Sludge management in highly urbanized areas

1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 517-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecil Lue-Hing ◽  
Peter Matthews ◽  
Juraj Nàmer ◽  
Nagaharu Okuno ◽  
Ludovico Spinosa
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Case Histories ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Agricultural Use ◽  
Urbanized Areas

The management of sewage sludge is becoming of even greater concern since the generated volumes are increasing as a result of extended sewerage and advanced wastewater treatments. Agricultural use and landfilling face growing difficulties due to sludge increased contamination observed and stricter disposal criteria introduced, while incineration continues to be undesirable by the public, although technology is available today to meet extremely stringent air quality standards and guarantee a safe and convenient operation. Sludge management is particularly problematic in highly urbanized areas because of the large volumes in one location and the lack of suitable sites at convenient distance. In this paper, management options applicable to large urban centers are outlined and several case histories in Western and Eastern Europe, N. America and Asia described.

Clarifying and simplifying the management of environmental exposures under different exposure situations

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 246-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Pentreath
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory System ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Radiological Protection ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Legal Requirements ◽  
The Public ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
Environmental Criteria

The International Commission on Radiological Protection recognises three different exposure situations: planned, existing, and emergency. In all three situations, the release of radionuclides into the natural environment leads to exposures of non-human species, as well as having the potential for exposures of the general public. Each release may therefore need separate evaluations of these two consequences in order to clarify the relevant objectives of protection, their compliance with various legal requirements, and how these objectives can be achieved. However, the need to meet more than one objective should not necessarily lead to a more complicated regulatory system. Indeed, with regard to low-level routine discharges from most nuclear plants, there would appear to be scope for simplifying the entire system, to protect both humans and biota, by using discharge consent and specified radionuclide environmental quality standards for water, soil, and air in a manner similar to that used to regulate other major, non-nuclear industries. In contrast, different objectives for humans and the environment need to be set and evaluated independently for existing exposure situations. For emergency situations, the separate consequences of different management options for humans and the environment should be made clear. Should an emergency occur, it is important to have meaningful environmental criteria in order to communicate clearly with the public at large as events unfold.

scholarly journals Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge as a Threat of Microplastic (MP) Spread in the Environment and the Role of Governance

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 6293
Author(s):  
Natalia Milojevic ◽  
Agnieszka Cydzik-Kwiatkowska
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
The Impact

Sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants is commonly used as a soil amendment on agricultural land. Unfortunately, more and more research indicates that large amounts of microplastic (MP) are re-introduced to soil with sludge. This study aims to present the impact MP has on soil ecosystems, global trends in agricultural sludge management resulting from a high concentration of micropollutants in sludge, and finally propose a high-level strategy for sustainable sludge management. This strategy is mostly dedicated to the European Union and involves multiple stakeholders and the links between each of them to achieve appropriate sludge management to avoid soil pollution with MP. Governance, Technology, Consumer Acceptance, and Economy and Commercial Viability is explored in depth. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper to discuss these topics in the context of a changing agricultural scene and identifies ways of which sewage sludge can limit MP pollution whilst still fitting into a circular economy. As total elimination of agriculturally used sludge is not a viable option, more stringent regulation on sludge quality before its use is necessary, especially on contaminant concentrations. This includes MPs limits, to improve sludge quality, in turn improving soil health. More alternative management options for sludge that does not meet land usage requirements are necessary and will be explored in this study. Overall, the combination of factors discussed will inevitably lead to more emphasis on sewage sludge management, therefore it can be expected that the information presented in this review will be of high demand and importance for sludge producers and serves as a comprehensive foundation for researchers to build off.

