Wastewater sewage sludge: The thermal treatment solution

Abstract

The right individuation of a more convenient solution for the final treatment and destination of sewage sludge is a very interesting problem, in account of the urgent need for acceptable solutions. In this work we examined, both from a technological and from an environmental point of view, the thermal solutions (firstly the direct combustion in incineration plant, but also gasification) for the sludge deriving from the main Italian wastewater plant (plant of the metropolitan area of Torino). In order to arrive at a solution, an initial analysis was necessary in order to define the main characteristics of the produced sludge (flow rates, composition); afterwards we analyzed the potential plant design solutions in detail in order to arrive at some prospective indications. © 2014 WIT Press.