1
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Salcedo-Puerto O, Breton M, Sermyagina E, Gonçalves L, Cardoso M, Havukainen J, Vakkilainen E, Mendoza-Martinez C. Life cycle assessment of alternative pulp mill sludge treatment methods in Finland. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 186:236-248. [PMID: 38941734 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Proper management of wastewater treatment plant side streams in pulp and paper mills is a matter of great interest. This study evaluates the environmental impact of different strategies in the management of biosludge from pulp and paper mills in Finland through a Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The base industrial standard practice, biosludge incineration for energy recovery and ash landfill disposal (Scenario 1), was compared to the alternative process of hydrothermal carbonization. The hydrochar generated from hydrothermal carbonization was evaluated for energy recovery through incineration (Scenario 2), or for use in composting for nutrient recovery (Scenario 3). The results showed that the hydrothermal process improved the overall environmental performance of the sludge management, particularly in terms of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The use of hydrochar as a soil amendment in composting also resulted in a significant reduction on the environmental impact compared to the other two scenarios. Overall, this study highlights the potential of hydrothermal carbonization and hydrochar utilization as sustainable options for managing biosludge from pulp mills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orlando Salcedo-Puerto
- LUT University, School of Energy Systems, Yliopistonkatu 34, FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland.
| | - Marie Breton
- LUT University, School of Energy Systems, Yliopistonkatu 34, FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland
| | - Ekaterina Sermyagina
- LUT University, School of Energy Systems, Yliopistonkatu 34, FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland
| | - Lindomar Gonçalves
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Department of Environmental Engineering, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, MG 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Cardoso
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Department of Environmental Engineering, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, MG 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Jouni Havukainen
- LUT University, School of Energy Systems, Yliopistonkatu 34, FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland
| | - Esa Vakkilainen
- LUT University, School of Energy Systems, Yliopistonkatu 34, FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland
| | - Clara Mendoza-Martinez
- LUT University, School of Energy Systems, Yliopistonkatu 34, FI-53850 Lappeenranta, Finland
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2
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Huang D, Wu Y, Zhang L, Tang Y, Liu C, Zhang R, Wang Y, Gao Y. Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge treatment and disposal technologies based on carbon emissions and environmental impacts. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2024:1-17. [PMID: 38820568 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2024.2360232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to create a comprehensive evaluation method for sewage sludge (SS) treatment and disposal technologies, considering carbon emission and environmental impacts. Life cycle assessment (LCA) were conducted on six SS treatment and disposal technologies in China. The assessments used the IPCC emission factor approach to calculate carbon emissions and the CML2001 method to determine environmental impact factors. Additionally, a colour-coded method was implemented to quantify the evaluation results. The study found that S1 (anaerobic digestion + land application) had the lowest carbon emissions and environmental impact, making it the optimal technology. The S1 scenario had carbon emissions of 669 kg CO2(t DS)-1 and environmental impacts of 5.20E-10. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to show the impacts of each unit in the six technologies on total carbon emissions and environmental impacts. The results showed that landfilling has a high sensitivity to carbon emissions and environmental impacts. Therefore, controlling greenhouse gases and toxic substances in sludge landfills is crucial for reducing carbon emissions and environmental pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diannan Huang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuhan Wu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Zhang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yulan Tang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuang Liu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Rongxin Zhang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongyong Wang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunan Gao
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, People's Republic of China
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3
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Morales M, Arp HPH, Castro G, Asimakopoulos AG, Sørmo E, Peters G, Cherubini F. Eco-toxicological and climate change effects of sludge thermal treatments: Pathways towards zero pollution and negative emissions. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 470:134242. [PMID: 38626686 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
The high moisture content and the potential presence of hazardous organic compounds (HOCs) and metals (HMs) in sewage sludge (SS) pose technical and regulatory challenges for its circular economy valorisation. Thermal treatments are expected to reduce the volume of SS while producing energy and eliminating HOCs. In this study, we integrate quantitative analysis of SS concentration of 12 HMs and 61 HOCs, including organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), with life-cycle assessment to estimate removal efficiency of pollutants, climate change mitigation benefits and toxicological effects of existing and alternative SS treatments (involving pyrolysis, incineration, and/or anaerobic digestion). Conventional SS treatment leaves between 24 % and 40 % of OPFRs unabated, while almost no degradation occurs for PFAS. Thermal treatments can degrade more than 93% of target OPFRs and 95 % of target PFAS (with the rest released to effluents). The different treatments affect how HMs are emitted across environmental compartments. Conventional treatments also show higher climate change impacts than thermal treatments. Overall, thermal treatments can effectively reduce the HOCs emitted to the environment while delivering negative emissions (from about -56 to -111 kg CO2-eq per tonne of sludge, when pyrolysis is involved) and producing renewable energy from heat integration and valorization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Morales
- Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol), Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7034 Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Hans Peter H Arp
- Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), 0886 Oslo, Norway
| | - Gabriela Castro
- Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Institute for Research in Chemical and Biological Analysis (IAQBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | | | - Erlend Sørmo
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), 0886 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 1430 Ås, Norway
| | - Gregory Peters
- Division of Environmental Systems Analysis, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, SE 412 96, Sweden
| | - Francesco Cherubini
- Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol), Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7034 Trondheim, Norway
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4
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Khan U, Bilal M, Adil HM, Darlington N, Khan A, Khan N, Ihsanullah I. Hydrogen from sewage sludge: Production methods, influencing factors, challenges, and prospects. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 919:170696. [PMID: 38340850 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
The rising global population and rapid industrialization have frequently resulted in a significant escalation in energy requirements. Hydrogen, renowned for its eco-friendly and renewable characteristics, has garnered substantial interest as a fuel alternative to address the energy needs currently fulfilled by fossil fuels. Embracing such energy substitutes holds pivotal importance in advancing environmental sustainability, aiding in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions - the primary catalysts of global warming and climate fluctuations. This study elucidates recent trends in sewage sludge (SS)-derived hydrogen through diverse production pathways and critically evaluates the impact of varying parameters on hydrogen yield. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the breakdown of the hydrogen generation process from SS is provided, along with an assessment of its economic dimensions. The review culminates by illuminating key obstacles in the adoption of this innovative technology, accompanied by practical recommendations to surmount these challenges. This comprehensive analysis is expected to attract considerable interest from stakeholders within the hydrogen production domain, fostering substantial engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Usman Khan
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, Krakow 31-155, Poland
| | - Muhammad Bilal
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Hossain Md Adil
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, Krakow 31-155, Poland
| | - Nnabodo Darlington
- Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, Krakow 31-155, Poland
| | - Ahsan Khan
- Center of Excellence in Particle Technology and Material Processing, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nouman Khan
- Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi 23640, KPK, Pakistan
| | - I Ihsanullah
- Chemical and Water Desalination Engineering Program, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates.
