Enhancing sludge dewaterability and phosphate removal through a novel chemical dosing strategy using ferric chloride and hydrogen peroxide

In this study, we replicated full‐scale centrifuge dewatering utilized in water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) by using the Higgins modified centrifuge technique and demonstrated that analogous cake solid content and centrate suspended solids were attainable while applying a lower polymer dosage. Furthermore, we demonstrated a dramatic reduction in the concentration of phosphate (P) in anaerobically digested sludge (ADS) under various reaction conditions. H2O2 was employed to convert embedded iron in ADS, in the form of FeS, to Fe (II) and Fe (III), which subsequently reacted to precipitate phosphate compounds, dropping the in situ P concentration by nearly 50%. Adding ferric chloride (220 mg/L) in ADS enhanced the P‐removal to more than 80%. Finally, simultaneous dosing of Fe and H2O2 boosted P‐removal efficiency to higher than 90%. The role of Fe in strengthening the flocs and increasing the dewaterability was also substantiated by demonstrating a 2% growth in the cake solid content when ADS was conditioned with Fe + H2O2 preceding polymer treatment. The outcome of this work confirms that a deeper understanding of centrifuge operational parameters and physico‐chemical properties of wastewater sludge would result in improved performance of municipal WRRFs. Practitioner points Dosing hydrogen peroxide effectively converted iron embedded in sludge from Fe (II) to Fe (III). Simultaneous dosing of iron and hydrogen peroxide boosted P removal efficiency. The role of iron in strengthening flocs and enhancing dewaterability was observed, as it increased cake solid content in centrifuged sludge. An advanced bench‐scale test protocol was employed to optimize polymer dose, simultaneously reducing polymer consumption while maximizing cake solid content and centrate quality. Hydrogen peroxide was employed to convert embedded iron in ADS, in the form of FeS, to Fe (II) and Fe (III), which subsequently reacted to precipitate phosphate compounds, dropping the in‐situ P concentration. Adding ferric chloride in ADS enhanced the Premoval. The role of Fe in strengthening the flocs and increasing the dewaterability was demonstrated by a 2% growth in the cake solids content when ADS was conditioned with hydrogen peroxide and ferric chloride preceding polymer treatment.