Ca 2+ -aided separation of polysaccharides and proteins by microfiltration: Implications for sludge processing

Excess sludge produced by wastewater treatment plants contains extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs; 10–40 dry wt%) that mainly comprise polysaccharides and proteins and can be used as bioflocculants, adsorbents for heavy metal ions, and soil conditioners. Herein, we investigated the separation of EPS constituents using unstirred and stirred dead-end microfiltration in the presence of Ca2+, with an aqueous solution of sodium alginate (SA)...