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5
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Inalegwu Okopi S, Zeng J, Fan X, Lu J, Cui J, Hu Y, Wang J, Chen J, Sangué Djandja O, Ma Y, Che L, Zhaolin G, Xu F. Environmental sustainability assessment of a new food waste anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis hybridization system. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 179:130-143. [PMID: 38471251 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
This research conducted an environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate an anaerobic digestion-co-pyrolysis (ADCo-Py) system in which pyrolysis was added to traditional food waste (FW) anaerobic digestion (AD) systems to treat the solid fraction and impurities separated from FW. The solid fraction, including impurities such as wooden chopsticks, plastics, eggshells, and bones, is usually incinerated, while pyrolysis can be a viable alternative to optimize FW treatment. The environmental impact of ADCo-Py was compared with stand-alone AD, pyrolysis, and ADCo-INC (AD with incineration of separated solids). The results indicated that both ADCo-Py (-1.726 kg CO2-Eq/kgFW) and ADCo-INC (-1.535 kg CO2-Eq/kgFW) outperform stand-alone AD (-0.855 kg CO2-Eq/kgFW) and pyrolysis (-0.181 kg CO2-Eq/kgFW) in mitigating global warming potential (GWP). Additionally, pretreatments were found to have the most significant influence on GWP, ecotoxicity potential (ETP), and acidification potential (AP). The two-step pretreatment in ADCo-Py, including the separation of solids and drying, significantly improved the environmental sustainability of the system when compared with standalone pyrolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solomon Inalegwu Okopi
- School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Jianfei Zeng
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xuetong Fan
- School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Jiaxin Lu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Jiahao Cui
- School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Yang Hu
- School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Jiayu Wang
- School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Jiaxin Chen
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Energy Chemical Process Intensification, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Oraléou Sangué Djandja
- Engineering Research Center of None-food Biomass Efficient Pyrolysis and Utilization Technology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Distributed Energy Systems, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
| | - Yingqun Ma
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Energy Chemical Process Intensification, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Lei Che
- College of Engineering, Huzhou Normal University, No. 759, East 2nd Road, Huzhou 313000, China
| | - Gu Zhaolin
- School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Fuqing Xu
- School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
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6
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Twagirayezu E, Fan L, Liu X, Iqbal A, Lu X, Wu X, Zan F. Comparative life cycle assessment of sewage sludge treatment in Wuhan, China: Sustainability evaluation and potential implications. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 913:169686. [PMID: 38163598 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Owing to the relentless growth of sewage sludge production, achieving low-carbon development in sewage sludge treatment and disposal (STD) is becoming increasingly challenging and unpredictable. However, the STD varied spatially, and city-specific analysis is deemed necessary for sustainable evaluation. Therefore, a lifecycle-based greenhouse gas (GHG), energy, and economic analysis were conducted by considering six local STD alternatives in Wuhan City, China, as a case study. The findings indicated anaerobic digestion combined with digestate utilization for urban greening (ADL) and incineration in existing power plants (INCP) exhibited the least GHG emissions at 34.073 kg CO2 eq/FU and 644.128 kg CO2 eq/FU, while INCP generated the most energy at -2594 kW.h/FU. The economic evaluation revealed that ADL and INCP were more beneficial without accounting for land acquisition. Scenario analysis showed that the energy recovery from ADL and INCP is significantly influenced by the hydrolysis yielding rate and sludge organic content. Perturbation sensitivity indicates that regional emission factor of electricity and electricity fee highly influence the overall GHG emission and cost. The results of this study could assist policymakers in identifying viable solutions to the cities experiencing the same sludge treatment burdens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Twagirayezu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Low-Carbon Water Environment Technology Center (HUST-SUKE), and Key Laboratory of Water and Wastewater Treatment, MOHURD, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Liezhong Fan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Low-Carbon Water Environment Technology Center (HUST-SUKE), and Key Laboratory of Water and Wastewater Treatment, MOHURD, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- School of Materials & Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Guangdong 518055, China.
| | - Asad Iqbal
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Technology Center, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control and Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
| | - Xiejuan Lu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Low-Carbon Water Environment Technology Center (HUST-SUKE), and Key Laboratory of Water and Wastewater Treatment, MOHURD, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaohui Wu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Low-Carbon Water Environment Technology Center (HUST-SUKE), and Key Laboratory of Water and Wastewater Treatment, MOHURD, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Feixiang Zan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Low-Carbon Water Environment Technology Center (HUST-SUKE), and Key Laboratory of Water and Wastewater Treatment, MOHURD, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
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7
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O'Boyle M, Mohamed BA, Li LY. Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and biomass waste into biofuels and biochar: A comprehensive feasibility study using a circular economy approach. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 350:141074. [PMID: 38160959 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.141074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Enormous annual sewage sludge (SS) volumes pose global environmental challenges owing to contamination and significant greenhouse gas emissions. Here, we investigated the economic viability of co-pyrolyzing SS and biomass waste to produce biofuels (bio-oil and gas) and biochar. Net present worth (NPW) analysis, the sale product break-even price, and sludge handling price (SHP) were used to determine the profitability of co-pyrolysis compared with SS pyrolysis alone and conventional treatment methods. In this study, the sale prices of biochar based on quality (i.e., stability, carbon sequestration effectiveness, and heavy metal content) were estimated to be 2.24, 1.44, and 0.98 CAD/kg for high-, medium-, and low-grade biochar. The bio-oil prices, estimated based on the higher heating values of bio-oil and diesel, ranged from 0.80 to 1.22 CAD/kg. Sawdust (SD) and wheat straw (WS) were the chosen co-pyrolysis feedstocks, with four mixing ratios (20, 40, 60, and 80 wt%). Economically, SD (40 wt% mixing ratio) co-pyrolysis achieved the best performance, with a maximum NPW of 8.71 million CAD. SD single and co-pyrolysis were the only profitable scenarios. Moreover, SS single pyrolysis and WS co-pyrolysis exhibited higher profitability than conventional SS treatment methods, with SHPs of 65 and 40 CAD/1000 kg dry sludge, respectively. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the dependence of economic performance on biochar and bio-oil market value. This study offers the first economic analysis of this approach and enhances our understanding of the potential of co-pyrolysis for biofuel and biochar production, providing innovative solutions for the environmental challenges of SS disposal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marnie O'Boyle
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Badr A Mohamed
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Agricultural Engineering, Cairo University, El-Gamma Street, Giza, 12613, Egypt
| | - Loretta Y Li
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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8
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Abyar H, Nowrouzi M. A comprehensive framework for eco-environmental impact evaluation of wastewater treatment plants: Integrating carbon footprint, energy footprint, toxicity, and economic assessments. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 348:119255. [PMID: 37847937 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
The need for clear and straightforward guidelines for carbon footprint (CFP) and energy footprint (EFP) evaluations is critical due to the non-transparent and misleading results that have been reported. This study aims to address this gap by integrating CFP, EFP, toxicity, and economic assessments to evaluate the eco-environmental impacts of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The results indicate that the total CFP was below 0.6 kg CO2/kg COD removed, which is attributed to CO2 offset and biogas recovery. However, site-specific EFP varied considerably from 482.7 to 2294 kgCO2/kWh due to design differences of WWTPs and their aeration and mixing energy demand (46.96-66.1%). The use of crude oil and natural gas for electricity generation significantly increased EFP, CFP, and carcinogenic human toxicity. In contrast, a combined heat and power (CHP) installation enabled energy recovery ranging from 12.09% to 65.65%. Construction costs dominated the highest share of total costs (85.43%), with indirect construction costs (42.9%) and operation labor costs (61.4%) being the primary elements in the total net costs. It is worth noting that site-specific CO2 emission factors were used in the calculations to decrease model uncertainty. However, to improve modeling reliability, we recommend modifying the regional CO2 emission factor and focusing on emerging technologies to recover energy and biogas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajar Abyar
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, 49189-43464, Iran.
| | - Mohsen Nowrouzi
- Department of Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Nano and Bio Science and Technology, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, 75169-13798, Iran.
