Date of Award

4-1989

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Paper Science and Engineering

Abstract

Disposal of sludge has become a major issue in the pulp and paper industry because of the decreased space in landfills and the possibility of pollution from the sludge. By increasing the amount of solids in the sludge (dewatering), the sludge could be disposed of using less land or by incineration, composting, or other method. The dewatered sludge is easier to handle also because of its decreased volume. The method of dewatering which was used for the experiment was by electrokinetics. Electrokinetics is the technology of separating solids and liquids from suspensions of finely divided solids or colloidal particles using an electrical potential.

Using four different power levels, a final solids level of 5.9% was reached and a decreased volume of almost 50%. This data showed that electrokinetics does have the potential to greatly reduce the volume of material which needs to be disposed of. It may also be able to increase the solids level to a higher level with further modification.

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