Effect of Modified Sludge on the Particles Flocculation and Slurry Stability in the Co-slurry of Sludge and Petroleum Coke

Sewage sludge modified by Ca(OH)(2) and Fe-2(SO4)(3) were used as make the slurry with petroleum coke, and changes in the size distribution and a total number of particles in the slurry were determined by Focused Beam Reflectance Measurement (FBRM) to explore the particles flocculation mechanism. In addition, the structural strength of petroleum coke sludge slurry (PCSS) was calculated by two mathematic models to illustrate the how the sludge improves the stability of PCSS. The results indicated that the absolute value of the Zeta potential of PCSS increased with the sludge addition and that PCSS stability improved. However, the absolute value of the Zeta potential decreased and the stability declined after the sludge was modified by Fe-2(SO4)(3) and Ca(OH)(2). Petroleum coke particles were wrapped by sludge flocs, and small particles flocculated during their co-slurry process to form a spatial network structure, effectively prevented the settlement of petroleum coke particles and ultimately improved the stability of slurry. The calculation results obtained by the two mathematic models reveal that the shearing energy consumption per-unit-quality of PCSS using raw sludge is twice or thrice than that of PCWS. However, energy consumption was reduced after the sludge was modified by Fe-2(SO4)(3).