ABSTRACT
Conditioning and dewatering is an integral and often necessary process associated with reuse or disposal of wastewater solids. Biosolids conditioning, the first step in the process, prepares liquid biosolids by changing chemical and/or physical properties to allow separation of the solid and liquid fractions. Dewatering, the separation of solid and liquid portions of biosolids slurries, is generally accomplished by mechanical means, although passive systems, such as drying beds and natural freeze/thaw lagoons, are used where weather permits. Thickening can be the first phase of dewatering, or can function as a stand-alone process to remove a portion of the liquid fraction, creating a thick slurry.
