Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.8
3.9
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Treatment, Evaluation, Recycling and Use of Sewage Sludge
sustainability-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Treatment, Evaluation, Recycling and Use of Sewage Sludge

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2024 | Viewed by 1992

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Domagoj Nakić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: water and wastewater engineering; water and wastewater treatment; wastewater management; water supply; sewage and drainage; environmental impact assessment; sewage sludge management; waste utilization; green concrete
Dr. Dražen Vouk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: water and wastewater engineering; water and wastewater treatment; wastewater management; water supply; sewage and drainage; environmental impact assessment; sewage sludge management; waste utilization; policy and regulation in the field of sanitary hydro-technics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to this Special Issue of Sustainability entitled "Treatment, Evaluation, Recycling and Use of Sewage Sludge". Dr. Domagoj Nakić and Dr. Dražen Vouk are serving as Guest Editors for this issue.

Sewage sludge management is a current problem worldwide because of its increasing quantities and the presence of contaminants. Sludge management should meet all sustainability requirements: solutions must be socially acceptable and cost-effective, but at the same time, they must respect the requirements for efficient recycling of all by-products while ensuring safety for human health and the environment.

Sewage sludge management is critically important to prevent environmental pollution as the pollutants entering a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) are concentrated in the sludge. Despite its potential as a resource and the fact that landfilling of sewage sludge is no longer an acceptable disposal option according to current guidelines in developed countries, it is still largely landfilled on the worldwide level.

Analyzing the different experiences and practices in the field of sludge management, apart from the basic logical principles, it is not possible to see a unique approach in the application of technologies for the treatment and use or disposal of sewage sludge. When defining the optimal solution for sludge disposal, it is extremely important to remember that different methods (solutions for rational sludge management) require specific sludge treatment procedures.

This Special Issue aims to gather different methods of processing, valorization, disposal, and/or use of sewage sludge at the world level, giving an overview of regulatory risks and restrictions. The goal is to encourage the scientific and professional community to adopt widely applicable guidelines in the field of defining optimal methods of sludge treatment and disposal, with a high probability of new scientific discoveries or technologies that will significantly affect the technological, ecological, and economic value of sludge management (discovery of new, more efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective technological processes or improvements to existing technologies).

Considering the interdisciplinary nature of this field, a journal such as Sustainability is the ideal platform for achieving these goals, especially considering that sludge management should be sustainable both from the point of view of environmental protection and human health, as well as from the point of view of efficient and rational use of natural resources where sludge can replace a wide range of them.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Sewage sludge treatment methods;
  • Different sewage sludge disposal routes;
  • Sewage sludge characteristics in relation to its origin and applied treatment methods;
  • Sewage sludge valorization;
  • Possibilities for recycling and utilization of sewage sludge;
  • Possibilities and limitations in thermal treatment of sewage sludge;
  • Possibilities and limitations in the use of sewage sludge in agriculture;
  • Policy and regulations regarding sewage sludge management;
  • Environmental impact of sewage sludge;
  • Methods and tools for assessing the environmental impact of sewage sludge;
  • Case studies of comprehensive sewage sludge management solutions.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Domagoj Nakić
Dr. Dražen Vouk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sewage sludge management
  • sewage sludge treatment and disposal
  • environmental impact
  • cost analysis
  • potential for recycling and use of sewage sludge
  • policy and regulations

