A new conditioning process for the dewatering of wastewater treatment sludge

The new conditioning process is made up of a) an acidic oxidative pre-conditioning step that is based on the Fenton reagent (essentially H2O2 and FeCl2) and followed by b) a corresponding inorganic post-conditioning step with calcium hydrate. This novel process, which was submitted for patent in January 1998, clearly surpasses the performance of conventional conditioning processes delivering an enormous improvement in the mechanical dewatering of wastewater treatment sludge, without an increase in temperature. By means of this new conditioning process even undigested biological wastewater treatment sludges (BS) are dewatered in membrane filter presses (MFP) to a water loading of only y(H2O) = 1.0-1.2 kg H2O/kg SDM(o) (residual water content described as water loading in relation to the originating dry weight of sludge), within normal filtration/press times.; The new conditioning process is made up of a) an acidic oxidative pre-conditioning step that is based on the Fenton reagent (essentially H2O2 and FeCl2) and followed by b) a corresponding inorganic post-conditioning step with calcium hydrate. This novel process, which was submitted for patent in January 1998, clearly surpasses the performance of conventional conditioning processes delivering an enormous improvement in the mechanical dewatering of wastewater treatment sludge, without an increase in temperature. By means of this new conditioning process even undigested biological wastewater treatment sludges (BS) are dewatered in membrane filter presses (MFP) to a water loading of only YH(2)O = 1.0-1.2 kg H2O/kg SDMo (residual water content described as water loading in relation to the originating dry weight of sludge), within normal filtration/press times.