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9
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Huang Y, Zhen Y, Liu L, Ning X, Wang C, Li K, Zhao L, Lu Q. Comprehensive competitiveness assessment of four typical municipal sludge treatment routes in China based on environmental and techno-economic analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 895:165123. [PMID: 37364841 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
To find a sustainable and effective municipal sludge treatment route requires a systematic assessment of the comprehensive competitiveness of diverse sludge treatment routes. Four typical treatment routes in China including co-incineration in coal power plants (CIN), mono-incineration (IN), anaerobic digestion (AD) and pyrolysis (PY) were selected in this study. A novel assessment model integrating life cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis (TEA) with analytic hierarchy process (AHP)-Entropy method was established, and comprehensive competitiveness indicated by comprehensive index (CI) of the four routes was deeply evaluated. Results displayed CIN route (CI = 0.758) showed the best comprehensive performance for its best environmental and economic performance. This was followed by PY route (CI = 0.691) and AD route (CI = 0.570), indicating the enormous potential of sludge PY technology. IN route showed the worst comprehensive performance (CI = 0.186) owing to its high environmental impact and lowest economic benefit. It was noted that greenhouse gas emissions and severe toxic potential were the main environmental challenges faced by sludge treatment. Besides, result of sensitivity analysis revealed that the comprehensive competitiveness of diverse sludge treatment routes was improved with the increase of sludge organic content and sludge reception fee.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanqin Huang
- National Engineering Research Center of New Energy Power Generation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yuhang Zhen
- National Engineering Research Center of New Energy Power Generation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Lanling Liu
- National Engineering Research Center of New Energy Power Generation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xiaoyang Ning
- National Engineering Research Center of New Energy Power Generation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Chenzhou Wang
- National Engineering Research Center of New Energy Power Generation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Kai Li
- National Engineering Research Center of New Energy Power Generation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Li Zhao
- National Engineering Research Center of New Energy Power Generation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Qiang Lu
- National Engineering Research Center of New Energy Power Generation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
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10
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Zaki M, Rowles LS, Adjeroh DA, Orner KD. A Critical Review of Data Science Applications in Resource Recovery and Carbon Capture from Organic Waste. ACS ES&T ENGINEERING 2023; 3:1424-1467. [PMID: 37854077 PMCID: PMC10580293 DOI: 10.1021/acsestengg.3c00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Municipal and agricultural organic waste can be treated to recover energy, nutrients, and carbon through resource recovery and carbon capture (RRCC) technologies such as anaerobic digestion, struvite precipitation, and pyrolysis. Data science could benefit such technologies by improving their efficiency through data-driven process modeling along with reducing environmental and economic burdens via life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA), respectively. We critically reviewed 616 peer-reviewed articles on the use of data science in RRCC published during 2002-2022. Although applications of machine learning (ML) methods have drastically increased over time for modeling RRCC technologies, the reviewed studies exhibited significant knowledge gaps at various model development stages. In terms of sustainability, an increasing number of studies included LCA with TEA to quantify both environmental and economic impacts of RRCC. Integration of ML methods with LCA and TEA has the potential to cost-effectively investigate the trade-off between efficiency and sustainability of RRCC, although the literature lacked such integration of techniques. Therefore, we propose an integrated data science framework to inform efficient and sustainable RRCC from organic waste based on the review. Overall, the findings from this review can inform practitioners about the effective utilization of various data science methods for real-world implementation of RRCC technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed
T. Zaki
- Wadsworth
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, United States
| | - Lewis S. Rowles
- Department
of Civil Engineering and Construction, Georgia
Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia 30458, United States
| | - Donald A. Adjeroh
- Lane
Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, United States
| | - Kevin D. Orner
- Wadsworth
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, United States
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11
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Angeles-de Paz G, León-Morcillo R, Guzmán S, Robledo-Mahón T, Pozo C, Calvo C, Aranda E. Pharmaceutical active compounds in sewage sludge: Degradation improvement and conversion into an organic amendment by bioaugmentation-composting processes. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 168:167-178. [PMID: 37301089 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.05.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Around 143,000 chemicals find their fate in wastewater treatment plants in the European Union. Low efficiency on their removal at lab-based studies and even poorer performance at large scale experiments have been reported. Here, a coupled biological technology (bioaugmentation and composting) is proposed and proved for pharmaceutical active compounds degradation and toxicity reduction. The optimization was conducted through in situ inoculation of Penicillium oxalicum XD 3.1 and an enriched consortium (obtained from non-digested sewage sludge), into pilot scale piles of sewage sludge under real conditions. This bioaugmentation-composting system allowed a better performance of micropollutants degradation (21 % from the total pharmaceuticals detected at the beginning of the experiment) than a traditional composting process. Particularly, inoculation with P. oxalicum allowed the degradation of some recalcitrant compounds like carbamazepine, cotinine and methadone, and also produced better stabilization features in the mature compost (significant passivation of copper and zinc, higher macronutrients value, adequate physicochemical conditions for soil direct application and less toxic effect on germination) compared to the control and the enriched culture. These findings provide a feasible, alternative strategy to obtain a safer mature compost and a better removal of micropollutants performance at large scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Angeles-de Paz
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | - R León-Morcillo
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - S Guzmán
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - T Robledo-Mahón
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - C Pozo
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - C Calvo
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - E Aranda
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
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12
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Tarpani RRZ, Azapagic A. Life cycle sustainability assessment of advanced treatment techniques for urban wastewater reuse and sewage sludge resource recovery. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 869:161771. [PMID: 36702269 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants can become a source of valuable resources, such as clean water, energy, fuels and nutrients and thus contribute to the sustainable development goals and a transition to a circular economy. This can be achieved by adopting advanced wastewater and sludge treatment techniques. However, these have to be evaluated on their sustainability to avoid any unintentional consequences. Therefore, this paper presents a life cycle sustainability assessment of advanced wastewater and sludge treatment techniques by integrating the environmental, economic and social aspects. The options considered for advanced wastewater treatment are: i) granular activated carbon; ii) nanofiltration; iii) solar photo-Fenton; and iv) ozonation. The technologies for advanced sludge treatment are: i) agricultural application of anaerobically digested sludge; ii) agricultural application of composted sludge; iii) incineration; iv) pyrolysis; and v) wet air oxidation. The results for the advanced wastewater treatment techniques demonstrate that nanofiltration is the most sustainable option if all the sustainability aspects are considered equally important. If, however, a higher preference is given to the economic aspect, ozonation and granular activated carbon would both be comparable to nanofiltration; if the social aspect is considered more important, only activated carbon would be comparable to nanofiltration. Among the sludge treatment methods, agricultural application of sludge is the most sustainable technique for mean-to-high resource recovery. If the recovery rate is lower, this option is comparable with incineration and pyrolysis with high recovery of their respective products. This work helps to identify the most sustainable techniques that could be combined with conventional wastewater treatments for promoting wastewater reuse and resource recovery across a wide range of operating parameters and products outputs. The findings also support the notion that more sustainable wastewater treatment could be achieved by a circular use of water, energy and nutrients contained in urban wastewaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Ricardo Zepon Tarpani
