Evaluation of the Use of Sewage Sludge Biochar as a Soil Amendment—A Review

Abstract

In recent decades, minimization and recycling/reuse policies were introduced to reduce the quantities of generated waste and for alternative waste recovery. Organic wastes represent 46% of total global solid waste. Possible uses of organic wastes include using it as fertilizer and amendment for soil, for energy recovery and for the production of chemical substances. Sewage sludge disposal and reuse are identified as future problems concerning waste. The total amount of sludge generated in the entire world has increased dramatically, and this tendency is expected to increase significantly in the years to come. In most developed countries, special attention is given to sewage sludge treatment in order to improve the quality and safety of using it on the ground surface. Sewage sludge pyrolysis is considered an acceptable method, from an economic and ecological perspective, for the beneficial reuse of sewage sludge. This method has many advantages because, during the pyrolysis process, the sludge volume is reduced by 80%, pathogenic agents and hazardous compounds from sewage sludge are eliminated, metals are immobilized in solid residue and organic and inorganic fractions are immobilized in a stabilized form of pyrolytic residues (biochar). The biochar generated by sewage sludge pyrolysis does not contain pathogenic agents and is rich in carbon and nutrients.