Aquatreat Environmental Group
Electro Osmosis Operating Principle
Products > Sludge
Electro Osmosis Dehydrator
for Sludge Dehydration and Pathogen Kill
How it works.....
The Electro Osmosis sludge dehydration unit is effective at dehydrating sludge consistently to 40-60% ds. It works by removing both the free and absorbed water from the sludge which results in a very dry sludge product and pathogen kill in the case of biosolids.
The sludge is firstly dewatered to around 15-20 % ds before being introduced to the dehydrator feed belt. The belt with the sludge is then passed once between a drum and caterpillar belt before being discharged. DC current is passed between the drum and caterpillar with the central drum acting as an anode and the caterpillar acts as the cathode. The combination of mechanical pressure from the drum and electro osmosis drive the moisture from the sludge in the form of steam.
Principle of operation....
As the sludge passes through the unit, solids are drawn to the anode drum allowing and any "free water" present is driven off by a combination of electrophoresis, electro osmosis, capillary pressure and constant mechanical pressure due to the physical weight of the drum. The thickness of the sludge is progressively reducing between the sludge feed and discharge as the water is driven off. The weight of the drum is used to maintain the contact between the anode and cathode as the dehydration progresses.
When all the free water is driven off the dehydrator then drives off the bonded water in the sludge by destroying the cell membrane. This moisture is driven off as steam.
The total processing time takes approximately 60 seconds and the final sludge will be dehydrated to 40-60% ds with pathogen kills down to mimimal threshold levels in many cases.
Diagram of How The Electro Osmosis Dehydrator Works
Principle of Electro Osmosis Dehydration
Equipment options.....
The basic electro osmosis dehydrator can process sludge contents greater than 15% ds. This unit is compact and can be retrofitted into existing process lines downstream of the site dewatering plant.
For greenfield applications or sites with no existing dewatering equipment the electro osmosis dehyhrator is available with a built in belt press. This version of the dehydrator can process sludges of greater than 0.5 % ds ( 5000 mg/l). Pictures of both options are shown on the picture gallery below.
All electro osmosis dehydrators are supplied complete with control panel and interconnecting cables. All you need to do is connect a power feed, deliver sludge to the unit and take away the small volume of dehydrated sludge.
The Electro Osmosis Dehydrator has already been proven on many applications and is simple to operate and maintain. For the first time it is now possible to produce a sludge with low moisture content without having the large capital and operating expenditure of a drier.
If you are a plant operator looking to reduce your sludge handling and landfill / recycling costs by up to 66 %, click on the link below to find out how much you could actually save. Your sludge can be tested using the UK demonstration unit so you will know exacly how much you will save.
Electro Osmosis Dehydrator Summary
- Instantly reduces your sludge recycling / disposal costs by up to 66%
- Achieves high Levels of pathogen kill
- Big reductions in landfill costs
- Available as a stand alone unit for retrofit on existing sites
- Available with built in belt press for sites with no dewatering facilities
- Compact plant footprint
- Produces sludge in a form that could potentially be used as a resource (i.e. fuel) as opposed to a costly waste
- Finance packages available
