The Sludge Dewatering System with Multi-Disk Screw Press is a solution to reduce the water content in the sludge resulting from the water and wastewater treatment process, thus producing a denser and easier to handle sludge cake.
Hydromaster uses Volute™ Multi-Disk Screw Press technology to assist the sludge dewatering process in Water Treatment Plants (WTP), Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP), and various industrial applications.
This technology uses a combination of screws, fixed plates, and moving plates to continuously separate water from sludge with a design that helps reduce the risk of clogging.
In 1991, AMCON introduced the VOLUTE™, commonly known as the multi-disk screw press, to a world where no one had ever seen such a unique filter element before. AMCON's experience since 1974 as an operator of sludge dewatering and wastewater treatment plant equipment led them to develop an easy-to-use machine.
Amcon's Volute™ technology as a pioneer and market leader has been installed and operating more than 30 units in Indonesia since 2008 to handle various types of industrial waste and more than 5000 units in more than 77 countries in the world.
How Does a Multi-Disk Screw Press Work?
The sludge is first pumped to the Multi-Disk Screw Press unit. In certain applications, chemical dosing can be used to aid floc formation before the sludge enters the dewatering section.
Inside the unit, the screw rotates and slowly pushes the sludge toward the dewatering area. The distance between the screw sections narrows, gradually increasing the pressure exerted on the sludge.
The separated water will exit through the gap between the fixed plate and moving plate as filtrate, while the solids will be continued to the end of the machine and exit as sludge cake.
The movement of the moving plate helps keep the filtration area open, thus reducing the risk of clogging during the process.
The dewatering system is applied primarily to sludge from anaerobic and aerobic biological systems as well as sludge from DAF systems or a combination of both with Total Solids of 0.1% – 8% ppm which require special handling.
Before Volute™ technology was invented, sludge usually needed to go through a pre-thickening process before being dewatered separately.
With the invention of Amcon's Volute™, both processes can be carried out simultaneously in a filter element consisting of two types of rings, namely a fixed ring and a moving ring, and a screw that pushes the filter element and moves, while compressing the sludge. The cavity between the rings and the screw pitch is designed to gradually narrow towards the sludge cake outlet and the pressure of the filter element increases due to the volume compression effect, which compacts and removes water from the sludge.
Why is Sludge Dewatering Needed?
The sludge produced from water treatment processes generally still contains a high water content. If handled directly without dewatering, the sludge volume increases, requiring more storage, transportation, and handling space.
Sludge dewatering helps reduce the water content in the sludge so that its volume is smaller and easier to move and manage in the next stage.
The right system can also help improve the overall efficiency of the sludge handling process at WTPs and WWTPs.
Advantages of the Amcon dewatering system:
- Easy operation and maintenance and can operate 24/7 without an operator.
- Compact and efficient design so it saves space, water and electricity.
- There are no problems in terms of noise and vibration because there are no components rotating at high speeds.
- Its self-cleaning mechanism allows for handling sludge with high oil content.
- Significantly reduces odor when drained directly from aerobic sludge
- The resulting sludge cake can contain > 20% Dry Solids.
- Can be applied to municipal, industrial, plantation, mining, and other wastewater
Integration with Water & Wastewater Treatment Systems
Sludge Dewatering System usually does not work as a stand-alone unit, but is part of a series of sludge processing produced by water or wastewater treatment processes.
Multi-Disk Screw Press can be used after processes such as:
Clarifier → Sludge Collection → Thickening / Conditioning → Multi-Disk Screw Press → Sludge Cake
or in the wastewater system:
Biological Treatment → Sludge Handling → Multi-Disk Screw Press → Sludge Cake
Hydromaster can customize the process sequence based on influent characteristics, the treatment process used, and on-site sludge management needs.
Hydromaster's Experience in Sludge Dewatering
Hydromaster has experience in providing water and wastewater treatment solutions for the domestic, commercial, industrial, and municipal sectors in Indonesia since 2005.
The Sludge Dewatering System is listed as one of the technologies in Hydromaster's portfolio. Some project references listed in the company profile include:
Dover Chemicals – Cilegon
System: Sludge Dewatering
Capacity: 30 kg DS/hour
Year: 2023
WTP Elang Laut PIK – Jakarta
System: Sludge Dewatering of WTP
WTP Capacity: 400 liters/second
Sludge Dewatering Capacity: 3,600 kg DS/day
Year: 2020
The project experience demonstrates the application of Hydromaster sludge dewatering to industrial needs and Water Treatment Plants with different capacities.
Why Choose Hydromaster?
Hydromaster provides a total solution approach to your water and wastewater treatment needs.
Project support may include:
- Problem Identification
- Engineering Design for
- Fabrication & Procurement of Equipment and Materials
- Construction & Installation
- Commissioning
- Operator Training
- Operation & Maintenance
- DBOO / DBOT for specific applications
With this approach, the selection of a Sludge Dewatering System can be tailored to the entire water and wastewater treatment process, not just based on equipment capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sludge dewatering?
Sludge dewatering is the process of reducing the water content in sludge resulting from water or wastewater treatment, thus producing a sludge cake with a smaller volume and easier to handle.
How does a Multi-Disk Screw Press work?
The screw pushes the sludge through the dewatering area at gradually increasing pressure. Water exits through the gap between the fixed and moving plates, while solids exit as a sludge cake.
What are the advantages of Multi-Disk Screw Press?
This technology has a compact design, can operate continuously, helps reduce clogging, and can be integrated with various sludge handling systems.
Can Multi-Disk Screw Press be used for WWTP?
Yes. The system can be used for sludge from various WWTP processes, including biological wastewater treatment, clarifiers, and DAF, depending on the sludge's characteristics.
Can the system also be used in Water Treatment Plants?
Yes. Hydromaster has a reference for sludge dewatering applications at the Elang Laut PIK WTP, with a capacity of 400 liters per second.
Is the system capacity adjustable?
Yes. Capacity determination requires consideration of sludge volume, dry solids concentration, sludge characteristics, operating hours, and target dewatering results.
Does Hydromaster provide installation and commissioning?
Yes. Hydromaster provides support ranging from engineering, procurement, construction, and installation to commissioning, operator training, and operation and maintenance.