DOI 10.35776/VST.2021.10.04
UDC 628.336.7

Markelov Aleksei, Shiriaevskii Valerii, Krivoborodov Iurii, Sheremeta Ignat, Nikitin Vasilii

Test results of a pilot plant for vitrification of sludge

Summary

Ekopromtekh R&D Center, LLC (a resident of the Skolkovo Innovation Center, a member of the Moscow Innovation Cluster) has developed an innovative solution to the problem of utilization of sludge generated during wastewater treatment – the sludge vitrification technology. To prove the working efficiency of the technology, its technical feasibility; to determine the environmental indicators and energy characteristics a pilot plant was designed at the existing Shchelkovo interdistrict wastewater treatment facilities with the support of the Skolkovo Foundation in the Moscow Region. In the process of operating the unit, a number of positive effects of the introduction of the technology were revealed. It is shown that vitrification of wastewater sludge rovides for reducing the volume of waste by 25 times (in relation to pre-dewatered sludge), obtaining a safe vitrified material at the outlet for use in construction. To determine the energy characteristics of the process, an integrated experimental-theoretical approach was used including the comparison of the measurement results with the data obtained in the course of CFD modeling and thermophysical calculations. The environmental safety has been confirmed according to the program developed by NII Atmosfera JSC, the measurements were carried out by the Center for Laboratory Analysis and Technical Measurements of the Central Federal District. During the tests, it was proved that, in contrast to incineration, hazardous emissions of superecotoxicants (dioxins/furans) were completely excluded. The measurements were carried out by the Laboratory of Analytical Ecotoxicology of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution named after A. N. Severtsov of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Instead of ash at the outlet the unit produces vitrified granular material that has been assigned V hazard class on the basis of biotesting. The practical value of the vitrified material has been approved: according to the report of the Tsemiskon Testing Center, cement with the addition of glass granulate as an additive corresponds to Portland cement with additives of CEM II/A type, 42.5H strength class. The vitrification technology has been fully developed for wastewater sludge and is ready for scale-up and commercialization.

Key words

sludge , sludge drying , sludge cake , vitrification , vitrified material , zero landfilling , pilot plant , thermal methods of utilization

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