Geotextile Tube Dewatering Performance Assessment: An Experimental Study of Sludge Dewatering Generated at a Water Treatment Plant

Maria Alejandra Aparicio Ardila, Samira Tessarolli de Souza, Jefferson Lins da Silva, Clever Aparecido Valentin and Angela Di Bernardo Dantas
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Maria Alejandra Aparicio Ardila: São Carlos School of Engineering (EESC), University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos, São Paulo 13566-590, Brazil
Samira Tessarolli de Souza: São Carlos School of Engineering (EESC), University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos, São Paulo 13566-590, Brazil
Jefferson Lins da Silva: São Carlos School of Engineering (EESC), University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos, São Paulo 13566-590, Brazil
Clever Aparecido Valentin: São Carlos School of Engineering (EESC), University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos, São Paulo 13566-590, Brazil
Angela Di Bernardo Dantas: Hidrosan Engenharia, São Carlos, São Paulo 13560-900, Brazil

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-22

Abstract: Using geotextile tubes as dewatering technology may significantly contribute to sustainable treatment of sludge generated in different industries, such as the water industry. This is an economical alternative for dewatering sludge from a Water Treatment Plant (WTP), which prevents sludge from being directly deposited in water bodies and makes it possible to then transfer the sludge to landfills. This paper presents a laboratory study and a statistical analysis, carried out to evaluate the geotextile tube dewatering of sludge from a WTP, discussing the relation between the independent variables (initial Total Solids (TS) of the sludge and polymer dosing) and dependent variables (performance indices used in the literature) evaluated using semi-performance tests. Sludge from a WTP and three different types of geotextiles bags were used. Changes in the geotextiles’ characteristics after dewatering were also evaluated, quantitatively using permittivity tests and qualitatively by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results indicated turbidity of effluent that met the Brazilian regulations for the discharge of effluents into Class 2 water bodies, as well as higher percent-solids than those obtained with mechanical dewatering technologies. This study underscores the importance of semi-performance tests to understand dewatering in geotextile tubes.

Keywords: geosynthetics; geotextile tubes; sludge; dewatering; total solids; polymer dosing; response surface (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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