- Sustainable Industrial Systems, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Adisa Azapagic
- Sustainable Industrial Systems, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
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13
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Jalali M, Imanifard A, Jalali M. Heavy metals accumulation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) roots and shoots grown in calcareous soils treated with non-spiked and spiked sewage sludge. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:20862-20873. [PMID: 36260228 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23604-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
With growing urbanization and agriculture, the quantity of sewage sludge production increases every year. For the purpose of risk management, it is crucial to figure out how much heavy metals are transported to different parts of plants when sewage sludge is used. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to investigate the accumulation of heavy metals in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in 30 calcareous soils. The soils in this study were subjected to three different treatments: soils treated with sewage sludge at a rate of 2.5%, soils treated with sewage sludge at a rate of 2.5% and enriched with heavy metals, and control soils that received neither sewage sludge nor heavy metals. Wheat grown in sewage sludge-treated soils had the highest mean dry matter, and was 2.11 and 1.25 times greater than wheat grown in control and spiked-sewage sludge-treated soils, respectively. In all treatments, wheat roots had greater heavy metal levels than wheat shoots. Among all the heavy metals examined, Pb and Cu had the highest bioconcentration factors for roots and shoots (BCFRoots and BCFShoots) in control and sewage sludge-treated soils, followed by Cd in spiked-sewage sludge-treated soils, and Co and Ni had the lowest BCFRoots and BCFShoots across all treatments. In spiked-sewage sludge-treated soils, the root restriction for heavy metals translocation was more important for Co, Cu, and Ni than for Pb and Zn, indicating that wheat can be grown safely in a variety of calcareous soils amended with sewage sludge with high content of Cd, Co, Cu, and Ni. Reducing the transfer of Pb and Zn from soils to wheat in soils treated with sewage sludge yet having high concentrations of these heavy metals should be considered as a top priority strategy for preserving wheat products. Since a wide range of calcareous soils was used in this study and because calcareous soils make up the majority of soils in the Middle East, the findings are relevant for all of the countries in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Jalali
- Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.
| | - Abolfazle Imanifard
- Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
| | - Mahdi Jalali
- Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
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14
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Neumann P, Riquelme C, Cartes J, Kuschel-Otárola M, Hospido A, Vidal G. Relevance of sludge management practices and substance modeling in LCA for decision-making: A case study in Chile. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 324:116357. [PMID: 36202036 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Reducing the costs and environmental impacts of sludge management is currently one of the main challenges faced by the wastewater treatment sector. Anaerobic digestion followed by land application has been widely endorsed as a low-impact approach to sludge management, mainly due to the recovery of biogas and the valorization of digestate. However, the influence that the operational conditions of digestion and the management practices of land application can have over the environmental performance of this strategy has been scarcely studied. Furthermore, most of the previous studies dealing with the environmental assessment of this strategy use simplified methods for estimating emissions after land application of sludge, and the lack of systematic accounting of these environmental flows might significantly affect the validity and comparability of the results. Therefore, this work performed an assessment of the influence that 4 relevant practices can have over the environmental impacts of this approach in the context of south-central Chile, providing a mass-balanced inventory for nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metals in soil based on the ad hoc implementation of models developed for agricultural Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). A total of 16 scenarios were defined and 10 impact categories were evaluated, with the results showing that the environmental impacts were greatly influenced by the variables under study. Overall, solids retention time and the inclusion of pre-treatment mainly influenced climate change, fossil resource depletion and terrestrial ecotoxicity potential, while sludge application rate influenced the eutrophication, water ecotoxicity and human toxicity categories. The type of crop in the receiving soil was a significant driver behind the differences observed in the human toxicity category, which showed the highest variation and relevance in the final weighted result. The results clearly highlight the relevance of using context specific data as well as of quantifying the fate of nutrients, metals and heavy metals during LCA of sludge management. Based on the results, some policy and decision-making recommendations are formulated to optimize the environmental performance of sludge digestion and land application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricio Neumann
- Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile; Water Research Center for Agriculture and Mining (CRHIAM), ANID/FONDAP/15130015, Chile.
| | - Cristian Riquelme
- Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile
| | - Javier Cartes
- Environmental Engineering & Biotechnology Group, Environmental Sciences Faculty & EULA-CHILE Center, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Mathias Kuschel-Otárola
- Department of Soils and Natural Resources, Faculty of Agronomy, Universidad de Concepción, Chillán, Chile
| | - Almudena Hospido
- CRETUS, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
| | - Gladys Vidal
- Water Research Center for Agriculture and Mining (CRHIAM), ANID/FONDAP/15130015, Chile; Environmental Engineering & Biotechnology Group, Environmental Sciences Faculty & EULA-CHILE Center, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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15
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Ozone as a Catalyst of Surplus Activated Sludge Hydrolysis for the Biogas Production Enhancement. Catalysts 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/catal12091060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The biogas produced in the methane fermentation is valuable due to its use as a renewable energy source. A promising method of biogas production intensification is sludge flocs disintegration via ozonation. The aim of this study was to check the impact of the ozonation on the efficiency and kinetics of biogas production from surplus activated sludge (SAS). Processes were carried out batchwise at 37 °C. The following analyses were performed: pH, alkalinity, dry matter, dry organic matter, chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, elemental analysis (CHNS), the biochemical potential of methane by NIR spectroscopy, and the amount and composition of biogas. The results showed that the ozonation process had no effect on the elemental composition and chemical structure of SAS. The chemical formula of SAS (C2.97H4.68O1.20N0.3) and a simplified equation describing the methane fermentation process were determined. Ozonation caused the hydrolysis of some organic compounds from sludge flocs and increased the efficiency of biogas production. The methane content in biogas was higher by about 2.5%, while the amount of produced biogas rose by up to 21% for the ozonized sludge. The kinetic constants of first-order reaction were between 0.219 and 0.323 d−1, with an upward trend due to ozonation.
