Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Energy recovery from sewage sludge waste blends: Detailed characteristics of pyrolytic oil and gas

Laboratory-scale co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge blended with polyethylene, polypropylene, paper rejects, and waste tyres produced pyrolytic oils and gases with detailed chemical characterizations relevant to assessing this approach for energy recovery from mixed waste streams.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrating Pyrolysis or Combustion with Scrubbing to Maximize the Nutrient and Energy Recovery from Municipal Sewage Sludge

This study modeled how combining pyrolysis or combustion with gas scrubbing could recover heat and nutrients from municipal sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants. Since sewage sludge is a major sink for microplastics, improved sludge management is relevant to reducing the spread of microplastics through biosolid land application.

2021 Recycling 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge treatment: Comparison of pyrolysis with traditional methods in two Swedish municipalities

Researchers compared pyrolysis, a heat-based treatment that converts sewage sludge into biochar, against traditional disposal methods in two Swedish municipalities using life cycle assessment. They found that using biochar as a fertilizer replacement offered significant environmental benefits, and combining anaerobic digestion with pyrolysis was the most environmentally friendly option. The approach also has the advantage of breaking down pollutants like microplastics and pathogens present in sewage sludge.

2024 Journal of Cleaner Production 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Pyrolysis Solves the Issue of Organic Contaminants in Sewage Sludge while Retaining Carbon—Making the Case for Sewage Sludge Treatment via Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis of sewage sludge was evaluated as a treatment that destroys organic contaminants including pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and PFAS while retaining carbon and plant nutrients in the resulting biochar, but the authors noted that current EU fertilizer regulations do not yet recognize sewage sludge biochar as an eligible product, creating a policy barrier to its adoption.

2021 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 77 citations
Article Tier 2

The Pyrolysis of Biosolids in a Novel Closed Coupled Pyrolysis and Gasification Technology: Pilot Plant Trials, Aspen Plus Modelling, and a Techno-Economic Analysis

Researchers tested a novel closed-coupled pyrolysis and gasification system for processing biosolids (sewage sludge), measuring energy recovery and the fate of contaminants including microplastics during thermal treatment. The system achieved high energy recovery while thermally destroying microplastics present in the biosolids.

2024 Water 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Feasibility of Biochar Derived from Sewage Sludge to Promote Sustainable Agriculture and Mitigate GHG Emissions—A Review

This review assessed the feasibility of using biochar derived from sewage sludge to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The study found that pyrolysis temperature significantly affects biochar properties, and that sewage sludge biochar can improve soil characteristics and plant health, though careful assessment of potential contaminants is needed before widespread agricultural application.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 53 citations
Article Tier 2

A systematic overview of current advancements for chemical, material, and energy production using sewage sludge for industrial ecology and sustainability transition

This review examines current advances in recovering chemicals, materials, and energy from sewage sludge, identifying opportunities to convert this waste stream into valuable products while addressing microplastic and contaminant concerns that complicate sludge reuse.

2024 Environmental Sustainability 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Biorefinery of Sewage Sludge: Overview of Possible Value-Added Products and Applicable Process Technologies

This review examined biorefinery approaches for sewage sludge, evaluating value-added products and applicable process technologies as sustainable alternatives to traditional disposal methods like landfill and incineration.

2023 Water 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of microplastic during pyrolysis of sewage sludge

Researchers investigated what happens to microplastics embedded in sewage sludge when sludge is treated by pyrolysis, a high-temperature thermochemical process. Pyrolysis effectively destroyed most microplastic particles, but some residual polymer-derived compounds partitioned into the pyrolysis products.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Copyrolysis of Municipal Sewage Sludge with Agricultural Residues: A Theoretical and Experimental Study for Tailored Biochar Production

This study used thermodynamic modeling to evaluate co-pyrolysis of municipal sewage sludge with agricultural residues as a method for producing biochar while managing heavy metal contamination, identifying conditions that could reduce the environmental risks of land-applying sewage sludge.

2025 ACS Omega 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A perspective on hydrothermal processing of sewage sludge

Researchers reviewed hydrothermal processing as a strategy for treating sewage sludge, finding it can recover eleven times more energy than landfilling and, when integrated with anaerobic digestion, offers a scalable approach to converting the 79 million dry tons of liquid organic waste the US generates annually.

