Errors in bound water measurements using centrifugal settling method

Centrifugal settling method (CSM) is commonly used to estimate the bound water content in sludges. The sludge sediment matrix should be purely plastic for accurate measurements to the bound water content. This communication, however, addressed for the first time that, owing to the inhibited elasticity of the sludge matrix, sediment height rebound was commonly observed for the flocculated sludge. Also, different sludges could have distinct elastic responses after centrifugation. There existed no simple correlation to incorporate the elastic rebound of sludge sediment in bound water measurement. The possible errors incorporated into CSM for measuring bound water contents were highlighted.