Rheology of aging, concentrated, polymeric suspensions: Application to pasty sewage sludges

The rheological behavior of pasty sewage sludges from different origins and at different ages of fermentation has been studied on the basis of careful rheometrical tests. These materials appear to be basically yield stress fluids whose flow curves can be fairly well represented by a Herschel-Bulkley model. The yield stress existence is evidenced by a clear transition between a viscoelastic and a viscous behavior at a critical shear stress. The rheological parameters are shown to mainly depend on the organic fraction and the time of fermentation. By extracting the main solids components (minerals, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates) we show that the behavior evolution is governed by the synthesis of volatile fatty acids. (C) 2001 The Society of Rheology.