Bench Scale Dewaterability Assessments: Methods for Determining an Optimal Polymer Demand

Dewatering at municipal water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) is an operationally challenging, and costly endeavor due to the costs associated with chemical conditioning of the solids to improve their dewaterability [1], and hauling of the material for beneficial use or disposal. Operational goals for a utility include significant reduction in solids volume, and the associated dewatering costs. Therefore, it is important to recover as much water as possible. However, solids characteristics and process changes throughout a WRRF can impact the ability to effectively dewater. To improve the ability to recover water with minimal chemical addition, it is important to understand the many factors that can contribute to solids dewaterability. The information contained in this Fact Sheet refers specifically to determination of optimal polymer dose (OPD) for dewatering of solids generated at municipal WRRFs.