Chapter 12

Sludge Sources, Characteristics,

and Quantities
The sludge resulting from wastewater treatment
operations contains large volumes of water, typically
0,25 to 12 percent solids by weight

To design solids/sludge treatment and and disposal

facilities, the sources, characteristics and quantites of
the solids to be handled must be known.

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Solids & Sludge Sources and Characteristics
Source Type Characteristics

Screening Coarse solids all organic and inorganic materials

Grit removal Grit and scum
Primary sedimentation Primary solids and scum
(settleable solids in raw ww)
large enough to be removed on bar
racks
heavier inorganic solids and some
organic matter, especially fats and
grease
gray and slimy, offensive odor

Biological treatment Suspended solids normally brown flocculent

(produced by the biological appearance and inoffensive earthy
conversion of BOD) odor
(biological solids+some if the color is dark, the sludge

settleable solids) probably aproaching a septic

condition, and disagreeable odor of
decay

Secondary sedimentation Secondary biosolids and scum chemical or biological solids

produced during the treatment
process
Solids processing facilities Solids, compost and ashes dark brown to black color
appearance, inoffensive odor

Chemical precipitation Suspended solids Gelatinous,usually dark in color, but the

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color depends on the applied
chemical(iron:reddish, lime:gray)
Quantities

Expected solids concentrations from various treatment operations:

Operation Solids conc. (% dry solids)

primary settling tank 6

secondary settling tank

waste activated sludge with primary settling 0.8
waste activated sludge without primary settling 1.3

gravity thickener 8

anaerobic digester 4

aerobic digester 3.5

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Volume-Mass Relationships
The volume of sludge depends on its water content.
(10 % sludge contains 90 % water by weight)

The high concentration of solids in sludge slurries affects the

density and viscosity of the suspension. Dewatered sludges
can have solids concentrations ranging up to 40% as weight.

The mass of solids in a slurry is related to the volatile(organic)

suspended solids (VSS) and fixed(inorganic/mineral)
suspended solids (FSS) in a slurry.
The specific gravity of the solids (Ss) can be computed as:

Ws Wf Wv

S s w S f w Sv w
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where WS= weight of solids
Ss = specific gravity of solids
w = density of water
Wf= weight of fixed solids
Sf = specific gravity of fixed solids
Wv = weight of volatile solids
Sv = specific gravity of volatile solids

Ms
The volume of sludge can be computed as: V
w S sl Ps

where; V= volume, m3
MS= mass of dry solids, kg
w = specific weight of water, 103 kg/m3
Ssl = specific gravity of the sludge
PS= percent solids expressed as a decimal

Remember that, volume varies inversely with the % of solid matter contained in sludge:
V1 P2

V2 P1
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 The problems of dealing with
sludge are complex because;

The portion of sludge produced from

biological treatment requiring disposal, is
composed of ORGANIC MATTER
contained in the wastewater but IN
ANOTHER FORM, which can also
decompose.
Only a small part of the sludge is solid
matter
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 The main purposes are;

to reduce water content of sludge

to reduce organic content of sludge

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Volume reduction processes;
Thickening
Conditioning
Dewatering
Heat drying
Incineration

Stabilization,mass reduction processes;

Alkaline stabilization
Anaerobic digestion
Aerobic digestion
Composting
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 Sludge Processing and Disposal Methods;
(1) Preliminary Operations (2) Thickening
sludge grinding gravity thickening
sludge screening flotation thickening
sludge degritting centrifugation
sludge blending gravity belt thickening
sludge storage rotary drum thickening
(3) Stabilization
alkaline stabilization (4) Conditioning
anaerobic digestion chemical conditioning
aerobic digestion heat treatment
composting
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 Sludge Processing and Disposal Meth

(5) Dewatering
vacuum filter
centrifuge
belt filter press
filter press
sludge drying beds
lagoons
(6) Heat Drying
direct dryers
indirect dryers

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 Sludge Processing and Disposal Meth

(7) Thermal Reduction/Incineration

multiple hearth incineration
fluidized bed incineration
co-incineration with solid wastes

(8) Ultimate Disposal

land application
distribution and marketing
chemical fixation
landfilling
lagooning
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 Typical sludge treatment flow diagrams with biological digestion
and three different sludge dewatering processes;

Supernatant
Underflow to plant
to plant influent
influent or separate
treatment

Waste- Anaerobic Sludge cake

Flotation Chemical Belt
activated sludge to ultimate
thickener conditioning filter
sludge digestion disposal

Primary Filtrate to
sludge thickener or
plant influent

Belt-filter 13
Press
 Supernatant to plant
influent or separate
treatment

Combined waste activated Dewatered

and primary sludge Anaerobic Chemical sludge
Centrifuge
from primary sludge digestion conditioning to ultimate
sedimentation tanks disposal

Centrate to
plant influent or
Seperate treatment
Centrifuge

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 Supernatant to plant
influent or separate
treatment

Combined waste activated

and primary sludge Anaerobic Dried sludge to
drying beds
from primary sludge digestion ultimate disposal
sedimentation tanks

Underflow to
plant influent

Drying Beds

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 Anaerobic Sludge
Digestion

By addition of quicklime to dewatered

sludge cake, a stabilized and/or
disinfected biosolids can be produced.

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