Can water treatment residual be useful? A preliminary investigation in the Canadian Prairies

水处理残渣有用吗？

• 批准号: 580698-2022
• 负责人: Xue, JinkaiJ
• 金额: $ 2万
• 依托单位: University of Regina
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=752767
• 关键词: water; treatment; residual; useful; preliminary

Drinking water treatment is essential to the protection of public health in the modern society. Coagulation is the most widely used water treatment process in the world for particulate and colloidal matter removal from water, which results in large quantities of water treatment residual (WTR) production. As alum (hydrated aluminum sulfate salt) is the most commonly used coagulant, aluminum-based sludge is the most common WTR. Traditionally landfilling and agricultural application are the two common strategies of aluminum-based sludge management. The former is costly and the second may have difficulty in finding willingness among agricultural producers due to the concern of deteriorating soil health. The partner of this project pays over $1 million annually to landfill its aluminum-based sludge, which is a heavy financial burden. In light of the main elements, e.g., Al, Si, and Ca, in aluminum-based sludge, aluminum-based sludge may be made into value-added products such as adsorbent, bricks, ceramsite, and concrete. We will work with the partner to explore the possibility of transforming a costly to manage waste into marketable products. The main goal of this project is to preliminarily explore the possibility of developing value-added products using wastewater stream (aluminum-based sludge) generated at the industrial partner's facility. Specific objectives are: 1) Conduct systematic literature research on valorization of aluminum-based sludge; 2) Characterize the aluminum-based sludge generated at the plant in different seasons; and 3) Explore directly reusing aluminum-based sludge for emerging pollutant removal from water matrices. The project will not only help the partner to further enhance its environmental stewardship but also reduce operational costs or even open up new profit opportunities. Such an endeavor also has implications to the sustainable development of the region and Canada.

饮用水处理对于保护现代社会的公众健康至关重要。混凝是世界上应用最广泛的水处理工艺，用于去除水中的颗粒物和胶体物质，导致产生大量的水处理残渣（WTR）。由于明矾（水合硫酸铝盐）是最常用的混凝剂，因此铝基污泥是最常见的水处理剂。传统上，填埋和农业应用是铝基污泥管理的两种常见策略。前者成本高昂，而后者由于担心土壤健康恶化，可能很难在农业生产者中找到意愿。该项目的合作伙伴每年要支付超过100万美元来填埋其铝基污泥，这是一个沉重的经济负担。根据铝基污泥中的Al、Si、Ca等主要元素，铝基污泥可制成吸附剂、砖块、陶粒、混凝土等高附加值产品。我们将与合作伙伴一起探索将管理成本高昂的废物转化为适销对路的产品的可能性。该项目的主要目标是初步探索利用工业合作伙伴工厂产生的废水流（铝基污泥）开发增值产品的可能性。具体目标是： 1）对铝基污泥增值进行系统的文献研究； 2）表征不同季节工厂产生的铝基污泥； 3) 探索直接回用铝基污泥来去除水基质中的新污染物。该项目不仅可以帮助合作伙伴进一步加强环境管理，还可以降低运营成本，甚至开辟新的盈利机会。这样的努力也对该地区和加拿大的可持续发展产生影响。