The dissolved air at the bottom layer of the deep aeration tank transforms into fine gas bubbles within the MLSS (Mixed Liquor Suspended Solid) floc when exposed to the atmosphere. MLSS floc flotation occurs when MLSS from the deep aeration tank enters the secondary clarifier for solid-liquid separation, as dissolved air becomes fine air within the MLSS floc. The floated MLSS floc causes a high SS (Suspended Solid) concentration in the secondary effluent. The fine air bubbles within the MLSS floc must be removed to achieve stable sedimentation in the secondary clarifier. Fine bubbles within the MLSS floc can be removed by air sparging. The settleability of MLSS was measured by sludge volume indexes (SVIs) after air sparging MLSS taken at the end of the deep aeration tank. MLSS settling tests were performed at MLSS heights of 200, 300, 400, and 500 mm, and compressed air was fed at the bottom of the settling column with air flow rates of 100, 300, and 500 ml/min at each MLSS height, respectively. Also, at each height and air flow rate, air was sparged for 3, 5, and 7 minutes, respectively. SVI was determined for each height, air flow rate, and sparging time, respectively. Experimental results showed that a 300 mm MLSS height, 300 ml/min air flow rate, and 3 minutes of sparging time were the least conditions to achieve less than 120 ml/g of SVI, which was the criterion for good MLSS settling in the secondary clarifier.

The ballasted flocculation effects of the mill scale and magnetite on activated sludge were investigated. Both ballasted flocculants (BF) could remarkably improve the sludge settleability in terms of zone settling velocity (ZSV) and sludge volume index (SVI). With the BF dosage of 0.2 to 2.0 g-BF/g-SS, the magnetite particles showed better efficiency on improving settling behavior of activated sludge than the mill scale due to higher surface area and hydrophobic property. The efficiency of SVI30 with magnetite injection was 2.5 to 11.3% higher than mill scale injection and that of the ZSV appreciated from 23.7% to 44.4% for magnetite injection. Averaged floc size of the BF sludge with magnetite dosage (0.5 g-BF/g-SS) was 2.3 times higher than that of the control sludge. Dewaterability of the sludge was also greatly improved by addition of the BF. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) was reduced exponentially with increasing the dosage of BF. However, the BF’s particle size effect on the SRF looks to be marginal. Consequently, for improving the dewaterability, the BF played a physical role to remove the pore water of the biological flocs by intrusive attachment and a chemical role to induce aggregation of the flocs by charge neutralization.

The effects of activated carbon originated Ballasted Flocculant (BF) on the settleability of activated sludge and the recovery of BF by Hydro-cyclone (HC) were analyzed experimentally. Two kinds of BF (M-I: 125-250 μm, M-II: 250-425 μm in dia.) and three kinds of activated sludges with different SS concentration (2,300-7,100 mg/L) were applied for this study. With the dosage variation of BF from 0.14 to 1.3 g-BF/g-SS, we could obtain 24-31% improvement in SV30 (Sludge Volume after 30min sedimentation) for the lowest SS concentration sludge (2,300 mg/L). Whereas the SV30 improvement was much higher as 44-48% for the highest SS concentration sludge (7,100 mg/L). The settling characteristics of the sludge with BF followed Vesilind model the best among three models (Vesilind, Takacs and Cho model). HC could effectively separate BF with the separation efficiency of 70-90% and over 95% separation efficiency could be obtained when the HC was applied twice.

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of improving dewaterability and settleability of sewage sludge using coagulation sludge. When mixed with sewage sludge and coagulation sludge at 1:1 ratio, capillary suction time(CST) and specific resistance to filtration(SRF) decreased by about 56% and 68%, respectively. It is found that total solids(TS) and volatile solids(VS) of mixing sludge are increased by about 59% and 53%, respectively. Also, the turbidity of the mixing sludge supernatant was reduced from 99 to 16 NTU. It is observed that the mixing of sewage sludge and coagulation sludge at 1:1 showed better effect than using poly-aluminum chloride(PAC) coagulant at 25 mg/L.