A method for neutralizing activated sludge, biological treatment deposit from industrial enterprise wastewater, and heavy metals using energy wastage, that is, water treatment silt, has been proposed.
The activated sludge from biological treatment facilities was examined for heavy metal content (zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni). The presence of heavy metals requires detoxifying activated sludge to reduce anthropogenic impacts on the environment and to use the waste as an environmentally safe secondary material resource in industry.
Activated sludge processing with water treatment silt at a rate of 0.11 kg per 1 kg of dry substance, under pneumatic and mechanical aeration, ensures the detoxification of the deposit. The efficiency of heavy metal extraction increases during pneumatic aeration: Cu by 44.5 %; Cd — 70.3 %; Ni — 47.6%; Pb — 72 %; Zn — 74.73 %; Cr — 35 %, as well as during mechanical stirring: Cu by 30.14 %; Cd — 27.7 %; Ni — 16.7 %; Pb — 25.6 %; Zn — 23.7 %; Cr — 21.38 %.
Therefore, due to detoxification, the environmental safety of the waste improves, and the dual ergonomic and ecological problem of neutralizing activated sludge and utilizing energy mud is addressed.
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