EQUALIZATION STORAGE FOR UNTREATED SLUDGE – PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

There is often a need to provide equalization-storage for primary sludge and for biological sludges in municipal wastewater treatment plants. This is important because the sludge processing systems used at specific plants may not operate on a schedule consistent or workable with sludge production. In response to this need, municipal plants often store sludge within the liquid processing system (within primary clarifiers and aeration tanks), within gravity thickeners, and within various wet wells and dedicated tankage. Problems of septicity and sludge fermentation can and do occur when storing untreated sludges so that odor control techniques become critically important. This paper is limited to issues surrounding storage and equalization of sludge slurries, and does not include issues concerning dewatered sludge materials.