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Hybrid conditioning of ionic liquid coupling with H2SO4 to improve the dewatering performance of municipal sludge

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Abstract

Municipal sludge generated from wastewater treatment plants can cause a serious environmental and economic burden. A novel hybrid conditioning strategy was developed to enhance the dewatering performance of sludge, employing 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate ([C4mim][CF3SO3]) treatment combined with H2SO4 acidification. Following conditioning, the capillary suction time (\({\text{CST}}_{\text{normalized}}\)), the specific resistance of filtration (SRF), and moisture content of the treated sludge were decreased to 1.99 ± 0.24 (s·L/g TSS), 1.33 ± 0.05 (1012 m/kg), and 72.01 ± 0.94%, respectively. The results were superior to those achieved with sludge treated solely by H2SO4 acidification or [C4mim][CF3SO3] alone. The biomacromolecules within the sludge flocs were dissolved by [C4mim][CF3SO3], while simultaneously, the microorganisms were inactivated. Consequently, the colloidal-like structures of the sludge flocs were destroyed. Additionally, the ionizable functional groups of the biomacromolecules were instantly protonated by the introduced H+ ions, and their negative charges were neutralized during the H2SO4 acidification process. The presence of H+ ions promoted the weakening of electrostatic repulsion between the sludge flocs. As a result, an enhancement of sludge dewaterability was obtained after treatment with [C4mim][CF3SO3] and H2SO4 acidification. The finding of the intensification mechanism of sludge dewaterability brought by hybrid treatment of acidification and [C4mim][CF3SO3] provides novel insights into the field of sludge disposal.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (2022SCUH0041).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sichuan Base of International Science and Technology Cooperation for Green Chemical Industry, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, No.24 South Section 1, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, 610065, China

    Changtao Chen, Tao Zhang, Li Lv, Wenxiang Tang & Shengwei Tang

  2. LIWET, Laboratory for Industrial Water and EcoTechnology, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Campus Kortrijk, Sint-Martens-Latemlaan 2B, B-8500, Kortrijk, Belgium

    Changtao Chen

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  1. Changtao Chen
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Contributions

Investigation, conceptualization, visualization, and writing—original draft, Changtao Chen; writing (review and editing), data analysis, and visualization, Tao Zhang; methodology, Li Lv; supervision and editing, Wenxiang Tang; conceptualization, methodology, supervision, editing, and funding acquisition, Shengwei Tang.

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Correspondence to Shengwei Tang.

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Chen, C., Zhang, T., Lv, L. et al. Hybrid conditioning of ionic liquid coupling with H2SO4 to improve the dewatering performance of municipal sludge. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 29513–29524 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33135-x

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