Wet Oxidation of Excess Activated Sludge from Coal Chemical Industry

Excess activated sludge produced from coal chemical industries has gained much attention, because of the huge volume and high hazardous risk of the sludge. The wet oxidation of coal chemical sludge was studied in this study by using a stainless steel batch reactor. The effects of reaction parameters, including the moisture content, the additional dose of sludge, reaction temperature and the additional amount of oxygen, were discussed. The results showed that the highest removal ratios of COD and TS could reach up to 72.3% and 56.4% respectively with moisture content of sludge 93%, initial oxygen pressure 1.7 MPa under 240°C for 60 min. The mass transfer processes of sludge and oxygen, and the reaction temperature, are very important parameters for the treatment. It was suggested that wet oxidation technology provides a suitable alternative method for the treatment of excess sludge from coal chemical industries.