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Journal ArticleDOI

Utilization of sewage sludge in EU application of old and new methods—A review

01 Jan 2008-Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews (Pergamon)-Vol. 12, Iss: 1, pp 116-140
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review past and future trends in sludge handling, focusing mainly at thermal processes (e.g. pyrolysis, wet oxidation, gasification) and the utilization of sewage sludge in cement manufacture as a co-fuel.
Abstract: The European Union has made progress in dealing with municipal wastewater in individual countries and as a corporate entity. However, it intends to make still further and substantial progress over the next 15 years. Currently, the most widely available options in the EU are the agriculture utilization, the waste disposal sites, the land reclamation and restoration, the incineration and other novel uses. The selection of an option on a local basis reflects local or national, cultural, historical, geographical, legal, political and economic circumstances. The degree of flexibility varies from country to country. In any case sludge treatment and disposal should always be considered as an integral part of treatment of wastewater. There is a wide range of other uses for sludge, which exploit its energy or chemical content, namely the thermal processes. The present paper sought to review past and future trends in sludge handling, focusing mainly at thermal processes (e.g. pyrolysis, wet oxidation, gasification) and the utilization of sewage sludge in cement manufacture as a co-fuel.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Source-Pathway-Receptor model is applied to the context of microplastics, whereby the current state of knowledge can be compiled in a structured way and important knowledge gaps can be identified.

139 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the potential risks of inorganic and organic contaminants to plant growth, soil, groundwater, and consequently the food chain and environment related to the utilization of digested sludge as a fertilizer on cropland.
Abstract: Background Digested sludge is a good source of plant nutrients. However, depending on the feedstock, it might contain heavy metals, metalloids, organic compounds, pathogens, and pharmaceuticals, which can cause adverse effects on crop growth and contaminate the groundwater, soil, and food chain. Scope The aim of this review is to focus on the potential risks of inorganic and organic contaminants to plant growth, soil, groundwater, and consequently the food chain and environment related to the utilization of digested sludge as a fertilizer on cropland. Conclusions Inorganic compounds, such as metals and metalloids, in sludge can occasionally cause reductions in soil microbial biomass. In general, the uptake of metals and organic contaminants does not appear to cause a significant hazard to the plants and the concentrations do not surpass the maximum values allowed in soil. Organic compounds, harmful for human health or the environment, are to a large extent decomposed or volatilized from the land treated with sludge, which decreases their leaching into the environment. Many of the organic compounds are lipophilic and can be bound to soil organic matter. In conclusion, the application of sludge on cropland might be a sustainable management practice; however, further investigations are needed to determine the accumulation and persistence of possible hazardous emerging chemicals and pathogens in the environment and formation of harmful intermediate reaction of inorganic and organic compound products.

138 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Feb 2011-Fuel
TL;DR: In this article, a set of assays were performed in which the temperature (750-850 °C), the in-bed catalyst content (0, 10 and 15 wt%) and the steam-biomass ratio (SB) in the range of 0-1 were varied with a constant equivalence ratio (ER) of 0.3.

137 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Though discrepancies across various studies are recognisable, it is apparent that sludge retention time, oxygen-reduction potential of the anaerobic tank, temperature, sludge return ratio and loading mode are relevant to sludge minimisation by sludge cycling approaches.

137 citations


Cites background from "Utilization of sewage sludge in EU ..."

  • ...In 2005, the EU generated 10 million tonnes of dry sludge (Fytili and Zabaniotou, 2008)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the adsorption capacity of the resulting materials has been checked using 4-chlorophenol as a target compound in aqueous solution, and the results warrant in principle air-activation at moderate temperature as a promising way of sewage sludge valorisation to inexpensive adsorbents for the removal of water pollutants.

136 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an analytical procedure involving sequential chemicai extractions was developed for the partitioning of particulate trace metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe, and Mn) into five fractions: exchangeable, bound to carbonates, binding to Fe-Mn oxides and bound to organic matter.
Abstract: An analytical procedure involving sequential chemicai extractions has been developed for the partitioning of particulate trace metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe, and Mn) into five fractions: exchangeable, bound to carbonates, bound to Fe-Mn oxides, bound to organic matter, and residual. Experimental results obtained on replicate samples of fluvial bottom sediments demonstrate that the relative standard deviation of the sequential extraction procedure Is generally better than =10%. The accuracy, evaluated by comparing total trace metal concentrations with the sum of the five Individual fractions, proved to be satisfactory. Complementary measurements were performed on the Individual leachates, and on the residual sediments following each extraction, to evaluate the selectivity of the various reagents toward specific geochemical phases. An application of the proposed method to river sediments is described, and the resulting trace metal speciation is discussed.

10,518 citations


"Utilization of sewage sludge in EU ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Over the last decades, a great variety of extraction schemes, both simple and sequential have been developed and, although some methods have been widely used [12,13] none has been unreservedly accepted by the scientific community....

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Book
01 Jan 1972
TL;DR: Wastewater Engineering: An Overview of Wastewater Engineering, Methods and Implementation Considerations as mentioned in this paper is a good starting point for a discussion of the issues of wastewater engineering. But, it is not a complete survey of the entire literature.
Abstract: Wastewater Engineering: An Overview. Wastewater Flowrates. Wastewater Characteristics. Wastewater Treatment Objective, Methods, and Implementation Considerations. Introduction to Wastewater Treatment Plant Design. Physical Unit Operations. Chemical Unit Processes. Biological Unit Processes. Design of Facilities for Physical and Chemical Treatment of Wastewater. Design of Facilities for the Biological Treatment of Wastewater. Advanced Wastewater Treatment. Design of Facilities for the Treatment and Disposal of Sludge. Natural-Treatment Systems. Small Wastewater Treatment Systems. Management of Wastewater from Combined Sewers. Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse.

3,826 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the current and future issues related to the combustion of sewage sludge is presented, and a number of technologies for thermal processing of sludge are discussed in three groups, i.e., mono-combustion, cocombustions and alternative processes.

1,026 citations


"Utilization of sewage sludge in EU ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Multiple hearth and fluidized bed furnaces are the most popular and the latter is becoming widely applied [24]....

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  • ...Analysis has shown that about 78–98% of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn present in the sewage sludge are retained in the ash, whereas up to 98% of the Hg may be released into the atmosphere with the flue gas [24]....

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  • ...The whole process is occurring in two distinctive regimes [24]:...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a standardization with respect to grain size effects, commonly achieved by analyzing the sieve fraction <63μm, which is used to pin point major sources of metal pollution and to estimate the toxicity potential of dredged materials.
Abstract: Sediment analyses are used to pin‐point major sources of metal pollution and to estimate the toxicity potential of dredged materials on agricultural land. For source assessments (Part I of the present review) standardization is needed with respect to grain size effects, commonly achieved by analyzing the sieve fraction <63μm. Further aspects include sampling methods, evaluation of background data and extent of anthropogenic metal enrichment.

530 citations