We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Energy and material assessment of municipal sewage sludge applications under circular economy
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how municipal sewage sludge can be managed within a circular economy framework, including its energy and material recovery potential. Sewage sludge contains microplastics, heavy metals, and organic contaminants that complicate its safe use as a resource.
In the last decades, the amount of municipal sewage sludge generation rate has drastically increased due to population growth, spatial sewerage system development, and implementation of new treatment techniques. Nowadays, it is considered a globally prominent issue. Municipal sewage sludge contains pathogenic bacteria and viruses along with heavy metals, poorly biodegradable organic compounds, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics, which make its utilization management quite difficult. Landfill placement of sewage sludge is the most widely used technique worldwide, but is obsolete and inefficient, and accompanied by significant risk of environmental pollution with high logistics expenditure. Moreover, landfill placement means that all residual energy and potential material reuse applications are lost. The introduction of modern treatment techniques can solve the problem with sewage sludge generation, but it results in strong energy consumption increase of energy consumption. Modernization and operational policies based on circular economy principles are focused on relevant sewage sludge utilization issues with the potential use of waste-to-energy and recycling applications. The paper presents a methodological approach of cradle-to-grave assessment of sewage sludge treatment process based on energy and material flow analysis. The proposed methodology is studied within the real operational activities of big-scale wastewater treatment plants of two of the largest cities of Russia – Ekaterinburg and Perm. This investigation provides an efficient managerial tool for sustainable development that can be used by wide range of stakeholders. © 2020 WIT Press, www.witpress.com
More Papers Like This
Recovery of Cellulose, Extracellular Polymeric Substances and Microplastics from Sewage Sludge: A Review
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines the technical feasibility and circular economy potential of recovering cellulose, extracellular polymeric substances, and microplastics from sewage sludge, finding that while biopolymer recovery offers significant value, microplastics remain a persistent polymeric pollutant whose removal and valorization pathways are underexplored compared to nutrient recovery.
The presence of microplastics in waste sludges
AI summary Read the abstract
This Croatian review examines the presence of microplastics in sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants and their pathways into terrestrial and aquatic environments. The authors discuss alternative sustainable sludge management approaches aligned with circular economy principles.
Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: A review
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines the presence and fate of microplastics in sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants, a topic that has received less attention than microplastics in the water treatment line. The study highlights that agricultural application of sewage sludge is a primary source of microplastic contamination in soils, and provides a comprehensive overview of detection methods, concentrations, and the environmental implications of sludge-borne microplastics.
Effects of microplastics on the properties of different types of sewage sludge and strategies to overcome the inhibition: A review
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examined how microplastics trapped in sewage sludge during wastewater treatment affect sludge properties, microbial communities, and treatment efficiency, while discussing strategies to overcome microplastic-induced inhibition of sludge processing.
Microplastics in Wastewater Sludges : Extraction, Occurrence and Implications for the Circular Economy
AI summary Read the abstract
This thesis examines microplastic extraction methods, occurrence levels, and circular economy implications for wastewater treatment sludges, including both municipal sewage sludge and industrial sludges from pulp and paper processing.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.