Development of the South African wastewater sludge guidelines

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.G. Snyman ◽  
A.M. van Niekerk ◽  
E. Herselman ◽  
J.W. Wilken
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
South African ◽  
Classification System ◽  
New South ◽  
Wastewater Sludge ◽  
The South ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Agricultural Use

The new South African Wastewater Sludge Guideline Series will replace the document entitled: “Permissible Utilisation and Disposal of Sewage Sludge, Edition 1, 1997” which deals with application of sewage sludge to land. The new guideline series will be published as 5 volumes:Volume 1: Management Options for the Use or Disposal of Wastewater SludgeVolume 2: Requirements for the agricultural use of wastewater sludgeVolume 3: Requirements for the on site and off-site disposal of wastewater sludgeVolume 4: Requirements for the use of wastewater sludge in the production of commercial productsVolume 5: Requirements for the incineration of wastewater sludgeWe envisage that Volumes 1 and 2 will be published at the time of the conference and that work has begun on Volume 3, 4 and 5. The paper aims to communicate the major differences between the previous sludge guidelines and these new sludge guideline series. For example, the paper details the new wastewater sludge classification system and the requirements for the characterisation of the sludge for classification purposes. The paper will also explain the approach followed in the development of Volume 1 and 2 and will elaborate on the proposed approach for Volumes 3, 4 and 5.

scholarly journals Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge management options including long-term impacts after land application

2018 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 538-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroko Yoshida ◽  
Marieke ten Hoeve ◽  
Thomas H. Christensen ◽  
Sander Bruun ◽  
Lars S. Jensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Sewage Sludge Management

scholarly journals Analysis of the comprehensive management of sewage sludge in Poland

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Przydatek ◽  
Aldona Katarzyna Wota
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Wastewater Management ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Comprehensive Management ◽  
Safe Management ◽  
Average Share ◽  
Sewage Sludge Management ◽  
Agricultural Use

Abstract The methods of sewage sludge management in Poland have largely been determined by the legal requirements related to the Poland’s membership in the European Union. Since 1st January 2016, sewage sludge landfilling is prohibited. It must be emphasised that legal changes regarding wastewater management, along with the systematic increase in the volume of produced sludge, entail the necessity to change the existing method of sewage sludge management. This paper contains an analysis of solutions for management of sewage sludge produced in Poland over the period of 8 years. The goal of the work was an assessment of comprehensive management of sewage sludge produced in Poland from 2009 to 2016. Despite the decrease in the agricultural use of sewage sludge, their average share of 32% was the highest among other forms of sewage sludge management in Poland. Another form, related with the final stage of sewage sludge management, concerned its thermal processing. It was treated as a promising method, with a 19% increase over the analysed period. An optimal solution should be found to ensure safe management of sewage sludge.

scholarly journals Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge in Paraná State, Brazil: A Decade of National Regulation

Recycling ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Simone Bittencourt
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Soil Acidity ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Management Units ◽  
National Regulation ◽  
Agricultural Use ◽  
Contaminating Substances

The agricultural use of sewage sludge brings benefits to soil and plant crops, but due to the possible presence of contaminating substances and pathogenic organisms it is necessary to follow the criteria for safe use for health and the environment. In Brazil, the Conama 375/06 Resolution established criteria and procedures for agricultural use of sewage sludge and Paraná is one of the few states in the country to use this alternative. This case study presents the management process and the results of the agricultural destination of the sludge in Paraná State, Brazil, from 2007, year in which the resolution came into force, to 2017. The management is carried out in two spheres of action: one in the context of the sludge management units (SMU) and another in the agricultural sphere. The sludge is provided free of charge to farmers, which reduces expenses with fertilizers and soil acidity correctives, resulting in economic and social benefits to the communities where it is used. However, from the year 2011 there was a reduction in the amount destined for agricultural use. The requirements of the national regulation make the process complex, overly bureaucratic and burdensome, requiring a review of its criteria.

Gasification as an optimum alternative for the sludge management

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Peregrina ◽  
J. M. Audic ◽  
P. Dauthuille
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Fluidised Bed ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Gas Cleaning ◽  
Cleaning System