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16
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Chen W, Liu J, Zhu BH, Shi MY, Zhao SQ, He MZ, Yan P, Fang F, Guo JS, Li W, Chen YP. The GHG mitigation opportunity of sludge management in China. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113284. [PMID: 35504342 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation in wastewater treatment sector is indispensable in China's carbon neutral target. As an important component of wastewater system, sludge generation is rapidly increased with the acceleration of urbanization in China. It is crucial to investigate the carbon footprint of various sludge management strategies and quantify the potential optimization of GHG reduction effect at national scale. Therefore, this study conducted a comprehensive analysis of sludge distribution and GHG profiles of various sludge systems. The overall dry sludge generation in China is 12.15 Mt, with spatial resolution at city level. Different sludge treatment options were categorized into four types: energy recovery, nutrient recovery (e.g. phosphorus and nitrogen), material valorisation (e.g. brick, biochar) and conventional disposal. With various sludge treatment options, the GHG profile of annual sludge management in China ranges from -35.86 Mt/year to 57.11 Mt/year. The best GHG mitigation can be achieved through energy recovery by co-incineration system and the greatest reduction opportunity is concentrated in highly urbanized regions, such as Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhao Chen
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Chongqing Airport Group Company, Chongqing, 401120, China
| | - Bin-Hao Zhu
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Man-Yi Shi
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Shi-Qi Zhao
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Miao-Zi He
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Peng Yan
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Fang Fang
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Jin-Song Guo
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Weimin Li
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - You-Peng Chen
- Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environments of MOE, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China.
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17
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Zhou H, Wei L, Wang D, Zhang W. Environmental impacts and optimizing strategies of municipal sludge treatment and disposal routes in China based on life cycle analysis. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 166:107378. [PMID: 35780685 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The management and utilization of sludge in a sustainable approach require a systematic analysis of the environmental impacts generated from diverse sludge treatment and disposal processes. This study systematically assessed 12 common sludge treatment and disposal routes based on the existing operating and construction conditions of representative sludge disposal projects in China. We evaluated their environmental impacts using a life cycle assessment following the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14040 and ISO 14044), and found that the routes of co-incineration, mono-incineration, and anaerobic digestion with or without thermal hydrolysis may be useful in terms of simultaneously controlling environmental pollution and carbon emissions in China. Therein, the route of co-incineration was recommended as the best one because its human toxicity potential (-152.31 kg dichlorobenzene (1,4-DB) eq/ton dry solid (t DS)), freshwater ecotoxicity potential (FEP, -127.40 kg 1,4-DB eq/t DS), terrestrial ecotoxicity potential (TEP, -0.81 kg 1,4-DB eq/t DS), and global warming potential (-27.26 kg CO2 eq/t DS) were all negative (environmental benefits). Furthermore, the toxicity impacts of the mono-incineration route were also negative, but it still needed to further enhance energy recovery to reduce carbon emissions. Despite the routes of anaerobic digestion and thermal hydrolysis in combination with anaerobic digestion had the excellent negative carbon emission attributes (-572.44 kg CO2 eq/t DS, -474.92 kg CO2 eq/t DS), they showed serious FEP and TEP owing to the heavy metals pollution caused by subsequent land use of anaerobic digested sludge. Overall, this study selected the most suitable sludge treatment and disposal routes to simultaneously satisfy the requirements of carbon emission reduction and pollution control in China and proposed optimizing suggestions for future technical improvement and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhou
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China
| | - Liangliang Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Dongsheng Wang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Weijun Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China.
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18
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Wang Q, Kong L, Tseng ML, Song Y, Wang H. Solid waste material reuse analysis: filling the road subgrade with riverway silt and sediment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:35096-35109. [PMID: 35044602 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-18650-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study proposes to explore solid waste material (SWM) reuse of the riverway silt and sediment, and examines the impacts of chemical composition on road construction through sensitivity analysis. Considering the characteristics of silt mixture, it is necessary to investigate the modified materials to improve the mechanical feasibility for subgrade filling. In this study, the water content of riverway silt and sediments was found to be important to determine the selection and content of modified materials. Specifically, the riverway silt and sediment with low water content could be improved effectively with 6 to 8% lime. Compared to the original sludge, the improved mixture had better particle size and permeability, and the carrying capacity also grew 2 to 3 times. On the other hand, the reuse of riverway silt and sediment with high water content over 40% was provided with multiple schemes. Among them, the modification scheme of construction waste or garbage slag showed well mechanical properties and environmental benefits in the sensitivity analysis, especially for the high water content sludge modified by the mixture of garbage slag and lime. The California bearing ratio (CBR2.5) was 2 to 5 times higher than the original silt, which would promote the reuse of multiple solid wastes in road construction. Finally, this study puts forward engineering measures to prevent heavy metals from polluting the water and soil environment by silt-improved soil roadbeds, and the improved riverway silt and sediment roadbeds were proved to be safe and reliable for the environment during service.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingzhou Wang
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300401, China
| | - Liying Kong
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300401, China
| | - Ming-Lang Tseng
- Institute of Innovation and Circular Economy, Asia University, Taichung City, Taiwan.
- Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
| | - Yang Song
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Geotechnical Engineering Safety and Deformation Control, Hebei University of Water Resources and Electric Engineering, Cangzhou City, China
| | - Hongyu Wang
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300401, China
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19
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Effect of Volatile Fatty Acids Accumulation on Biogas Production by Sludge-Feeding Thermophilic Anaerobic Digester and Predicting Process Parameters. FERMENTATION-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/fermentation8040184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Sewage sludge represents an important resource for reuse in the wastewater treatment field. Hence, thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) could be an alternative technique to recover renewable resources from sludge. In the TAD biodegradation process, volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are the intermediate products of methanogenesis. However, the higher formation and accumulation of VFAs leads to microbial stress, resulting in acidification and failure of the digester. Therefore, several batch TADs have been investigated to evaluate the VFAs production from sludge and their impact on biogas generation and biodegradation efficiency. Three types of sewage sludges, e.g., primary sludge (PS), secondary sludge (SS), and mixed sludge (MS) were used as substrates to estimate the accumulation of VFAs and yield of methane gas. The system showed the maximum total VFAs accumulation from both PS and MS as 824.68 ± 0.5 mg/L and 236.67 ± 0.5 mg/L, respectively. The dominant VFA accumulation was identified as acetic acid, the main intermediate by-product of methane production. The produced biogas from PS and MS contained 66.75 ± 0.5% and 52.29 ± 0.5% methane, respectively. The high content of methane with PS-feeding digesters was due to the higher accumulation of VFAs (i.e., 824.68 ± 0.5 mg/L) in the TAD. The study also predicted the design parameters of TAD process by fitting the lab-scale experimental data with the well-known first-order kinetic and logistic models. Such predicted design parameters are significantly important before the large-scale application of the TAD process.
