Investigations on Sludge Dewatering with the Separation Analyser LUMiFuge 114

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Practical application studies of the sludge dewatering process and its control by flocculant addition require adequate laboratory methods. At present numerous methods are used on laboratory scale, however, they are generally time-consuming and often lack practical relevance. A newly developed separation analyser has been applied for rapid evaluation of sludge properties (sedimentation and packing behaviour, shear sensitivity) and of the efficiency of polymeric flocculants for sludge dewatering in decanter centrifuges (in relation to flocculant concentration and mechanical conditioning, development of an appropriate laboratory procedure). Experiments were carried out with sewage sludges of different origin and characteristics and a number of commercial flocculants without dilution of sludges. It was revealed that the development of appropriate methods for sample pretreatment is essential for getting relevant results for sludge dewatering under practical conditions.
(Originally presented at the 3rd International Conference of the Kolloidgesellschaft e.V.
Adsorption and Nanostructures – From Theory to Application
Budapest 25 – 28 September 2000)

The Author welcomes related discussions and comments.
Additional information (reference list of publications, different applications of the separation analyser) is available and up-dated at www.AppliedColloidsSurfactants.info and at www.lum-gmbh.de.
Further developments have been achieved in relation to the flocculant selection procedure, which are summarized in the paper ‘Pre-selection of Flocculants by the Separation Analyser Lumifuge 114’ available here at InfoClearinghouse.com and on the Preprint Archive http://www.sciencedirect.com/preprintarchive Chemistry Preprint Archive, Volume 2002, Issue 4, April 2002, Pages 265 - 274 and at Filtech2003/wfc9