In the paper industry, the issue of sludge treatment is often not given special attention. However, efficient treatment of wastewater and sludges is a must for ecological and economic reasons. Fibers and process water can be recovered or cleaned and recirculated. This saves money by avoiding waste of valuable resources. Residual sludges can be thermally recycled or used as an additive in other industries.

Challenges for sludge dewatering

There are several aspects that affect the sludge dewatering process and its design and could force a mill to take a closer look at it:

• Stricter environmental regulations
• Grade changes in paper production entailing changed sludge composition
• Production increase challenging sludge dewatering capacities
• Increasing maintenance and service costs of existing equipment
• Demands for reducing the operating costs

The main types of sludge dewatering machines can achieve different degrees of outlet dryness.

Using the full savings potential

It might not be enough to look at just a single component – you need to see the big picture. At ANDRITZ, we have extensive technological and process know-how in the field of pulp and sludge dewatering. This gives us the capabilities to identify the improvement potential of your entire sludge dewatering process.

Regardless of the machine type and design, dewatering should be as efficient as possible. Every percentage point more in dry content after mechanical dewatering is worth hard cash, as is a more efficient sludge dewatering process. Click on the image to see how savings of up to 120,000 euros per year can be achieved.

System audit: Condition survey as basis

The easiest way to determine the condition of a facility and its potential for improvement is to conduct an audit. We offer performance evaluation and functional inspection during operation, with quite some benefits for you:

• Holistic view of the entire sludge dewatering process
• ANDRITZ specialist on site to answer questions immediately
• Analyses and tests with fresh sludge samples
• Detailed report including process description as well as recommended tasks and improvement solutions

A comprehensive sludge dewatering audit could comprise a process analysis, a condition check of the installed equipment, and an analysis of sludge samples collected at the mill. Furthermore, we have equipment to simulate and analyze the functionality of a gravity table and a screw press, as well as belt press, filter press and filtration simulation devices. Additional lab test can be performed in the mill's own laboratory or at our facilities in Graz, Austria.

The audit report can be the basis for concretizing a planned service or upgrade project and speeding up its implementation. ANDRITZ can help you to find the best technical solution and provide you with a qualified offer including process guarantees based on verified data.

All in all, we can be your main contact for all further tasks in sludge dewatering.