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20
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Sellier A, Khaska S, Le Gal La Salle C. Assessment of the occurrence of 455 pharmaceutical compounds in sludge according to their physical and chemical properties: A review. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 426:128104. [PMID: 34996022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.128104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sludge agronomical reuse is of major interest due to the beneficial contribution of nutrients. However, it implies the introduction of unregulated pharmaceuticals into amended-soils and creates a controversial issue about sludge management. To limit their dissemination, it is essential to identify the compounds of interest and understand their attenuation mechanisms through the sludge processes. This paper summarizes the knowledge on 455 investigated pharmaceuticals among 32 therapeutical categories in amendable sludge matrices. It contributes to enlarging the list of commonly quantified compounds to 305 residues including 84 additional compounds compared to previous reviews. It highlights that sorption appears as the main mechanism controlling the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in sludge matrices and shows the considerable residual levels of pharmaceuticals reaching several mg/kg in dry weight. Antibiotics, stimulants, and antidepressants show the highest concentrations up to 232 mg/kg, while diuretics, anti-anxieties or anticoagulants present the lowest concentrations reaching up to 686 µg/kg. Collected data show the increase in investigated compounds as antifungals or antihistamines, and underline emerging categories like antidiabetics, antivirals, or antiarrhythmics. The in-depth analysis of the substantial database guides onto the pharmaceuticals that are the most likely to occur in these amendable matrices to assist future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Sellier
- CHROME Détection, évaluation, gestion des risques CHROniques et éMErgents (CHROME) / Université de Nîmes, 30021 Nîmes Cedex 01 - FRANCE.
| | - Somar Khaska
- CHROME Détection, évaluation, gestion des risques CHROniques et éMErgents (CHROME) / Université de Nîmes, 30021 Nîmes Cedex 01 - FRANCE.
| | - Corinne Le Gal La Salle
- CHROME Détection, évaluation, gestion des risques CHROniques et éMErgents (CHROME) / Université de Nîmes, 30021 Nîmes Cedex 01 - FRANCE.
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21
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Zhang Z, Malik MZ, Khan A, Ali N, Malik S, Bilal M. Environmental impacts of hazardous waste, and management strategies to reconcile circular economy and eco-sustainability. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 807:150856. [PMID: 34627923 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The rise in living standards and the continuous development in the global economy led to the depletion of resources and increased waste generation per capita. This waste might posture a significant threat to human health or the environmental matrices (water, air, soil) when inadequately treated, transported, stored, or managed/disposed of. Therefore, effective waste management in an economically viable and environmentally friendly way has become meaningful. Prominent technology is the need of the day for circular economy and sustainable development to reduce the speed of depletion in resources and produce an alternative means for the future demands in the different sectors of science and technology. In order to meet the potential requirements for energy production or producing secondary raw material, solid waste may be the prime source. The activities of living organisms convert waste products in one form or another in which electronic waste (e-waste) is a modern-day problem that is growing by leaps and bounds. The disposal protocols of the e-waste management need to be given proper attention to avoid its hazardous impacts. The e-waste is obtained from any equipment or devices that run by electricity or batteries like laptops, palmtops, computers, televisions, mobile phones, digital video discs (DVD), and many more. E-waste is one of the rapidly growing causes of world pollution today. Plenty of research is available in the scientific literature, which shows different approaches being set up and followed to manage and dispose of waste products. These strategies to manage waste products designed by the states all over the globe revolves around minimal production, authentic techniques for the management of waste produced, reuse and recycling, etc. The virtual survey of the available literature on waste management shows that it lacks specificity regarding the management of waste products parallel to ecological sustainability. The presented review covers the sources, potential environmental impacts, and highlights the importance of waste management strategies to provide the latest and updated knowledge. The review also put forward the countermeasures that need to be taken on national and International levels addressing the sensitive issue of waste management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zhang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province 318000, China
| | - Muhammad Zeeshan Malik
- School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Adnan Khan
- Institute of Chemical Sciences, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Nisar Ali
- Key Laboratory for Palygorskite Science and Applied Technology of Jiangsu Province, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Deep Utilization Technology of Rock-salt Resource, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian, China
| | - Sumeet Malik
- Institute of Chemical Sciences, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Bilal
- School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian 223003, China
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22
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Zhou X, Li J, Zhao X, Yang J, Sun H, Yang SS, Bai S. Resource recovery in life cycle assessment of sludge treatment: Contribution, sensitivity, and uncertainty. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150409. [PMID: 34599953 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study focused on the resource recovery of sludge treatment by quantifying the environmental contributions, identifying the influential factors, and comparing different scenarios. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of sewage sludge treatment was carried out to estimate the environmental impacts of six scenarios: (1) co-digestion of sludge and food waste; (2) co-gasification of sludge and woody waste; (3) co-incineration of sludge and used oil; (4) landfilling; (5) incineration; and (6) anaerobic digestion combined with incineration. Results demonstrate that the resource recovery had a substantial contribution to the environmental performance of the sludge treatment, while the degree of contribution was largely affected by various treatment scenarios and diverse impact categories. To gain deep insight into the parameters related to resource recovery, sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the influence of the parameters on the LCA results, including the organic content, conversion efficiency of organic matter to methane, and other energy conversion efficiencies. After integrating the inventory variation of those parameters into the decision process via the Monte Carlo simulation, results indicate that no obviously superior scenario could be identified. Conversely, when parameter uncertainty was not considered, co-gasification of sludge and woody waste exhibited the most preferable environmental performance. Overall, this study demonstrates that considering the parameter uncertainty of resource recovery will contribute to a more transparent evaluation process, but will inevitably increase the complexity of the decision-making process based on LCA results because it is difficult to determine a sludge treatment scenario that decisively outperforms the others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China
| | - Jing Li
- China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, 100044 Beijing, China
| | - Xinyue Zhao
- College of Resource and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Jixian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China
| | - Hongliang Sun
- Changchun Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute, 130033 Changchun, China
| | - Shan-Shan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China
| | - Shunwen Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150090 Harbin, China.
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Hoang SA, Bolan N, Madhubashani AMP, Vithanage M, Perera V, Wijesekara H, Wang H, Srivastava P, Kirkham MB, Mickan BS, Rinklebe J, Siddique KHM. Treatment processes to eliminate potential environmental hazards and restore agronomic value of sewage sludge: A review. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 293:118564. [PMID: 34838711 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Land application of sewage sludge is increasingly used as an alternative to landfilling and incineration owing to a considerable content of carbon and essential plant nutrients in sewage sludge. However, the presence of chemical and biological contaminants in sewage sludge poses potential dangers; therefore, sewage sludge must be suitably treated before being applied to soils. The most common methods include anaerobic digestion, aerobic composting, lime stabilization, incineration, and pyrolysis. These methods aim at stabilizing sewage sludge, to eliminate its potential environmental pollution and restore its agronomic value. To achieve best results on land, a comprehensive understanding of the transformation of organic matter, nutrients, and contaminants during these sewage-sludge treatments is essential; however, this information is still lacking. This review aims to fill this knowledge gap by presenting various approaches to treat sewage sludge, transformation processes of some major nutrients and pollutants during treatment, and potential impacts on soils. Despite these treatments, overtime there are still some potential risks of land application of treated sewage sludge. Potentially toxic substances remain the main concern regarding the reuse of treated sewage sludge on land. Therefore, further treatment may be applied, and long-term field studies are warranted, to prevent possible adverse effects of treated sewage sludge on the ecosystem and human health and enable its land application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son A Hoang
- Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia; Division of Urban Infrastructural Engineering, Mientrung University of Civil Engineering, Phu Yen, 56000, Viet Nam
| | - Nanthi Bolan
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia.