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

12 pages, 613 KiB  
Article
Using Sewage Sludge as Alternative Fertilizer: Effects on Turf Performance of Perennial Ryegrass
by Sinem Zere Taskin and Ugur Bilgili
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13597; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813597 - 12 Sep 2023
Viewed by 854
Abstract
Two years of research were carried out to evaluate the effects of various sewage sludge and nitrogen doses on the turf performance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) under Mediterranean-type climatic conditions. Four nitrogen sources (NS) [NS1: ammonium nitrate (26%), NS2: Bursa [...] Read more.
Two years of research were carried out to evaluate the effects of various sewage sludge and nitrogen doses on the turf performance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) under Mediterranean-type climatic conditions. Four nitrogen sources (NS) [NS1: ammonium nitrate (26%), NS2: Bursa City’s wastewater treatment plant’s waste, NS3: biogas production plant reactor waste, and NS4: food processing and canning factory’s sludge waste] were used in the research. Four different nitrogen doses (0.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 g m−2) were applied. The sewage sludges were analyzed before the start of the research. It was determined that the heavy metal concentrations were below the limit values, and the plant nutrient content was high. Turfgrass color and quality observations were taken in the study, and turfgrass clipping yield was determined. The 4.0 g m−2 nitrogen dose provided acceptable turf color and quality values among the sewage sludges. NS4 showed the best turf performance among the sewage sludges. Despite increased turf color and quality values, sewage sludge produced a low clipping yield. Food processing and canning factories’ sewage sludges can be alternatives to a nitrogen source. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment, Evaluation, Recycling and Use of Sewage Sludge)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2885 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Distribution and Contamination Risk Assessment of Cu and Zn in Municipal Sewage Sludge
by Monika Jakubus
Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 12087; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151512087 - 07 Aug 2023
Viewed by 683
Abstract
One of the methods of managing sewage sludge (SS) is its soil application. This possibility is promoted by the chemical composition rich in organic matter and nutrients. However, heavy metal contents in SS must meet respective permissible limits. Among the heavy metals in [...] Read more.
One of the methods of managing sewage sludge (SS) is its soil application. This possibility is promoted by the chemical composition rich in organic matter and nutrients. However, heavy metal contents in SS must meet respective permissible limits. Among the heavy metals in SS, Cu and Zn are found in the largest amount; thus, this study focuses on these elements. The main aim of the study is to investigate the quantitative distribution of metals in sequentially separated fractions of sewage sludge. Additionally, the potential risk of environmental contamination with heavy metals was assessed in the case of SS application for agricultural purposes. The relevant analyses were conducted on four different examples of municipal SS. Based on the total amounts as well as those determined in the SS fractions, the following indices were calculated: Igeo (geoaccumulation index), ICF, (individual contamination factor), and RAC (risk assessment code). The use of data from the sequential analysis as well as the calculated indices made it possible to assess the usefulness of SS in practice in terms of potential introduction of Cu and Zn into the environment with the sludge dose. It was found that total Cu (Cutot) and Zn (Zntot) did not exceed the permissible limits binding within respective Polish and international regulations. Regardless of the years of study and the analyzed SS, Cutot ranged from 260.9 to 393.5 mg·kg−1, and Zntot from 475.5 to 1153.1 mg·kg−1. The amounts of Cu and Zn were predominantly reducible (bound to iron and manganese hydroxides, Fr. II) and oxidizable complexes (bound to organic matter and sulfides, Fr. III). The average amounts of Cu in Fr. II ranged from 149.4 to 172.4 mg·kg−1, while those of Zn in Fr. II ranged from 370.9 to 754.6 mg·kg−1. Cu amounts in Fr. III were from 160.9 to 183 mg·kg−1 and Zn amounts in Fr. III were from 104.9 to 171.9 mg·kg−1. Total content of metals as well as TOC values strongly determined the quantitative level of both elements in the SS fractions. Generally, with the increase in the total amount of metals, their levels in the sludge fractions increased. In turn, the increase in TOC resulted in a decrease in the amounts of Cu and Zn in the sludge fractions. Calculated Igeo and ICF ratios showed high and very high SS contamination with Cu and Zn. Igeo values for Cu, regardless of the year of study and sludge sample, that ranged from 4.62 to 5.43 and for Zn from 3.41 to 4.86. At the same time, the ICF values for Cu ranged from 8.59–23.04, and for Zn 15.42–44.47. The RAC values indicated a low (Cu) and medium (Zn) risk of using SS in terms of the potential metal availability in the environment. The RAC values ranged from 1.46 to 4.40% for Cu and from 9.63 to 23.13% for Zn. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Treatment, Evaluation, Recycling and Use of Sewage Sludge)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop