IMPACT OF SLUDGE CONDITIONING ON MECHANICAL DEWATERING AND CONVECTIVE DRYING

Management of sludge produced within wastewater treatment plants hasbecome a key issue. After thickening, the removal of remaining water using mechanicaldewatering and/or thermal drying is essential before any type of valorization. Polymersare usually employed in the conditioning step in order to promote particle aggregation,making the dewatering easier. In this work the impact of the polymer dosage and natureon dewatering and convective drying of sludge is studied. Results clearly show the impactof conditioning on dewatering performances, however no effect on drying has beenobserved within the range of tested experimental conditions.