Recuperación de sulfato de aluminio de los lodos residuales de la planta de tratamiento de agua potable de Baños sector Cochapamba, Cuenca

Abstract

At present, the city of Cuenca has Process Plants of Drinking Water in most of its rural parishes, which generates in addition to a basic service large discharge of residual sludge. The purpose of this project is to study the possibility of recovering aluminum sulfate by acidification with sulfuric acid, from waste sludge collected from the settlers of the Potable Water Treatment Plant located in the Province of Azuay Canton Cuenca. For the recovery of aluminum sulphate, physicochemical analyzes of the sludge were carried out to determine the initial conditions of the same, between the analyzes we have aluminum, iron, phosphates, sulfates. Microbiological analyzes were performed to determine total and fecal coliforms. Subsequently, treatability tests with sulfuric acid were carried out in a Jar Test equipment, where the pH was varied to 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 units and mixing time of 5, 30 and 90 minutes at a constant speed of 100 rpm. The optimum recovery values are 1.5 units and 30 minutes of mixing, recovering 86% of aluminum and reducing the volume of sludge by 46%. The economic analysis resulted in a total investment of $ 28,166.40. In addition, it is estimated an extra annual investment of 8,640.00 dollars for the purchase of sulfuric acid so that in economic terms it is not feasible the implementation of the project, however, in environmental terms the volume of sludge discharged, in addition to its concentration of aluminum.