Effect of high-pressure spray-chemical treatment system on the dissolution of hardened sludge in liquid fertilizer storage tanks

Soonuk Yoon

doi:10.11109/JAES.2026.28.2.055

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2026 Vol.28, Issue 2 Next Page

Effect of high-pressure spray-chemical treatment system on the dissolution of hardened sludge in liquid fertilizer storage tanks 고압분무-화학처리 시스템이 액비저장조 내 경화 슬러지 용해에 미치는 영향

31 August 2026. pp. 55-65

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Abstract

Hardened sludge accumulation in swine manure liquid fertilizer storage tanks significantly reduces storage capacity and poses environmental and operational challenges for livestock farms. This study evaluated the field performance of a mobile high-pressure spray injection system combined with a chemical dissolving agent for liquefying hardened sludge in a cylindrical concrete storage tank (capacity approximately 300m³) containing approximately 100m³ of compacted sludge. Two treatment conditions were compared: (1) chemical dissolving agent + high-pressure spray system (Treatment C) and (2) water + high-pressure spray system as a control (Treatment W). Weekly high-pressure injections (200L per session at 200 bar) were conducted over four weeks, with liquid samples collected before and after each injection for comprehensive solid fraction analysis. Treatment C resulted in a dramatic and sustained increase in total suspended solids (TSS), from 533mg/L initially to 53,333mg/L at day 28 after treatment, representing a 100-fold increase. The volatile suspended solids (VSS) fraction of TSS increased from 62.5% to 85.8% by day 21 under Treatment C, indicating that the dissolving agent preferentially dispersed organic sludge components. The TSS-to-TDS ratio under Treatment C increased from 0.19 (pre- treatment, day 1) to 3.56 (post-treatment, day 21), confirming a progressive phase transition from settled to suspended material. In contrast, Treatment W produced only transient TSS increases that diminished after the 7-day stabilization period, with TSS declining to 4,250 mg/L by day 21. Statistical comparison confirmed that Treatment C yielded significantly higher sludge liquefaction efficiency than the water-only control (Mann-Whitney U = 16.0, p = 0.19; effect size analysis substantiated large differences in magnitude). These results demonstrate that the combined mechanical-chemical approach effectively penetrates, disrupts, and suspends hardened sludge, offering a practical field-deployable solution for restoring storage tank capacity and enabling pumpable slurry removal.

Keywords

Hardened sludge

high-pressure spray

chemical dissolving agent

sludge liquefaction

suspended solids

field evaluation

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Information

Publisher :The Korean Society of Animal Environmental Science & Technology
Publisher(Ko) :(사)한국축산환경학회
Journal Title :Journal of Animal Environmental Science
Journal Title(Ko) :축산시설환경학회지
Volume : 28
No :2
Pages :55-65
Received Date : 2026-06-16
Revised Date : 2026-07-02
Accepted Date : 2026-07-07
DOI :https://doi.org/10.11109/JAES.2026.28.2.055

Journal of Animal Environmental Science ISSN:1226-0274(Print) 축산시설환경학회지

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