Proposed EU legislation to force changes in sewage sludge disposal: A case study

Abstract

The consequences of changes planned in the European Union legislation relevant to the disposal of sewage sludges are discussed. A specific municipal waste water treatment plant is analyzed in terms of drying and subsequent combustion or pyrolysis of the produced stabilized sludge, and the respective net energy balances are carried out. A simplified economic analysis of the two disposal options is presented, which suggest that combustion of the sludge would be economically infeasible while pyrolysis of the sludge in a modular, self-sufficient container unit can bring a small financial benefit due to the selling of the produced phosphorus-rich biochar.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

sewage sludge / drying / combustion / pyrolysis

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Acknowledgement

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support provided by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic within the “National Sustainability Programme I” project No. LO1202 “NETME CENTRE PLUS”.

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