Systematical analysis of sludge treatment and disposal technologies for carbon footprint reduction

Zhao, Yingxin; Yang, Zhifan; Niu, Jun; Du, Zihan; Conti, Federica; Zhu, Zhe; Yang, Kunming; Li, Yan; Zhao, Bin; Pedersen, Thomas Helmer; Emmanuel, Mutabazi

doi:10.1016/j.jes.2022.07.038

Cited by 25 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…With regard to life cycle GHG emissions for wastewater sludge management, the hydrothermal system (367 [206 to 497] kg CO 2 eq·tonne –1 ) had lower carbon intensity than landfilling (732 to 2200 kg CO 2 eq·tonne –1 88 ) and comparable values to incineration (−245 to 1450 kg CO 2 eq·tonne –1 88 ) and land application (150 to 715 kg CO 2 eq·tonne –1 88 ). No existing life cycle GHG emissions data were available for the other four wastes evaluated in this study.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the Opportunity Space for Sustainable Hydrothermal Valorization of Wet Organic Wastes

Feng,

Li,

Strathmann

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Resource recovery from wet organic wastes can support circular economies by creating financial incentives to produce renewable energy and return nutrients to agriculture. In this study, we characterize the potential for hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)based resource recovery systems to advance the economic and environmental sustainability of wastewater sludge, FOG (fats, oils, and grease), food waste, green waste, and animal manure management through the production of liquid biofuels (naphtha, diesel), fertilizers (struvite, ammonium sulfate), and power (heat, electricity). From the waste management perspective, median costs range from −193 $• tonne −1 (FOG) to 251 $•tonne −1 (green waste), and median carbon intensities range from 367 kg CO 2 eq•tonne −1 (wastewater sludge) to 769 kg CO 2 eq•tonne −1 (green waste). From the fuel production perspective, the minimum selling price of renewable diesel blendstocks are within the commercial diesel price range (2.37 to 5.81 $• gal −1 ) and have a lower carbon intensity than petroleum diesel (101 kg CO 2 eq•MMBTU −1 ). Finally, through uncertainty analysis and Monte Carlo filtering, we set specific targets (i.e., achieve wastewater sludge-to-biocrude yield >0.440) for the future development of hydrothermal waste management system components. Overall, our work demonstrates the potential of HTL-based resource recovery systems to reduce the costs and carbon intensity of resource-rich organic wastes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the Opportunity Space for Sustainable Hydrothermal Valorization of Wet Organic Wastes

Feng,

Li,

Strathmann

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…The dewatering effect of sludge is related to sludge character, conditioning method, and external environmental statuses. 65 In response to the properties of sludge and the influencing factors of dewatering, reasonable and designed conditioning methods for the sludge can provide the desired achievements. The water in the sludge is composed of free and bound water.…”

Section: The Methods Of Sludge Conditioning For Dehydrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dehydration Performance of Municipal Sludge and Its Dewatering Conditioning Methods: A Review

Jiang

Gao

Zhang

et al. 2023

Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.

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Municipal sludge is an inevitable byproduct during the treatment of wastewater, which is produced by sewage treatment plants in urban residential areas, and it contains pathogens, heavy metals, and other pollutants. Municipal sludge is suitable for application in energy utilization because of its high organic content and relatively low toxic matter. The high moisture content of municipal sludge brings huge difficulties to its harmless disposal and resource utilization. At present, the main method used for sludge dehydration is mechanical dewatering. However, the mud cake produced by this method still has a water content of up to 80%, which does not meet the current rigorous requirements. Therefore, the development of deep dehydration technology for sludge is imperative. In this paper, the basic properties and structure of sludge were summarized. As a key component of sludge flocs, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) has received much attention in sludge dewatering conditioning. Meanwhile, the influencing factors of sludge dewatering were also fully elaborated, including sludge types, sewage hardness, surface charge, size distribution, and sludge viscosity. And the main methods of sludge dewatering treatment were comprehensively included, namely, the physical method, chemical method, biological method, and combined conditioning methods. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are mentioned, and their application situations were analyzed. Furthermore, comment was provided on the conditioning mechanism, adaptability, prospects, and limitations of the techniques for improving sludge dewatering. This systematic review related to sludge dewatering can not only provide reference information for the conditioning method but also benefit the exploitation of efficient and ecofriendly sludge dewatering technology.

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“…The untreated and inadequately treated sewage poses a significant threat to human life [ 130 , 131 , 132 ]. Sewage management technologies include various methods, such as landfill disposal, land spreading, anaerobic digestion, thermochemical processes, and integration into building materials [ 91 , 133 ]. Hu et al reported the conversion of sewage sludge into useful CDs.…”

Section: Waste Precursorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Dots Derived from Non-Biomass Waste: Methods, Applications, and Future Perspectives

Chen,

Yin,

Cole

et al. 2024

Molecules

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Carbon dots (CDs) are luminescent carbon nanoparticles with significant potential in analytical sensing, biomedicine, and energy regeneration due to their remarkable optical, physical, biological, and catalytic properties. In light of the enduring ecological impact of non-biomass waste that persists in the environment, efforts have been made toward converting non-biomass waste, such as ash, waste plastics, textiles, and papers into CDs. This review introduces non-biomass waste carbon sources and classifies them in accordance with the 2022 Australian National Waste Report. The synthesis approaches, including pre-treatment methods, and the properties of the CDs derived from non-biomass waste are comprehensively discussed. Subsequently, we summarize the diverse applications of CDs from non-biomass waste in sensing, information encryption, LEDs, solar cells, and plant growth promotion. In the final section, we delve into the future challenges and perspectives of CDs derived from non-biomass waste, shedding light on the exciting possibilities in this emerging area of research.

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Systematical analysis of sludge treatment and disposal technologies for carbon footprint reduction

Cited by 25 publications

References 105 publications

Characterizing the Opportunity Space for Sustainable Hydrothermal Valorization of Wet Organic Wastes

Characterizing the Opportunity Space for Sustainable Hydrothermal Valorization of Wet Organic Wastes

Dehydration Performance of Municipal Sludge and Its Dewatering Conditioning Methods: A Review

Carbon Dots Derived from Non-Biomass Waste: Methods, Applications, and Future Perspectives

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