Solar Sludge Drying Beds

In europe the reason for drying the sludge is the high cost of the final treatment so each ton of water extracted from the sludge lowers the annual cost for the water plants.

Solar sludge drying beds. Sdb is generally used for small and medium sized communities tchobanoglous et al. Sludge drying bed sdb is the most widely used method for sludge dewatering. Sludge drying involves natural ways of drying to mechanical ways of removing water content. This simple but efficient and economic process allows to produce a more than 80 dry sludge.

They are naturally ventilated by the wind. Sludge drying beds may be open to the atmosphere or can be constructed with roof to protect them from rain and in cold climate from frost. Drying beds are the most widely used method of municipal wastewater sludge dewatering in the united states they have been used for more than 100 years. The combined sludge turning and transporting system is at the heart of the drying plant.

Solar drying requires space and initial funding but the running costs are extremely low. The higher the wind speed blowing over the sludge surface the faster the drying speed. Parkson says a consistent end product is always produced within a specific time frame with changing weather conditions having little effect on results. Although the use of drying beds might be expected in small plants and in warmer sunny regions they are also used in several large facilities and in northern climates in the united states a majority of wastewater treatment plants with less.

Built in 2018 the solar sludge drying beds dry the sludge dirt removed from the wastewater by removing the water content more than 80 in the input wet sludge solely with the energy received from the sun. Disposal of that sludge which contain 20 dry solids is very difficult without drying process. By covering the bed it is also possible to use solar energy to heat up the sludge during the drying period and thus to eliminate pathogens. After mechanical dewatering sludge contains 20 dry solids.

Also the automation degree of sewage sludge feeding and removal is variable. However at sites with regular rainfall an open air drying bed is not as satisfactory. The sludge is transported. For this reason in middle europe open air drying beds are no longer in use.

The solar sludge drying systems can be erected on a variety of flat or inclined surfaces in a range of climates and can be adapted to retrofit existing drying beds.