Ultrasound Assisted Method to Increase the Aluminum Dissolve Rate from Acidified Water

Aluminum salt that is generally presents as a solid phase in the water purification sludge (WPS) can be dissolved, recovering a liquid phase, by adding strong acid to the sludge solution. According to the reaction kinetics, when reactant is in the form of small particles with a large specific surface area, or when the reaction temperature is high, the quantity of dissolved aluminum salt or reaction rate, respectively are high. Therefore, in this investigation, water purification sludge (WPS) solution was treated with ultrasonic waves to break down the sludge, and different acids (1 N HCl and 1 N H2SO4) were used to acidify it. Acid dosages that yielded the solution pH of less than two were used. The results thus obtained indicate that the quantity of dissolved aluminum in H2SO4-acidified solution exceeded that in HCl-acidified solution. Additionally, ultrasonic treatment increased the rate of dissolution of aluminum and the amount dissolved. The quantity of aluminum dissolved at 60℃ was 1.5 to 2.0 times higher than that at 25℃.

Authors:

• Wen Po Cheng
• Chi Hua Fu
• Ping Hung Chen
• Ruey Fang Yu

Keywords:

• Coagulant
• Aluminum
• Ultrasonic
• Acidification
• Temperature
• Sludge.

References:

[1] A.O. Babatunde, Y. Q. Zhaoa, Constructive approaches toward water
treatment works sludge management: an international review of
beneficial reuses. Journal of Critical Reviews in Environmental Science
and Technology, 37(2) (2007), pp. 129 - 164.
[2] D.J. Wozniak, J.Y.C. Huang, Variables affecting metal removal from
sludge. Journal of Water Pollut. Control Fed., 54 (1982), pp. 1574-1580.
[3] I.G. Shimko, E.K. Chernetskii, A.M. Gens, N.I. Biryukova, Regeneration
of coagulant from aluminum hydroxide containing precipitates from
water-softening stations of viscose fibre plants. Journal of Fibre
Chemistry, 18(4) (1987), pp. 326-328.
[4] P. Prakash, D. Hoskins, A.K. SenGupta, Application of homogeneous
and heterogeneous cation-exchange membranes in coagulant recovery
from water treatment plant residuals using donnan membrane process.
Journal of Membrane Science, 237(1-2) (2004), pp. 131-144.
[5] B. Jiménez, M. Mart├¡nez, M. Vaca, Alum recovery and wastewater
sludge stabilization with sulfuric acid. Water Sci. Technol., 56(8)
(2007), pp. 133-141.
[6] S. Ishikawa, N. Ueda, Y. Okumura, Y. Iida, K. Baba, Recovery of
coagulant from water supply plant sludge and its effect on clarification.
Journal of Material Cycle and Management, 9(2) (2007), pp. 167-172.
[7] G.R. Xu, Z.C. Yan, Y.C. Wang, N. Wang, Recycle of Alum recovered
from water treatment sludge in chemically enhanced primary treatment.
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 161 (2009), pp. 663-669.
[8] T. Yu, D.G. Shen, C.N. Yang, Q.N. Shao, P.S. Song, L.N. He, W.X. Pan,
S.P. Bi, Technical development of Aluminum salt recovery from alum
sludge. Journal of The Administration and Technique of Environmental
Monitoring, 21(2) (2009), pp. 45-52.
[9] Z. Liu, S.M. Zhu, Y.H. Li, A new regeneration approach to cation resins
with aluminum salts: application of desalination by its mixed bed.
Frontiers of Environmental Science& Engineering in China, 2011, DOI:
10.1007/s11783-010-0262-6.
[10] T. Panswad, P. Chamnan, Aluminum recovery from industrial
aluminum sludge. Water Supply, 10(4) (1992), pp. 159-166.
[11] C.W. Li, J. L. Lin, S.F. Kang, C.L. Liang, Acidification and alkalization
of textile chemical sludge: volume/solid reduction, dewaterability, and
Al(III) recovery. Journal of Separation and Purification Technology,
42(1) (2005), pp. 31-37.
[12] W.L. Peng, Effect of acidification/alkalization on water treatment plant
sludge reduction and dewaterability. master-s thesis, Tankang
University, Taiwan R.O.C, 2009.
[13] S.H. Huang, J.L. Chen, K.Y. Chiang, H.C. Wu, Effects of acidification
on dewaterability and aluminum concentration of alum sludge. Journal
of Separation Science and Technology, 45(8) (2010), pp.1165-1169.
[14] D.L. Lake, P.W. Kirk, J.N. Lester, Heavy metal solids association in
sewage sludge. Journal of Water Res., 23(3) (1989), pp. 285-291.
[15] A. Tessier, P. Gampbell and M. Bisson, Sequential extraction procedure
for the speciation of particulate trace metals. Journal of Anal. Chem., 51
(1979), pp. 844-851.
[16] Y.J. Chen, H.Y. Teng, P.S. Wei, Y.C. Dung, Monitoring and analysis of
acoustic cavitation behaviors in liquid. Journal of Advanced
Engineering, 2(3) (2007), pp. 157-161.
[17] T.J. Mason, Ultrasound in Environmental Engineering II (Ed. Neis, U.),
2002, 35, 1.
[18] K.Y. Show, T. Mao, J.H. Tay, D.J. Lee, Effects of ultrasound
pretreatment of sludge on anaerobic digestion. Journal of Residuals
Science & Technology, 3(1) (2006), pp. 51-60.
[19] H.T. Zhuang, Q.C. Yin, S.Q. Ding, D.T. Wang, Research about recovery
of aluminum in sludge from water supply plant. Journal of Bohai
University, 30(3) (2009), pp. 202-206.
[20] A. Grönroos, Ultrasonically enhanced disintegration, Polymers, Sludge,
and Contaminated Soil, 2010, VTT Publications, p. 734.
[21] J. Bien, M. Kowalczyk, T. Kamizela, M. Mrwiec, The influence of
ultrasonic disintegration aided with chemicals on the efficiency of
sewage sludge centrifugation. Environmental Protection Engineering,
36(1) (2010), pp. 35-43.
[22] M.K. Ridley, D.J. Wesolowski, D.A. Palmer, B. Pascale, R.M. Kettler,
Effect of sulfate on the release rate of Al3+ from gibbsite in
low-temperature acidic waters. Journal of Environ. Sci. Technol., 31
(1997), pp. 1922-1925.
[23] C.H. Huang, L. Chen, C.L. Yang, Effect of anions on electrochemical
coagulation for cadmium removal. Journal of Separation and
Purification Technology, 65(2) (2009), pp. 137-146.