| | - A M P Madhubashani
- Ecosphere Resilience Research Centre, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka; Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
| | - Meththika Vithanage
- Ecosphere Resilience Research Centre, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Vishma Perera
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University, Belihuloya, Sri Lanka
| | - Hasintha Wijesekara
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University, Belihuloya, Sri Lanka
| | - Hailong Wang
- Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, China
| | - Prashant Srivastava
- CSIRO, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, South Australia, 5064, Australia
| | - M B Kirkham
- Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Bede S Mickan
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia
| | - Jörg Rinklebe
- Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Institute of Soil Engineering, Waste- and Water Science, Faculty of Architecture und Civil Engineering, University of Wuppertal, Germany; Department of Environment, Energy and Geoinformatics, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kadambot H M Siddique
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia
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Wang YJ, Yu Y, Huang HJ, Yu CL, Fang HS, Zhou CH, Yin X, Chen WH, Guo XC. Efficient conversion of sewage sludge into hydrochar by microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 803:149874. [PMID: 34492491 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The treatment of sewage sludge (SS) is an environmental problem worldwide. In recent years, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of SS for hydrochar (HC) has attracted extensive attention. This study preliminarily explored the microwave-assisted HTC of SS for the first time. Increasing the reaction temperature (150-250 °C) and reaction time (0-120 min) resulted in a decrease in the HC yield, and it gradually increased with the rising solid-liquid ratio (0.03-0.25 g/mL). Compared with raw SS, the HC products possessed higher aromaticity, carbonization degree, porosity, and polarity, and lower content of soluble nutrients (N/P/K) and leachable heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni), indicating a lower risk of nutrient and heavy metal loss. Attention should be paid to the total contents of Zn and Cd in HC exceeded the permitted value for use in cultivated land with edible crops. The use of CaO as a catalyst improved the yield of HC, made the HC and process water (PW) weakly alkaline, and further passivated the heavy metals in the HC. In the case of H3PO4, although the conversion of SS was enhanced (lower content of volatile organic matter in HC), the contents of soluble nutrients (N/P/K) in HC/PW increased, and the migration of Zn and Cd into process water was enhanced. The HCs obtained in this study had poor combustion properties, but higher ignition temperatures than raw SS. PW must be properly treated or recycled because it still contained high contents of organic matter and nutrients. This fundamental study provides basic insights into the microwave-assisted HTC of SS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jie Wang
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Yi Yu
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Hua-Jun Huang
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China.
| | - Cheng-Long Yu
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Han-Sun Fang
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Chun-Huo Zhou
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Xin Yin
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Wei-Hua Chen
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China
| | - Xin-Chun Guo
- School of Land Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resource and Ecology in the Poyang Lake Basin of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China.
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The upsurge of photocatalysts in antibiotic micropollutants treatment: Materials design, recovery, toxicity and bioanalysis. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY C: PHOTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochemrev.2021.100437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
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Yesil H, Molaey R, Calli B, Tugtas AE. Extent of bioleaching and bioavailability reduction of potentially toxic heavy metals from sewage sludge through pH-controlled fermentation. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 201:117303. [PMID: 34116292 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Utilization of anaerobically stabilized sewage sludge on arable lands serve as a renewable alternative to chemical fertilizers as it enables recycling of valuable nutrients to food chain. However, probable presence of heavy metals in sewage sludge restricts the use of stabilized sludge on lands. In this study, a novel approach based on pH-controlled fermentation and anaerobic metal bioleaching was developed to reduce ecotoxicity potential of fermented sludge prior to its land application. Sewage sludge was subjected to pH-controlled fermentation process at acidic, neutral, and alkaline pH levels with the aim of increasing metal solubilization and decreasing bioavailable metal fractions through anaerobic bioleaching. Alkaline reactor performed the best among all reactors and resulted in 3-fold higher hydrolysis (34%) and 6-fold higher acidification (19%) efficiencies along with 43-fold (in average) higher metal solubilization than that of neutral pH reactor. As a result of alkaline fermentation, 32-57% of the metals remained as bioavailable and 34-59% of the metals were encapsulated as non-bioavailable within solid fraction of fermented sludge (biosolid), whereas 8-12% of total metal was solubilized into fermentation liquor. Our results reveal that anaerobic bioleaching through alkaline fermentation enables biosolid production with less metal content and low bioavailability, facilitating its utilization for agricultural purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Yesil
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Marmara University, Goztepe, Istanbul 34722, Turkey
| | - Rahim Molaey
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Marmara University, Goztepe, Istanbul 34722, Turkey; Kabul Polytechnic University, 5th district, 1010, Karta-e-Mamorin, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Baris Calli
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Marmara University, Goztepe, Istanbul 34722, Turkey
| | - Adile Evren Tugtas
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Marmara University, Goztepe, Istanbul 34722, Turkey.
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Ding A, Zhang R, Ngo HH, He X, Ma J, Nan J, Li G. Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge treatment and disposal based on nutrient and energy recovery: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 769:144451. [PMID: 33736265 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
With the acceleration of urbanization, the production of urban sludge is increasing rapidly. To minimize resource input and waste output, it is crucial to execute analyses of environmental impact and assessments of sustainability on different technical strategies involving sludge disposal based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which is a great potential mean of environmental management adopted internationally in the 21st century. This review aims to compare the environmental sustainability of existing sludge management schemes with a purpose of nutrient recovery and energy saving, respectively, and also to include the substitution benefits of alternative sludge products. Simultaneously, LCA research regarding the emerging sludge management technologies and sludge recycling (cement, adsorbent, bricks) is analyzed. Additionally, the key aspects of the LCA process are worth noting in the context of the current limitations reviewed here. It is worth emphasizing that no technical remediation method can reduce all environmental damage simultaneously, and these schemes are typically more applicable to the assumed local conditions. Future LCA research should pay more attention to the toxic effects of different sludge treatment methods, evaluate the technical ways of adding pretreatment technology to the 'front end' of the sludge treatment process, and further explore how to markedly reduce environmental damage in order to maximize energy and nutrient recovery from the LCA perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- An Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, 150090 Harbin, PR China.
| | - Rourou Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, 150090 Harbin, PR China
| | - Huu Hao Ngo
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Xu He
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, 150090 Harbin, PR China
| | - Jun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, 150090 Harbin, PR China
| | - Jun Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, 150090 Harbin, PR China.
| | - Guibai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, 150090 Harbin, PR China
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28
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Chaudhary YK, Gough HL. Identifying ranges of combined lime and heat treatments to achieve biosolids stabilization fecal coliform targets. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 282:111900. [PMID: 33454532 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
To ensure safe reuse, biosolids are stabilized to reduce pathogens, odor, and volatile solids. Stabilization by lime addition have high material costs, high transportation costs, and loss of ammonia. Decreasing required lime additions would improve the sustainability of biosolids reuse. This study examined combining lime and heat treatment to reduce lime additions needed for required fecal coliform destruction. In contrast to the current best management practice requiring a pH of 12, fecal coliform reduction for final concentrations <1000 MPN/g (where MPN is most probable number) was achieved with pH as low as 10 when combined with a short (1-h) incubation at 60 °C. Analysis of D-values (the time required to destroy 1-log fecal coliform) supported a synergistic treatment response at moderate pH and heat treatments. Samples receiving higher temperature treatments had lower specific oxygen uptake rates, suggesting that readily-available carbon was lost during heat treatment. Samples with lower lime additions had higher final ammonia concentrations, which is a desired characteristic for biosolids reclaimed as a fertilizer. The study demonstrated that optimizing combined lime and heat stabilization can improve beneficial reuse as a means toward enhancing environmental sustainability and improving the circular economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yash Kumar Chaudhary
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, 201 More Hall, Box 352700, Seattle, WA, 98195-2700, USA; Jacobs Engineering, Inc. 999 W. Main Street, Suite 1200, Boise, ID, 83706, USA.
| | - Heidi Lois Gough
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Anderson Hall Box 352100, Seattle, WA, 98195-2100, USA.
