Cost effective sludge management through processing capability improvement of a sludge drying plant

Bio-sludge cakes are products of a Sludge Drying Plant (SDP). It is considered as the final processing facility of Effluent Treatment System (ETS) before it is sent out for final disposal. Process disturbances can contribute to the amount of dry solid produced. The resultant of the dry solid produced can tremendously affect the overall process costs. Suitable sludge management can indeed reduce the overall process costs through improvement of the processing capability of the plant. This paper focuses on how cost and sludge management correlates in which improvement on the process capability can affect the cost of the plant. Parameter optimization for the SDP through identification on the current performance through actual process data analysis and identification of the subsystems are factors that contribute to the overall performance. On disposal, Kualiti Alam, a body appointed for disposal purposes, will charge the dried cake sludge based on the weight, however, not on the content. Therefore it is only sensible to export the dried cake at maximum dryness.