Industrial sludge is the waste generated after the treatment of industrial wastewater. Most industrial sludge contains heavy metal components, which are more or less harmful to the environment. This is why businesses need to have proper sludge treatment methods.
1. Sludge classification will help you choose the most effective way to treat sludge.
To better understand how industrial sludge is treated, we need to understand the nature of this waste and how they are classified.
1.1 Before choosing the sludge treatment, we should find out what industrial sludge is
The industrial sludge treatment process is used to treat water that has been contaminated by industry and production activities before being discharged into the environment. The mechanism of this treatment process is to squeeze the impurities into a smaller liquid volume, which is called sludge.
It can be said that industrial sludge is the final waste in the wastewater treatment process. Sewage sludge has a foul smell and contains a lot of impurities. Heavy metals are often found deposited at the bottom of sewage sludge. Proper industrial sludge treatment is used to remove harmful impurities. Depending on the nature of the sludge, different sludge treatment methods are applied.
What Is Sludge Treatment, And Why Is It Important In Industry?
1.2 Classification of sludge to choose the best sludge treatment method
Based on the type of sludge, businesses can determine the appropriate industrial sludge treatment method. Usually, sludge is classified into 3 types as follows:
- Biological sludge: This is a non-toxic sludge that causes an unpleasant odor. This type of sludge can be used to produce organic fertilizer for livestock and farming. Most fertilizer is made of biological sludge, so it is cheap. The quality is comparable to that of other available fertilizers.
- Non-harmful sludge: This type of sludge is also known as microbiological sludge from industrial wastewater treatment systems. Since it is not dangerous, there is no need to treat it. Poor-quality microbiological sludge, such as old microbiological sludge, excessively microbiological sludge, or new microbiological sludge, needs to be eliminated.
- Harmful sludge: Because this is toxic sludge, it must be collected and treated according to standard procedures before being released into the environment. Heavy metals like Al, Cu, Mn, Zn, Hg, and Se, which are harmful, are often found in this kind of sludge. If these metals are not handled properly, they can affect people and the environment in the long term.
1.3 Why do we need to choose the appropriate method for treating industrial sludge?
Industrial sludge, especially harmful sludge, is considered the main cause of harmful environmental effects. If the process for treating industrial sludge is not excellent, it will pollute the water supply, which will potentially harm the ecosystem and people’s health. So, treating wastewater and industrial sludge is a crucial part.In addition, if industrial sludge is not treated well before being discharged into the environment, enterprises will be severely fined according to government regulations. It is necessary to classify the sludge and determine the appropriate plan. Besides, the sludge characteristics depend on the initial water quality and the type of operation from which the sludge is discharged. Therefore, to have a suitable sludge treatment method and meet the standards issued by the country, businesses need to choose a professional industrial sludge treatment unit.
2. Industrial sludge treatment methods are currently being commonly applied nowadays
There are some methods of industrial sludge treatment that have been studied by scientists from many countries:
- Physical method: This method separates hazardous substances from sludge by phase separation.
- Chemical method: It works to change the chemical properties of the waste to return it to a no longer harmful state.
- Filtration method: The filtration method helps separate solid particles from gasses and liquids when passing through the filter material. Solid particles are retained in the filter media by pressure difference, centrifugal force, and vacuum pressure,…
- Precipitation method: This solution helps to convert soluble to insoluble by chemical reaction, precipitation, sedimentation,…
- Redox: Similar to the chemical method, redox will turn toxic substances present in sewage sludge into substances that are no longer toxic or less toxic.
- Evaporation method: Evaporate by heating to liquefy to reduce the amount of waste that needs final treatment.
- Solidification stabilization method: This method uses inorganic binders used to solidify, such as cement, lime, gypsum, silicate,… and organic binders such as epoxy, polyester, asphalt, etc. This method isolates the contaminant components using a durable shell that forms a critical mass with high texture.
- Heat treatment method: The heat treatment method is also known as the combustion method. This method will use high temperatures to reduce the volume of waste or increase the oxidation rate of the sludge.
- Using hazardous waste as raw materials: Using dangerous waste mixed with common materials to burn boilers, kilns, cement, glass furnaces, and metallurgical furnaces,… with waste accounting for 12 %-15% of total fuel.
- Hazardous waste treatment method by biotechnology: This solution uses plants to absorb heavy metals and clean up the soil and water environment. This method is considered much cheaper than other traditional methods. However, the limitation is that it cannot be processed immediately and is difficult to disseminate.
- Solidification stabilization method combined with HSOB additives: HSOB is an additive that, when mixed with sludge containing heavy metals, will create an oxidation-reduction reaction that turns toxic substances into less harmful, insoluble substances, domestic,…
Industrial sludge treatment is an important issue, so businesses need to find a professional treatment facility. VIVABLAST is proud to be a sludge treatment unit with many years of experience. VIVABLAST’s experts will directly assess and offer appropriate handling measures to the specific situation of each business. To receive particular advice on sludge treatment services, please contact VIVABLAST through the information below:
- Phone: (+ 84-28) 38 965 006/7/8
- Fax: (+ 84-28) 38 965 004
- Email: vivablast@vivablast.com
