Sludge Treatment and Disposal Management Approaches and Experiences
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Environmental Issues Series no. 7 Sludge Treatment and Disposal Management Approaches and Experiences By ISWA’s Working Group on Sewage & Waterworks Sludge Albrecht R. Bresters, The Netherlands Isabelle Coulomb, France Bela Deak, Hungary Bernhard Matter, Switzerland Alice Saabye, Denmark Ludivico Spinosa, Italy Ådne Ø. Utvik, Norway Lise Uhre, Project Co-ordinator International Solid Waste Association Paolo Meozzi, Project Manager European Environment Agency Sludge Treatment and Disposal © 1997 European Environment Agency LEGAL NOTICE Neither the European Commission, the European Environment Agency, the International Solid Waste Association, nor any person or company acting on their behalf is responsible for the use which may be made of the information in this publication. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of the European Community, its institutions, or the international organisa- tions and individual countries involved in preparing this report. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the European Community or the European Environ- ment Agency concerning the legal status of any coun- try, territory, city or area or its authorities. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system without the permission in writing from the copyright holder and publisher. Cover and layout: Folkmann Design & Promotion ISBN 87-90402-05-7 European Environment Agency Kongens Nytorv 6 DK-1050 Copenhagen K Denmark Tel. (+45) 33 36 71 00 Fax (+45) 33 36 71 99 E-mail: [email protected] Home page: http:// www.eea.eu.int ISWA Læderstræde 9, 2. DK-1201 Copenhagen K Denmark Tel. (+45) 33 91 44 91 Fax (+45) 33 91 91 88 E-mail: [email protected] Table of contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................. 9 2. Background ............................................................................ 10 3. Sludge characterisation......................................................... 13 3.1. Introduction ..................................................................... 13 3.2. Characterisation Parameters ........................................... 13 3.2.1. Agricultural Use ............................................................ 14 3.2.2. Composting .................................................................. 14 3.2.3. Incineration ................................................................... 14 3.2.4. Landfilling ..................................................................... 14 3.3. Stabilisation ..................................................................... 14 3.4. Solid-Liquid Separation ................................................... 15 3.5. Concluding Remarks ........................................................ 15 4. Transportation and storage .................................................. 17 4.1. Introduction ..................................................................... 17 4.2. Storage ............................................................................ 17 4.2.1. Operation Description .................................................. 17 4.2.2. Equipment .................................................................... 17 4.3. Transportation.................................................................. 18 4.3.1. Operation Description .................................................. 18 4.3.2. Equipment .................................................................... 19 4.4. Concluding Remarks ........................................................ 19 5. Agricultural Use ..................................................................... 20 5.1. Conditions for Agricultural Use ....................................... 20 5.1.1. Sludge Types and Sludge Quality................................. 20 5.1.2. Legislation..................................................................... 20 5.2. Description of Agricultural Use ....................................... 20 5.3. Advantages/Disadvantages of Agricultural Use .............. 21 5.4. Financial Estimate ............................................................ 21 6. Composting............................................................................ 22 6.1. The Influence of Variable Conditions in Defining the Composting Process ...................................... 22 4 Sludge Treatment and Disposal 6.2. General Description of the Process of Composting and Plant Conception Factors ....................... 23 6.3. Advantages/Disadvantages of Composting ........................ Sludges ................................................................................... 24 6.4. Financial Estimates .......................................................... 25 6.5. Concluding Remarks ........................................................ 26 7. Drying ..................................................................................... 27 7.1. Introduction ..................................................................... 27 7.2. Conditions for Drying of Sludge - Amounts and Drying Rates................................................... 27 7.2.1. Quality .......................................................................... 28 7.3. Drying and Dryers ............................................................ 28 7.3.1. Indirect Dryers .............................................................. 29 7.3.2. Direct Dryers ................................................................. 29 7.4. Advantages/Disadvantages of Drying ............................. 30 7.5. Financial Estimate ............................................................ 30 8. Incineration (Vitrification, Co-incineration) .......................... 31 8.1. Designated Sludge Incinerators - a General Description ............................................................. 31 8.2. Co-incineration - a General Description .......................... 33 8.3. Advantages and Disadvantages ...................................... 34 8.4. Financial Estimate ............................................................ 34 8.5. Concluding Remarks ........................................................ 35 9. Landfilling............................................................................... 36 9.1. Conditions for Application .............................................. 36 9.1.1. The Character and Treatment of Sludge before Final Disposal on Landfill ............................................ 36 9.1.2. Regulations Governing the Construction of Sludge Disposal Sites ......................................................... 37 9.2. Practical Solutions............................................................ 37 9.2.1. Mono-deposits.............................................................. 38 9.2.2. Mixed Deposits ............................................................. 38 9.3. Evaluation of Cost Efficiency ........................................... 41 5 10. New Technologies (Gasification, Wet Oxidation) ................ 42 10.1. Gasification of Sludge.................................................... 42 10.1.1. The Gasification Process ............................................. 42 10.2. Wet Oxidation ............................................................... 42 10.3. Plasma Pyrolysis ............................................................. 42 11. Environmental Impact Assessments ..................................... 44 11.1. General .......................................................................... 44 11.2. Set-up of the EIA ........................................................... 44 11.3. Procedure ...................................................................... 45 12. How to Decide on Sludge Disposal...................................... 46 12.1. Legal Boundaries ........................................................... 46 12.2. Costs .............................................................................. 46 12.3. Decision Tree ................................................................. 46 13. Appendices ............................................................................ 49 13.1. Legislation on Waste Water Sludge as per 1 October 1996............................................................ 49 13.1.1. EU Countries ............................................................... 49 13.1.2. USA ............................................................................. 50 13.2. Plant Utilisation of Nutrients in Sludge ......................... 50 13.2.1. Nitrogen...................................................................... 50 13.2.2. Phosphorus ................................................................. 50 13.3. Basic Characterisation ................................................... 50 13.3.1. Particle Size Distribution............................................. 51 13.3.2. Water Retention.......................................................... 51 13.3.3. Rheological Properties ............................................... 52 14. References.............................................................................. 53 14.1. Sludge Characterisation ................................................ 53 14.2. Storage and Transportation ........................................... 53 14.3. Agricultural Use ............................................................