What is Sludge Treatment? How many types of industrial sludge?

Sludge treatment is necessary for modern rural and urban life, from agriculture to industry. But why the sludge treatment is especially paramount for the industry field? This article will help you learn more about industrial sludge, from classification to origin, and the importance of polluted-water and sludge  de-watering.

The modern industry is making innovations in production processes and increasing waste recycling to reduce harm to the environment. However, many enterprises are still not immune to operational processes that generate wastewater and sludge. The industrial sludge treatment process helps remove harmful chemicals and substances from sludge generated from various industries.

Overview of sludge treatment: concept, classification and sources of sludge

To build a proper industrial sludge treatment process, we first need to understand the nature of this type of waste. So What are industrial sludge and its types? What kinds of sludge need to be treated promptly? Let’s find out in detail the problems related to industrial sludge in the following content.

What is industrial sludge? The purpose of the industrial sludge treatment process

Industrial sludge is the waste formed after the treatment of industrial wastewater. Industrial wastewater generally contains a large amount of organic and inorganic impurities at different concentrations. They sometimes include other hazardous materials as well as non-biodegradable ingredients. Therefore, sludge and polluted-water treatment system is tricky and complicated.

The industrial sludge treatment process treats contaminated water caused by industrial or commercial activities before it is released into the environment or reused. The mechanism of the process is to squeeze the impurities into a smaller liquid volume, called sludge. Depending on the sludge properties, people use different treatment methods. So, What types of industrial sludge are there?

Three types of Industrial sludge and suitable industrial sludge treatment method

The characteristics of industrial sludge depend on the quality of the initial feed water and the type of production that generates the sludge. The classification of industrial sludge will help determine the appropriate and standard industrial sludge treatment method. Based on the nature of the sludge, there are three main types of sludge:

• Biological sludge: is a non-toxic sludge, but it has an unpleasant odour. We can use this type of sludge to produce organic fertilizers used in livestock farming. Because the composition of these fertilizers is mostly biological sludge, the price will be low, but the quality is not inferior to many other fertilizers on the market.

• Non-hazardous sludge, also known as microbiological one, is generated from industrial wastewater treatment systems. Their materials can be wood, paper, plastics, metals, glass, and chemicals, along with other materials generated by industrial, commercial, agricultural, and residential sources. They are non-toxic sludge, so no treatment is required. However, it is necessary to remove the poor quality microbial sludge (such as old microbial sludge, excess microbial sludge or young microbial sludge) and replace it with a better quality microbial sludge.

• Hazardous industrial sludge: as the name implies, this is a harmful sludge, so it is imperative to collect and industrial sludge treatment according to standard procedures before being discharged into the environment. This type of sludge often contains many heavy metals harmful to health, such as Se, Al, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, etc. If not handled properly and timely, it can cause long-term harm to both human health and the environment.

Industrial sludge treatment: generation sources and treatment needs

Sludge and polluted-water treatment is mainly related to industrial parks, companies, factories, factories and farms. Specifically, sludge is generated from:

• Dredging sludge: mainly generated in the process of dredging the system of canals and ditches, in the works of improving facilities and traffic systems.
• Sludge from wastewater treatment system: this is one of the familiar sources leading to the need for industrial sludge treatment. Treating industrial wastewater and domestic wastewater will generate a large amount of industrial sludge in many different forms.
• Sludge from wastewater and livestock waste treatment systems: large-scale concentrated farms and livestock factories currently generate a large amount of toxic industrial sludge with foul odours, affecting the environment, the general beauty, etc., should be handled promptly and correctly.
• Sewage sludge from the drainage system: Large agencies, organizations, or residential areas will have large quantities of sludge layers remaining after the use process. Periodic cleaning of these systems generates a significant amount of sludge that needs to be treated.
• Sludge from the water treatment system: generated from centralized domestic water treatment plants or stations.

Industries that generate sludge and industrial sludge treatment needs

Industrial sludge treatment is one issue that needs attention and proper performance to avoid threats to the environment and human health. Here are the industries that generate industrial sludge and need to treat industrial sludge:

• The wastewater treatment system of factories producing steel, aluminium, plastic, paper, oil paint, textile dyeing, plating.
• Domestic wastewater treatment system from apartment buildings, commercial centres.
• Food production industries such as beer, soft drinks, milk, drinking water, confectionery.
• Sludge and polluted-water treatment systems in farms, livestock factories.

Industrial sludge treatment should be taken seriously and follow current standards. The output sludge must meet QCVN standards of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Although they are the same hazardous waste sludge, each industry has different principles and treatment processes. Accordingly, businesses and agencies and organizations need to coordinate with experienced and specialized units to evaluate and offer appropriate solutions.

Why should be collected and sludge treatment properly according to regulations?

Industrial sludge treatment is an obligation and an essential task that industries or systems that generate sludge must take seriously. As mentioned above, even though industrial sludge is not harmful, it has a bad smell that affects the community’s health. Hazardous sludge affects the natural environment and people’s living environment and poses many potential risks to human health if not properly collected and treated.

Moreover, if not treated well and discharged into the environment, industrial sludge can also be severely fined according to the State’s regulations. The treatment should be based on the type of sludge and its composition to determine the appropriate option. 

Each production and livestock process will generate waste and sludge with different characteristics. Therefore, to have a suitable industrial sludge treatment plan and ensure that it meets the standards of environmental agencies, businesses or organizations need to choose a professional treatment unit and service to coordinate with performing.

VIVABLAST: The leading provider of industrial wastewater and sludge treatment services will help your business develop the best solution and plan after the evaluation process of experienced experts. Thanks to the application of modern sludge de-watering technology and many years of experience implementing sludge and polluted-water treatment projects for farms and livestock factories, VIVABLAST will provide a service that meets all rigorous standards at the Lowest OPEX (operational expenditure) on the market.

Consult now Polluted Water & Sludge Treatment and Dewatering Services by VIVABLAST