Sludge treatment and reuse considering different climates and varying other conditions—Export-oriented research for developing and threshold countries

Abstract

Sewage sludge accumulating during biological wastewater treatment has to be treated appropriately to avoid impacts on the environment and risks to public health. Especially pathogen reduction is necessary when sludge is disposed or reused in such a way that human contact is possible. In industrialized countries various sludge treatment technologies are available, but these are often only approved under local conditions. When exporting these technologies and experiences to other countries, a number of factors have to be taken into account including climatic, sociocultural, political and financial aspects. This paper gives an overview of current knowledge regarding sewage sludge treatment in developing countries. Various sanitation projects are realized worldwide and experiences from these plants already in operation are summarized. Results of on going laboratory experiments in climatic chambers regarding aerobic and anaerobic stabilization as well as lime treatment are shown to define the best-practicable sludge treatment technology for a certain climate. Options for final reuse or disposal are presented depending on end-product quality.