Sewage sludge management options and civil society stakeholders’ influence: first evidence from Italian cases

E Cagno,P Garrone,A Neri

doi:10.1088/1757-899x/1196/1/012006

E Cagno, P Garrone + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/1196/1/012006

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Abstract

Sewage sludge management is a pivotal process in the path toward sustainability, broadening the scope of wastewater treatment from removing pollutants to recycle and recover resources. Water utilities can choose among several management options and treatment technologies. The paper focuses on the possible influence of civil society stakeholders on the decision-making process of water utilities, and to investigated it, inductive case studies were conducted in Italian water utilities adopting different management options. The analysis allowed us to capture the richness of observations and make interesting variables possible shaping the relationship emerged, as the role of regulatory uncertainty. The first results show how the investigated water utilities look at other Countries for robust solutions and select the less risky in terms of civil society’s acceptance. Communication and involvement of civil society appear to be an important asset to mitigate possible negative relationships.

Highlights

Sewage sludge management is gaining momentum in scientific literature, in terms of treatment techniques, and associated industrial and institutional changes [1]
Water Utility 1 WU1 owns around 50 wastewater treatment plants, several of which were acquired
The treated sludge is produced as stabilized dewatered sludge, while in three specific plants further treatment processes are operated: WU1.1, equipped with a dryer owned by WU1 but operated by a third party, produces dried sludge managed by an external cement factory; WU1.2 and WU1.3, where the sludge is transformed in calcium carbonate - the process is managed by a third party who reuses the calcium carbonate as fertilizer

Summary

Introduction

Sewage sludge management is gaining momentum in scientific literature, in terms of treatment techniques, and associated industrial and institutional changes [1]. The production of sludge is increasing as water treatment technologies improve - due to stringent regulation on wastewater releases [2], and as an always higher number of households is connected to the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in charge of the treatment of the sewage [3]. Traditional sludge disposal options – landfill and open-water disposal – are losing ground owing to stringent environmental quality targets and bans [4]. The imperative of WWTPs shifts from the removal of pollutants to the recycle and recovery of the resources embedded in sewage sludge [5], in line with the Sustainable Development Goals [6] and Zero Waste Europe [7]

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