MICROWAVE-HEATING FOR SLUDGE DEWATERING AND DRYING

The removal of water from sludges through the use of microwaves was evaluated at bench scale. The work was divided into three phases: (1) initial studies to ensure comparable conditions between all experiments, (2) experiments involving both organic and inorganic sludges, and (3) a preliminary evaluation of possible application points for microwave water removal in the conventional sludge-handling train based on operating energy costs. From this evaluation, the most likely application areas for microwave technology would be for drying sludges from the current limits of physical/chemical processes (30-35% solids) to the optima for various final disposal options (for example, approximately 50% for incineration).