Treatment of waste activated sludge
AssigneeFungi-Gulp Pty. Ltd.
InventorsPeter Logan, Ian Jones
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for treatment of waste activated sludge from a BNR process, which includes the steps of: (a) concentration of the activated sludge from a total solids content (dry weight) of 0.1-1.0% w/v to an increased solids content of 1.5-5.0% w/v, wherein said solids largely contain bacterial biomass from prior aeration of the activated sludge; (b) disrupting bacterial cells contained in the biomass so as to release fermentable nutrients from said bacterial cells; (c) passing the activated sludge from step (b) through an anaerobic digester system; and (d) removing N and/or P from the residue obtained after step (c).
Claims16
A process for treatment of waste activated sludge from a BNR process, which includes the steps of:
- (a) concentration of the activated sludge from a total solids content (dry weight) of 0.1-1.0% w/v to an increased solids content of 1.5-5.0% w/v, wherein said solids largely contain bacterial biomass from prior aeration of the activated sludge;
- (b) disrupting bacterial cells contained in the biomass so as to release fermentable nutrients from said bacterial cells;
- (c) passing the activated sludge from step (b) through an anaerobic digester system;
- and
- (d) removing N and/or P from the residue obtained after step (c).
A process as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the activated sludge will have 0.4% total solids dry weight prior to step (a).
A process as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the total solids dry weight in the sludge is 2-4% after step (a).
A process as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the concentration step (a) is carried out in a filter comprising a screen, wherein the sludge is passed through apertures in the screen and is subject to the action of wash water above and below the screen to prevent clogging or blockages occurring in said apertures.
A process as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the disruption step is carried out in a masceration pump, wherein the sludge is passed through said pump having an impeller having a cutter plate with a plurality of apertures, which is stationary with respect to a rotatable cutter axially aligned thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.