Assimilate sludge to a fuel is not new. Sludge incineration and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engines powered with sludge-derived anaerobic digestion gas (ADG) are operations widely used. However, they have a room of improvement to reach simultaneously a positive net power generation and a significant level of waste reduction and stabilization. Gasification has been used in other realms for the conversion of any negative-value carbon-based materials, that would otherwise be disposed as waste, to a gaseous product with a usable heating value for power generation . In fact, the produced gas, the so-called synthetic gas (or syngas), could be suitable for combined heat and power motors. Within this framework gasification could be seen as an optimum alternative for the sludge management that would allow the highest waste reduction yield (similar to incineration) with a high power generation. Although gasification remains a promising route for sewage sludge valorisation, campaigns of measurements show that is not a simple operation and there are still several technical issues to resolve before that gasification was considered to be fully applied in the sludge management. Fluidised bed was chosen by certain technology developers because it is an easy and well known process for solid combustion, and very suitable for non-conventional fuels. However, our tests showed a poor reliable process for gasification of sludge giving a low quality gas production with a significant amount of tars to be treated. The cleaning system that was proposed shows a very limited removal performance and difficulties to be operated. Within the sizes of more common WWTP, an alternative solution to the fluidised bed reactor would be the downdraft bed gasifier that was also audited. Most relevant data of this audit suggest that the technology is more adapted to the idea of sludge gasification presented in the beginning of this paper where a maximum waste reduction is achieved with a great electricity generation thanks to the use of a “good” quality syngas in a CHP engine. Audit show also that there is still some work to do in order to push sludge gasification to a more industrial stage. Regardless what solution would be preferred, the resulting gasification system would involve a more complex scenario compared to Anaerobic Digestion and Incineration, characterised by a thermal dryer and gasifier with a complete gas cleaning system. At the end, economics, reliability and mass and energy yields should be carefully analysed in order to set the place that gasification would play in the forthcoming processing of sewage sludge.

Advanced sludge thermal processes in Japan

1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 139-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hiraoka
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Thermal Processing ◽  
Thermal Processes ◽  
Recycling Process ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Processing Technologies ◽  
Process Systems ◽  
Incineration Process ◽  
Treatment And Disposal ◽  
Melting Slag

As a result of the spread of sewerage systems, the management of growing quantities of sewage sludge is becoming an urgent need. As the method of sludge management, thermal processes have mostly been applied to the treatment and disposal of sewage sludge in Japan, because of the difficulty of finding final disposal sites. This paper describes the progress of thermal processing technologies, especially focusing on drying-incineration process systems and melting-slag recycling process systems.

Global sludge management: a status report and perspective

1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 73-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Spinosa ◽  
E. S. Kempa ◽  
N. Okuno ◽  
P. A. Vesilind
Keyword(s):  
Global Solution ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Status Report ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Quality Requirements ◽  
Agricultural Use ◽  
Disposal Options

Sludge management is a more and more complex problem due to increased difficulties in locating disposal works and meeting more stringent environmental quality requirements. The most recent notable developments in conventional processing systems have regarded dewatering and stabilization, which remain essential prerequisites to any disposal method. With the increasing pressure on disposal options, such as agricultural use and landfilling, there has been a resurgence of interest in incineration. New processes and alternative uses have been proposed and experienced, but most of them still require further investigations to evaluate effectiveness and reliability. In any case, it is not realistic to search for a global solution to the problem, but the best solutions must derive from local and site-specific considerations.

scholarly journals Production and Destination of Sewage Sludge in the Piemonte Region (Italy): The Results of a Survey for a Future Sustainable Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3556
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Campo ◽  
Alberto Cerutti ◽  
Claudio Lastella ◽  
Aldo Leo ◽  
Deborah Panepinto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Subsequent Step ◽  
German Legislation ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

The management of sewage sludge originated from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is an urgent issue. In 2019, the local authority of the Piemonte region started a survey with the aim of collecting recent data concerning wastewater and sludge management in the WWTPs located in its own territory. The survey’s results revealed that 60% of the sludge (51,000 t, as dry substance, d.s.) produced by the local WWTPs was recovered or disposed of outside of the region, and a similar amount of sludge was recovered in agriculture directly or after composting. The increase in the costs to accommodate sewage sludge in recovery or disposal plants, followed to a recent Italian Sentence (27958/2017), and the more and more stringent requirements fixed by lots of European countries for the application of sludge in agriculture, are pushing the Piemonte region authority to re-organize its own network for sludge management, with solutions based onto proximity and diversification. Whether the provisions of the current German legislation are applied in the future also in Italy, approx. 90% of sewage sludge produced into the Piemonte region should be incinerated, with a subsequent step of phosphorous recovery. The new regional plan, according to the Regional Address Deed, should consider a diversification of sludge treatment and recovery practices. On this basis, a need for new plants for around 40,000 t d.s./y could be planned.

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