Sludge & Biosolids Processing Resources

  1. Supplemental Aeration Nearly Eliminates Filamentous Sludge Bulking 10/30/2019

    The Dubai Investment Park Wastewater Treatment plant in the United Arab Emirates faced challenges in their oxidation ditch due to filamentous sludge bulking, resulting in poor sludge settling in the secondary clarifier.

  2. Ephrata Borough Authority Battles Chronic Sludge Settling 7/29/2019

    Ephrata Borough Authority WRRF, located in the MidAtlantic region of the United States, has been battling chronic sludge settling issues since undergoing a BNR upgrade in 2011 to meet new permit limits. During the winter months, SVI values have reached as high as 300 mL/g.

  3. Defining High Quality Biosolids: Exploring Options To Create A Market For Biosolid Products 7/18/2019

    Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) are already aware of the idea that biosolids can be a valuable commodity. Consequently, there is opportunity to grow this market. The use of biosolids can create products that have value and generate a customer demand that ultimately leads to an economic incentive for WRRFs. There are several factors that contribute to the success of biosolid products, like the quality of biosolids and information available about how and where to use high quality biosolids.

  4. Combining Biosolids Waste Streams? Not So Fast… 7/12/2019

    The idea of combining two systems into one sounds like a common-sense solution to simplifying operations.  Wastewater treatment plant operators have been experimenting with this concept by combining waste activated sludge with primary and septage waste streams with the goal of lowering system complexity.  The reality of these efforts is proving, in many cases, to be problematic.

  5. Sludge Thickeners: The Good, The Bad, And The Smelly 7/11/2019

    Management of wastewater sludge is a core responsibility of treatment plant operators. With this responsibility comes common challenges that must be overcome.  These include controlling odors so as to have a minimal impact on the surrounding community and minimizing hauling costs for its disposal.  Getting a handle on both of these responsibilities and more can be much easier with the proper sludge-thickening equipment.

  6. Sludge Sampling For Polymer Selection — Critical For Project Success 7/10/2019

    Polymers — the chemicals used in wastewater to thicken sludges and facilitate the removal of water — are critical to the operational efficiency of sludge-thickening equipment. Unfortunately, it’s common practice at treatment facilities to order and install equipment before even considering what the ideal polymer might be for the sludge produced at the specific plant. This flawed process is time consuming, disruptive to plant operations, and can become very costly.

  7. How To Boost Wastewater Treatment Capacity Within An Existing Footprint 7/9/2019

    Municipalities can find themselves in a real bind when wastewater treatment operations are strained by population growth. That’s because facilities are either landlocked and can’t expand at their current location, or the prospect of building an addition isn’t in the budget. When the bottleneck is at the digesters — the tanks where microorganisms break down waste — there are some commonsense strategies treatment plants can employ to address those growing pains.

  8. Can We Turn Sewage 'Sludge' Into Something Valuable? 4/30/2019

    Over the past few years I have become an academic expert in “sewage sludge” — the residual, semi-solid mix of excrement packed with microorganisms that is left behind within wastewater treatment plants. Every year the UK alone produces approximately 1.4 million tons of the stuff. About 80 percent of it is spread on fields as manure, but this still leaves us with a headache — what do we do with the rest?

  9. When To Consider An Alternative To Thermal Dispersion Meters 4/17/2019

    Maintaining a firm grip on blower output within digesters at wastewater treatment plants is the key to stable dissolved oxygen levels that support an optimal biological cycle. However, the most common type of device used to measure aeration in the activated sludge process — thermal dispersion flow meters — is not always the best fit. The good news is that wastewater plant operators have multiple alternatives.

  10. Water Runs Through The Circular Economy 3/26/2019

    Circular economy approaches can add value to a vast range of processes and product sectors, but water is the ‘blue thread’ that flows through it all, Nick Jeffries tells Paul O’Callaghan, chief executive, BlueTech Research.