Does anybody have any experience or knowledge of the use of calcium chloride for sludge conditioning just prior to mechanical dewatering? I'm curious to know exactly what it does, how it does it, who does it, and if it is a good idea.
Chemicals are added to coagulate solids and release absorbed water. Chemicals used include ferric chloride, calcium hydroxide, and organic polymers.
Calcium chloride is not used for sludge conditioning. Its main applications and uses are drying and dehydrating. The best way to melt ice is using CaCl2.
CaCl2 is used in Mexico in an industrial wwtp application for sludge conditioning that we wish to mimic in another country; we toured the plant and saw it first-hand.
Maybe they are just mixing two wastes together into one waste. For instance, assume they have a dry calcium chloride waste material that is also going to the landfill. You can add this material into the sludge to add some body to the sludge.
Hard to imagine the calcium chloride being used for anything else.