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Iglesias-Iglesias R, Kennes C, Veiga MC. Valorization of sewage sludge in co-digestion with cheese whey to produce volatile fatty acids. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 118:541-551. [PMID: 32980733 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The present work explored the production of volatile fatty acids through the anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge (SS) and cheese whey (CW). Two batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of the substrate mixing ratio (SS%:CW% of total COD of feedstock) and the initial pH on the acidogenic fermentation of SS with CW at different temperatures. The first batch experiment showed that a decrease of the SS proportion in the co-digestion with CW led to a higher degree of acidification observing a synergistic effect at a SS:CW mixing ratio of 25:75 (SS25:CW75). In the second batch experiment, three temperatures (30 °C, 38 °C and 50 °C) and two initial pH (5.5 and 9) were studied at SS60:CW40 and SS25:CW75 substrate mixing ratios. Maximum degrees of acidification of 56% and 73% were achieved, at 50 °C and initial pH of 5.5, for the SS60:CW40 and SS25:CW75 substrate mixing ratios, respectively. Finally, the performance of a semi-continuous reactor was demonstrated at laboratory scale reactor. Different hydraulic retention times (HRT) (10 and 20 days), pH (uncontrolled, 5.5 and 9) and the effect of a thermal pre-treatment of the SS was studied. The maximum degree of acidification in the lab-scale reactor was 45% at 37 °C, HRT of 20 days and pH of 5.5. Under these conditions, the volatile fatty acids (VFA) profile was dominated by butyric and acetic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Iglesias-Iglesias
- Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), University of A Coruña, A Coruña 15008, Spain
| | - Christian Kennes
- Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), University of A Coruña, A Coruña 15008, Spain
| | - María C Veiga
- Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (CICA), University of A Coruña, A Coruña 15008, Spain.
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Omidghane M, Bartoli M, Asomaning J, Xia L, Chae M, Bressler DC. Pyrolysis of fatty acids derived from hydrolysis of brown grease with biosolids. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:26395-26405. [PMID: 32363458 PMCID: PMC7332484 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09041-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The escalating generation of biosolids and increasing regulations regarding their safe handling and disposal have created a great environmental challenge. Recently, biosolids have been incorporated into the hydrolysis step of a two-step thermal lipid conversion process to act as water replacement in the production of renewable chemicals and fuels. Here, the hexane extract recovered from hydrolysis of biosolids, lipids from brown grease hydrolyzed using either water (control) or biosolids as a water replacement, was pyrolyzed at 410-450 °C for 2 h. The product distribution and composition were not significantly different when biosolids were used to hydrolyze brown grease instead of water. The liquid product consisted mainly of alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, and cyclic compounds similar to those in petroleum-derived liquid fuels. However, the use of biosolids as a water substitute resulted in a significant increase in sulphur content of the pyrolysate, which will necessitate processes to reduce the sulphur content before or after pyrolysis. Nevertheless, the pathways proposed in this paper are considered as potentially economically viable approaches to not only resolve the issues associated with disposal of biosolids but also to produce renewable hydrocarbons for fuel and chemical applications. Graphical abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Omidghane
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Mattia Bartoli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Justice Asomaning
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Lin Xia
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Michael Chae
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - David C Bressler
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2P5, Canada.
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Mainardis M, Buttazzoni M, Goi D. Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) Technology for Energy Recovery: A Review on State-of-the-Art and Recent Technological Advances. Bioengineering (Basel) 2020; 7:E43. [PMID: 32397582 PMCID: PMC7355771 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering7020043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor belongs to high-rate systems, able to perform anaerobic reaction at reduced hydraulic retention time, if compared to traditional digesters. In this review, the most recent advances in UASB reactor applications are critically summarized and discussed, with outline on the most critical aspects for further possible future developments. Beside traditional anaerobic treatment of soluble and biodegradable substrates, research is actually focusing on the treatment of refractory and slowly degradable matrices, thanks to an improved understanding of microbial community composition and reactor hydrodynamics, together with utilization of powerful modeling tools. Innovative approaches include the use of UASB reactor for nitrogen removal, as well as for hydrogen and volatile fatty acid production. Co-digestion of complementary substrates available in the same territory is being extensively studied to increase biogas yield and provide smooth continuous operations in a circular economy perspective. Particular importance is being given to decentralized treatment, able to provide electricity and heat to local users with possible integration with other renewable energies. Proper pre-treatment application increases biogas yield, while a successive post-treatment is needed to meet required effluent standards, also from a toxicological perspective. An increased full-scale application of UASB technology is desirable to achieve circular economy and sustainability scopes, with efficient biogas exploitation, fulfilling renewable energy targets and green-house gases emission reduction, in particular in tropical countries, where limited reactor heating is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matia Mainardis
- Department Polytechnic of Engineering and Architecture (DPIA), University of Udine, Via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine, Italy; (M.B.); (D.G.)
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32
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Directions and Challenges in the Management of Municipal Sewage Sludge in Poland in the Context of the Circular Economy. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12093686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Landfilling was the main method of sewage sludge disposal in Poland for decades. After Poland’s accession to the European Union (EU), many investments have been made into providing better access to tap water as well as to collect and treat municipal sewage. However, sewage sludge treatment has not been treated as an integral part of the implementation of wastewater management obligations. Stricter European Union regulations regarding the management of municipal sewage sludge (MSS) pose new challenges for Poland. The aim of this study was to analyze changes in the direction of the final management of municipal sewage sludge in Poland based on the analysis of strategic documents, regulations, literature, and available statistical data. The aim of the analysis was to search for directions to modify how sewage sludge is managed, given the approach promoted by the circular economy concept. The results prove that investments in wastewater treatment plants according to the EU sewage directive are not applied to the development of infrastructure that would enable the disposal of sewage sludge, which, for many years, has been stored (landfilling) or used directly in agriculture and ground reclamation. The introduction of stricter regulations in the area of sewage sludge usage and better wastewater treatment have increased the level of difficulties concerning sewage sludge management. Poland faces the challenge of defining sewage sludge management directions. The circular economy concept offers an approach that can be the basis for the creation of a new sewage sludge management strategy for Poland. The concept allows the combined goals of sewage sludge disposal and of energy and nutrients recovery to be achieved.
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