Physiochemical properties of digested sewage sludge with ultrasonic treatment

We investigated the dewaterability and physiochemical properties of digested sludge after treatment with ultrasonic energy for the purpose of reducing sludge. The study involved laboratory experimentation under varying test conditions of treatment time, volume of sludge and ultrasonic energy, which combined can be denoted as specific supplied energy (E(v)). Results of the experiments show that particle size (dp(50), dp(10), U) of the ultrasonically treated sludge decreases due to the separation of sludge flocs. Capillary suction times (CSTs) decrease significantly, while turbidity, VDSs/VS and SCODs/TCOD increase with ultrasonic treatment. From these results, it was found that the ultrasonic treatment specified by the supplied energy (E(v)) can not only improve dewaterability but also reduce the volume and mass and change the chemical properties of sludge.