Cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) enhanced pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering of activated sludge

Pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering (PVEOD) has been regarded as a feasible method to achieve sludge deep-dewatering, but the dewatering efficiency is still challenged by high electric resistance. This study employed cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) as a skeleton builder to enhance electro-osmotic flow in PVEOD. The sludge dewatering efficiency and synergistic effect of CPAM and PVEOD were elucidated. The sludge morphology, surface property, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) destruction and migration, spatial distributions of proteins and polysaccharides, and current changes were investigated. After the addition of optimal CPAM dose, the sludge formed a uniform and porous structure that provided water channels and enhanced electric transport, thus promoting EPS destruction. The sludge moisture content (MC) analysis indicated the more liberation of bound water due to EPS destruction. Besides, the re-flocculation of disintegrated sludge flocs improved the sludge filtration and thus dewaterability. Instantaneous energy consumption (Et,0.5) was optimized and two-step synergistic mechanism was thus proposed. These findings indicated that the combination of CPAM and PVEOD is a promising strategy to broaden the scope of industrial application of sludge deep-dewatering.