A comprehensive insight into floc characteristics and their impact on compressibility and settleability of activated sludge

Jin, B, Wilen, BM and Lant, P (2003) A comprehensive insight into floc characteristics and their impact on compressibility and settleability of activated sludge. Chemical Engineering Journal, 95 2003: 221-234.


Author Jin, B
Wilen, BM
Lant, P
Title A comprehensive insight into floc characteristics and their impact on compressibility and settleability of activated sludge
Journal name Chemical Engineering Journal  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank A*)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2003
Sub-type Article
DOI 10.1016/S1385-8947(03)00108-6
Volume number 95
Issue number 2003
ISSN 1385-8947
Start page 221
End page 234
Total pages 14
Editor J. Santamaria
L.R. Weatherley
Place of publication Switzerland
Publisher Elsevier BV
Collection year 2003
Language eng
Subject C1
290602 Process Control and Simulation
770502 Land and water management
Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive study of sludge floc characteristics and their impact on compressibility and settleability of activated sludge in full scale wastewater treatment processes. The sludge flocs were characterised by morphological (floc size distribution, fractal dimension, filament index), physical (flocculating ability, viscosity, hydrophobicity and surface charge) and chemical (polymeric constituents and metal content) parameters. Compressibility and settleability were defined in terms of the sludge volume index (SVI) and zone settling velocity (ZSV). The floc morphological and physical properties had important influence on the sludge compressibility and settleability. Sludges containing large flocs and high quantities of filaments, corresponding to lower values of fractal dimension (D-f), demonstrated poor compressibility and settleability. Sludge flocs with high flocculating ability had lower SVI and higher ZSV, whereas high values of hydrophobicity, negative surface charge and viscosity of the sludge flocs correlated to high SVI and low ZSV. The quantity of the polymeric compounds protein. humic substances and carbohydrate in the sludge and the extracted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) had significant positive correlations with SVI. The ZSV was quantitatively independent of the polymeric constituents. High concentrations of the extracted EPS were related to poor compressibility and settleability. The cationic ions Ca, Mg, Al and Fe in the sludge improved significantly the sludge compressibility and settleability. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keyword Engineering, Chemical
Activated Sludge Flocs
Settleability
Compressibility
Svl
Zsv
Floc Size
Fractal Dimension
Filament Index
Viscosity
Flocculating Ability
Hydrophobicity
Surface Charge
Polymeric Constituents
Eps
Settling Characteristics
Volume Index
Extracellular Polymers
Full-scale
Flocculation
Extraction
Water
Bioflocculation
Biopolymers
Q-Index Code C1

 
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