A comparative study of two laboratory pilot-plant sludge dewatering units

Abstract EN

The Jahra sewage treatment plant is located 15 km west of Kuwait City and serves two cities, Sulaibiya and Jahra.

The plant has been in operation since 1981 as a tertiary treatment plant.

It was designed to receive daily 66000 m3/d of sewage.

Currently, daily inflow to the plant is about 45 000 m3/d of sewage.

The sludge produced at the Jahra plant is stable as a result of extended aeration.

At present, there are 30 drying beds, with a drying capacity of about 100 m3/d of sludge.

However, the present dewatering system will be inadequate to handle the projected sludge production.

Therefore, the problem of insufficient area for the present drying beds and the lack of additional land around the plants demands an assessment of alternative dewatering technologies to cope with the plant's present and projected physical constraints.

A pilot-plant study was conducted to evaluate two mechanical filtration systems, belt filter and centrifuge units, for dewatering sludge at the Jahra treatment plant.

The study included determination of optimum dosages of coagulants for thickening the sludge for both the belt filter and the centrifuge units.

The feasibility and effectiveness of the two systems were evaluated under local conditions.