Enhanced sludge dewatering and drying comparison of two linear polyelectrolytes co-conditioning with Polyaluminium chloride

Annual production of sewage sludge in Europe is estimated at more than ten million tons of dry matter. Use in agriculture and incineration are the main ways of valorization. In this context, sludge drying appears as an essential step after mechanical dewatering. It reduces the costs of storage and transport, allows the stabilization and the hygienization of sludge while increasing its calorific value. However, this process is highly energy consuming and still needs to be optimized as it constitutes an important economic and environmental issue. This implies the improvement of knowledge about sludge drying, including the impact of the mechanical dewatering step. Before studying experimentally the influence of polymers type and dosage use for dewatering on the rheological properties and the drying process, it is necessary to assess the stability of the sludge during of the storage. Because sludge is a living material that can rapidly change, we use the method of experimental design in order to get maximum information with minimal testing, regarding sludge stability during storage.