 Equipment and Systems for Treatment and Purification of Water SedimentsEvery river transports suspended matter. In addition to inorganic suspended substances such as sand, clay and other mineral particles, there are also organic materials, particularly plant residues and small living organisms. When these suspended substances settle the sediments can create a problem for harbors and navigable waterways and must therefore be dredged out and disposed of. The sludge containing nutrients can be used for land fill or agriculture.
The pollutants in the dredged material have increased significantly due to substances introduced with the waste water and agricultural influences. The primary problem substances at present are heavy metals such as mercury, copper and zinc as well as organic tin compounds.
Studies have shown that these pollutants are adsorbed particularly in the fine grain. It is therefore possible to separate the pollutants from the sand by wet mechanical classification and sorting technologies allowing the latter to be decontaminated to the greatest possible extent.
Typical equipment for such processes include:
A typical simplified flow sheet for treatment of sediments is shown below. | 