2020 Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Eco-toxicological and climate change effects of sludge thermal treatments: Pathways towards zero pollution and negative emissions

Researchers analyzed sewage sludge for 12 heavy metals and 61 toxic organic compounds — including flame retardants and PFAS 'forever chemicals' — and found that thermal treatments like pyrolysis destroy over 93–95% of these pollutants while also generating renewable energy and achieving net-negative carbon emissions. This contrasts with conventional sludge treatment, which leaves significant chemical contamination intact and has a higher climate impact.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of microplastic during pyrolysis of sewage sludge

Researchers examined how pyrolysis as a sewage sludge treatment method affects the fate of embedded microplastics, finding that thermal treatment largely destroys plastic particles. However, some polymer-derived volatile compounds transferred to pyrolysis gases and oils, suggesting that microplastic destruction does not eliminate all associated chemical risks.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Environmental Performance of Nitrogen Recovery from Reject Water of Sewage Sludge Treatment Based on Life Cycle Assessment

This study used life cycle assessment to evaluate nitrogen recovery from sewage sludge reject water via air stripping and biochar adsorption, finding that both methods can reduce environmental impacts compared to conventional fossil-based fertilizer production.

2023 Recycling 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and biomass for stabilizing heavy metals and reducing biochar toxicity: A review

This review examines how mixing sewage sludge with plant-based biomass during pyrolysis can produce safer biochar by stabilizing heavy metals and reducing toxicity. Researchers found that co-pyrolysis improves the quality of the resulting biochar, making it more suitable for use in soil applications compared to sludge-only biochar. The approach offers a promising solution for managing sewage sludge waste while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

2022 Environmental Chemistry Letters 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Remediation and Management of Sewage Sludge

This review covers technologies for treating and managing municipal sewage sludge, including anaerobic digestion, composting, and thermal methods. Sewage sludge is one of the main pathways through which microplastics in wastewater become concentrated and then spread to agricultural land when sludge is used as fertilizer.

2023 Sustainable development 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental and ecological risk assessment of municipal sewage sludge management using a sustainable solar drying system

Researchers evaluated a solar drying system as a sustainable alternative to mechanical drying for municipal sewage sludge management, characterizing raw and digested sludges collected across seasons for total solids, volatile solids, heavy metals, and geo-accumulation pollution index to assess environmental and ecological risk.

2023 Water Science & Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Pyrolysis behavior of sewage sludge coexisted with microplastics: Kinetics, mechanism, and product characteristics

Researchers investigated the co-pyrolysis behavior of sewage sludge mixed with polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics. They found that the presence of microplastics improved the overall pyrolysis performance and altered the composition of the resulting bio-oil and gas products. The study suggests that understanding how microplastics in sewage sludge affect thermal treatment could help optimize waste processing at wastewater treatment plants.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrogen rich syngas production through sewage sludge pyrolysis: A comprehensive experimental investigation and performance optimisation using statistical analysis

Researchers investigated sewage sludge pyrolysis as a route to hydrogen-rich syngas, optimizing temperature, heating rate, and feedstock conditions through statistical analysis. Results showed pyrolysis could yield syngas with elevated hydrogen content, supporting sewage sludge as a viable feedstock for renewable fuel production.

2024 Process Safety and Environmental Protection 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Techno-economic analysis of integrating hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) in the downstream of the anaerobic digestion process- A Stormossen biogas plant case study

Researchers conducted a techno-economic analysis of integrating hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) downstream of anaerobic digestion at the Stormossen biogas plant as a strategy for managing sewage sludge — which contains microplastics, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pathogens — more sustainably. The analysis evaluated the economic feasibility and process integration of HTC alongside existing anaerobic digestion infrastructure as European sludge volumes continue to grow.

2024 Doria (University of Helsinki)
Article Tier 2

Municipal Sewage Sludge as a Source for Obtaining Efficient Biosorbents: Analysis of Pyrolysis Products and Adsorption Tests

Researchers investigated pyrolysis of municipal sewage sludge as a route to producing biochar biosorbents, finding that higher pyrolysis temperatures improved physicochemical properties and that the resulting biochar showed strong adsorption of copper and zinc ions, competing favorably with commercial sorbents.

2023 Materials 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Mitigation in Sewage Sludge through Pyrolysis: The Role of Pyrolysis Temperature

The effect of pyrolysis on reducing microplastic content in sewage sludge was investigated in a lab-scale study evaluating multiple pyrolysis temperature conditions. Pyrolysis effectively degraded microplastic particles in sludge, with higher temperatures achieving greater microplastic reduction, positioning pyrolysis as a viable treatment for managing microplastic-laden organic waste.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 151 citations
Article Tier 2

Entrained Flow Plasma Gasification of Sewage Sludge–Proof-of-Concept and Fate of Inorganics

Researchers demonstrated proof-of-concept for a two-stage plasma gasification and vitrification system for processing sewage sludge, achieving syngas heating values above 7.5 MJ/mN3, though plasma gas dilution reduced overall fuel quality.

2022 Energies 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of the Sewage Sludge in Agriculture: Soil Fertility, Technoeconomic, and Life-Cycle Assessment

This review assesses the environmental, technoeconomic, and life-cycle aspects of applying sewage sludge in agriculture, addressing risk factors including heavy metals, microplastics, and organic pollutants while evaluating its potential as a soil amendment.

2022 IntechOpen eBooks 26 citations