Waste dewatering

Reverse osmosis enables complete retention of aU dissolved compounds, even small monovalent ions. To avoid the membrane blocking and scaling before reverse osmosis, microfiltration, or ultrafiltration pretreatment can be applied. Apart from preliminary treatment, ultrafiltration can be used for separation of suspensions or colloids, which are often formed by actinides or ions such as " Mg, Fe, °Co, and Sb. Microfiltration found the application for waste dewatering after precipitation. Nanofiltration (NF) that uses lower pressures than reverse osmosis is applied for separation of bivalent from monovalent ions. The most common application of NF process in nuclear industry is boric acid separation from the reactor coolant. 

The microorganisms grow in response to the food source suppHed in the wastewater and produce more biological sludge than is needed to maintain the process. This excess sludge must be wasted from the process and is usually treated by dewatering and aerobic or anaerobic digestion. 

Electrokinetics. Electrokinetics is a tested technology that has been used for over half a century to dewater and stabilize soils, and has recently been investigated for in situ use at hazardous waste sites (23). Primarily used for metals removal, the technology utilizes an electrical field to generate a flow and concentration gradient in porous and semiporous soils. 

Comparisons are available on the relative performance and costs for dewatering municipal sludges (2). The relative performance of different filters and conditioners on waste sludges is shown in Table 3. The same sludge was treated on two belt-filter presses, two different centrifuges, and rotary vacuum filter (75). In another study, a variable chamber filter press, fixed-volume filter press, continuous belt-filter press, and rotary vacuum filter were compared for performance, capacity, and capital and operating costs (69). 

Finally, selective separation and dewatering of one suspended substance in a slurry containing different minerals or precipitates is possible by selectively adsorbing a magnetic material (usually hydrophobic) onto a soHd that is also naturally or chemically conditioned to a hydrophobic state. This process (Murex) was used on both sulfide ores and some oxides (145). More recently, hydrocarbon-based ferrofluids were tested and shown to selectively adsorb on coal from slurries of coal and mineral matter, allowing magnetic recovery (147). Copper and zinc sulfides were similarly recoverable as a dewatered product from waste-rock slurries (148). 

B. J. Schemer and co-workers, "New Dewatering Techniques for Pine Particle Waste," Proc. 16 Int. Min. Proc. Cong, 1951, Elsevier Publishing Co., Amsterdam, 1988. 

DisK Presses Figure 18-157 shows a disk press. The two disks, or press wheels, converge to a veiy narrow space at the bottom. This is the point of maximum compression, which can be more than 14 times the feed pressure. The press wheels have channels to cany the hquid from the dewatered product, and they are covered with a screen plate. Wheels 1.5 m (5 ft) in diameter are used on a large press that requires about 80 connected horsepower and produces just under 1 tonne/h (0.9 ton/h) of sohds (diy basis). Typical apphcations are fibrous materials such as coffee grounds, pineapple and citrus peels and wastes, alfalfa, and brewers spent grain. 

Process Dewatering Applications RO is usebil in many small appheations where there is a volume of water containing a small amount of contaminant. RO is often able to recover most of the water at a purity high enough for reuse. The waste is concentrated making its disposal less costly, which generally pays for the recovery process. 

Convection, conduction, and radiation dryers used for solid wastes and sludge centrifuge and filtration used to dewater treatment-plant sludge... 

Table 28-2 lists some of the currently used pretreatments and ultimate disposal methods for hazardous wastes (6). Pretreatment refers almost entirely to thickening or dewatering processes for liquids or sludges. This process not only reduces the volume of the waste but also allows easier handling and transport. 

Incineration. If land or ocean disposal is not available for waste sludges, incineration may be used. Reference 5 discusses this technique, including dewatering prior to incineration, since w astewater treating sludge can have more than 99% w ater. 

Corrective Action Application An acidic groundwater at a Florida site (pH 2.5-3) required treatment. The groundwater was collected by extraction wells, pumped to an above-ground reactor, and neutralized with lime. In the course of neutralizing the waste stream, precipitates were formed which were removed by clarification and filtration prior to discharge. Sludges produced from the clarification and filtration steps were dewatered by a filter press. 

Extensive drying or dewatering of the waste is not required because cement mixtures require water in the hydration process, and thus the amount of cement added can be adjusted to accommodate a wide range of waste water contents. 

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