Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Science / Chemistry / Industrial Chemistry / What is the Difference Between Sludge and Slurry

What is the Difference Between Sludge and Slurry

November 9, 2021 Posted by Madhu

The key difference between sludge and slurry is that sludge is thick and soft, similar to thick mud, whereas slurry is thin and messy.

Sludge and slurry can be defined as outcomes of industrial processes. They are different from their texture to their components. However, sludge and slurries can be made from similar processes.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Sludge 
3. What is Slurry
4. Sludge vs Slurry in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Sludge vs Slurry

What is Sludge?

Sludge is a thick, wet slurry that forms from a range of industrial processes. Sludge may form during water treatment processes, wastewater treatment plants, or on-site sanitation systems. For example, sludge forms as a settled suspension that comes from conventional drinking water treatment plants, as the sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants and as fecal sludge from pit latrines and septic tanks.

Sludge vs Slurry in Tabular Form

Figure 01: Sludge

Moreover, sometimes we refer to the solids coming from industrial wastewater treatment plants as sludge. This sludge may come from either biological or physical-chemical processes. Furthermore, we use the terms waste activated sludge and return activated sludge during the activated sludge process in wastewater treatment plants. Similarly, in the food and beverage industry, the sludge contains a high protein content and many other nutrients that are useful in beneficial purposes, including the manufacture of animal feed. This also helps in avoiding the disposal at landfills.

What is Slurry?

Slurry is a mixture of solids that is denser than water suspended in liquids. Usually, this liquid is water. The size of the particles in a slurry can vary from 1 micron to hundreds of millimeters. The following image shows the appearance of slurry.

Sludge and Slurry - Side by Side Comparison

Figure 02: Slurry

There are a number of examples of slurries produced in different industrial activities. For example, cement slurry is a mixture of cement, water and sand, gel explosives made from the combination of thickening agent, oxidizers and water, lahar made from the combination of pyroclastic material, slurry walls made of a mixture of bentonite and water, slurry oil made of catalysts, etc.

What is the Difference Between Sludge and Slurry?

Sludge is a thick, wet slurry formed from a range of industrial processes, while the slurry is a mixture of solids that is denser than water suspended in liquids.  Sludge and slurry can be defined as outcomes of industrial processes. They share many differences, from their texture to their components. The key difference between sludge and slurry is that sludge is thick and soft, similar to thick mud, whereas slurry is thin and messy. In other words, sludge is a solid while the slurry is a semi-solid. However, sludge and slurries can be made from similar processes.

The below infographic presents the difference between sludge and slurry in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Sludge vs Slurry

Sludge and slurry can be defined as outcomes of industrial processes. Sludge is a thick, wet slurry formed from a range of industrial processes, while the slurry is a mixture of solids that is denser than water suspended in liquids.  The key difference between sludge and slurry is that sludge is thick and soft, similar to thick mud, whereas slurry is thin and messy. They share many differences, from their texture to their components. However, sludge and slurries can be made from similar processes.

Reference:

1. “Slurry.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Faecal sludge after some drying (stock piling) – this is the feed material to the process (8152055703)” By SuSanA Secretariat – (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “High angle” – Created by Chi Wey in the UCLA department of mathematics fluids lab. Released by the creators in the public domain. Uploaded by Oleg Alexandrov with permission from the author. – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

Related posts:

Difference Between Cleavage and FractureDifference Between Cleavage and Fracture Difference Between Hydrocracking and HydrotreatingDifference Between Hydrocracking and Hydrotreating Difference Between Asbestos and Cement SheetDifference Between Asbestos and Cement Sheet Difference Between Calcite and HaliteDifference Between Calcite and Halite Difference Between Sintering and AnnealingDifference Between Sintering and Annealing

Filed Under: Industrial Chemistry

About the Author: Madhu

Madhu is a graduate in Biological Sciences with BSc (Honours) Degree and currently persuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. With a mind rooted firmly to basic principals of chemistry and passion for ever evolving field of industrial chemistry, she is keenly interested to be a true companion for those who seek knowledge in the subject of chemistry.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Red Blood Cells and Platelets

Difference Between Directed and Undirected Graph

Difference Between Directed and Undirected Graph

Difference Between Sickle and Scythe

Difference Between Measles and Roseola

Difference Between Measles and Roseola

Difference Between Basal and Complete Media

Difference Between Basal and Complete Media

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Sharara and Lehenga
  • What is the Difference Between Leucoderma and Albinism
  • What is the Difference Between Cytosolic and Chloroplastic Glycolysis
  • What is the Difference Between Hammer Toe and Mallet Toe
  • What is the Difference Between Osteoporosis and Scoliosis
  • What is the Difference Between Saree and Half Saree
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.