In the processes of municipal sewage treatment and industrial wastewater treatment, sludge dewatering is one of the key steps. Although traditional sludge dewatering agents can enhance the dewatering efficiency, they may alter the pH value of the sludge, thereby affecting the subsequent treatment processes or the resource utilization of the sludge. In recent years, sludge enhancers, due to their unique properties, have gradually become the preferred solution for sludge dewatering, especially significantly improving the dewatering effect without changing the pH value of the sludge.

The characteristics of sludge enhancer

The sludge enhancer is a new type of sludge conditioner, and its main advantages include:

Does not alter the pH value of the sludge: Unlike traditional inorganic salts or acid-base chemicals, the sludge enhancer improves the dewatering performance of the sludge through physical and chemical synergistic effects, without significantly affecting the pH value of the sludge.

Efficient Dewatering: The sludge enhancer can break the colloidal structure in the sludge, releasing the bound water, thereby reducing the moisture content of the sludge cake.

Environmental friendliness: The dosage of the sludge enhancer is low and it does not introduce harmful substances. It is suitable for the subsequent resource utilization of the sludge.

The mechanism of not changing the pH value

The reason why the sludge enhancer can function without changing the pH value is mainly based on the following mechanism:

Physical adsorption and bridging interaction: The active components in the sludge enhancer adsorb onto the surface of the sludge particles, forming a bridging structure, which promotes the aggregation of the sludge particles. This process does not involve acid-base reactions.

Charge neutralization effect: The cationic or non-ionic components in the sludge enhancer can neutralize the negative charges on the surface of the sludge particles, reducing the electrostatic repulsion force between the particles, thereby improving the dewatering performance without the need to adjust the PH value.

Biological synergy: The sludge enhancer contains biological enzymes or microbial metabolites, which can break down the extracellular polymers (EPS) in the sludge, release bound water, and maintain the original pH value of the sludge.

Application effect

‌Reduction in sludge cake moisture content‌: After using the sludge enhancer, the moisture content of the sludge cake can be reduced to below 60%, and the dewatering efficiency has significantly improved.

Equipment adaptability: The sludge enhancer is suitable for various dehydration equipment such as belt press filters and centrifugal dewatering machines, and it is non-corrosive to the equipment.

Subsequent processing compatibility: Since the pH value has not changed, the dehydrated sludge can be directly used for composting, incineration or landfilling without any additional adjustments.

Comparison with traditional agents

Compared with traditional dehydrating agents (such as PAM or lime), the advantages of sludge enhancers lie in:

PH stability: Traditional agents such as lime significantly increase the pH value of the sludge, while sludge enhancers maintain a neutral pH.

Less dosage of chemicals: The dosage of the sludge enhancer is usually only 1/3 to 1/2 of that of traditional chemicals.

Lower energy consumption: Due to the improvement in dehydration efficiency, the operating time and energy consumption of the equipment have been significantly reduced.

Sludge enhancer, as a new type of sludge dewatering aid, not only significantly improves the dewatering efficiency but also maintains the pH value stability of the sludge, providing convenience for subsequent sludge treatment and resource utilization. In the future, with the increase in environmental protection requirements and the development of sludge treatment technologies, the application prospects of sludge enhancers will be even broader.