influencing the efficiency and economic cost of sludge treatment. Choosing the appropriate dewatering agent not only improves the dewatering performance of the sludge but also reduces operating costs and the difficulty of sludge disposal. This article will explore how wastewater treatment plants can scientifically select dewatering agents and recommend the advantages of using sludge enhancers.

I. Selection Criteria for Sludge Dewatering Agents

When a wastewater treatment plant selects dewatering agents, the following factors need to be comprehensively considered:

Sludge properties: Sludges from different sources (such as municipal wastewater and industrial wastewater) have different contents of organic matter, particle sizes, pH values, etc., and specific treatment agents need to be selected accordingly.

Dehydration effect: The dosage of the agent, the moisture content of the sludge cake after dehydration, and the dehydration speed all directly affect the subsequent processing costs.

Economy: The price of the agent, the dosage, and the costs of transportation and storage must be balanced with the dehydration effect.

Environmental friendliness: Whether the agent itself is harmful to the environment and whether it affects the subsequent resource utilization of the sludge (such as incineration, composting).

Operational convenience: The solubility of the medicine, the uniformity of mixing, and the compatibility of the equipment all affect the actual operational efficiency.

II. Common Types and Characteristics of Dehydrating Agents

1. Inorganic Coagulants (such as polyaluminium chloride PAC, aluminum sulfate)

‌Advantages‌: Low cost, suitable for some industrial sludges.

Disadvantages: The dosage is large, which may cause secondary pollution, and the moisture content of the dewatered sludge cake is relatively high.

2. Organic polymer flocculants (such as polyacrylamide PAM)

Advantages: Low dosage, excellent flocculation effect, widely used in municipal sludge dewatering.

Disadvantages: The unit price is relatively high, and for some types, there may be residual monomer contamination.

3. ‌Composite agents‌ (such as iron salts + organic polymers)

‌Advantages‌: Combining the advantages of inorganic and organic agents, they have a wider range of applicability.

Disadvantages: The ratio needs to be optimized and the operation is rather complex.

4. Sludge Enhancer (New Environmental-friendly Agent)

Features: Through a composite formulation (including inorganic compounds, surface structure modifiers, etc.), it exerts multiple mechanisms of action to effectively disrupt the sludge's colloidal structure, reduce viscosity, and release bound water, significantly enhancing the dewatering efficiency.

III. Advantages and Applications of Sludge Enhancing Agents

Significantly reduces moisture content: By altering the colloid structure of the sludge, it releases bound water, resulting in a mud cake moisture content of less than 60%.

Reduce the dosage of chemicals: Compared with traditional PAM, it can reduce the dosage by 20% to 50%, thereby lowering the overall cost.

Environmentally friendly and non-toxic: No heavy metal residues, does not affect the subsequent resource utilization of sludge (such as the calorific value for incineration or the safety of composting). Adaptable: Suitable for difficult-to-dewater types such as high organic content sludge and oily sludge.