Figure
1. Sewage Sludge Production Process
Worldwide Sludge Treatment, Statistics and Processing
For wastewater treatment plants, the World Water Environment Federation
(WEF) has adopted the ”NEW” paradigm (Nutrient-Energy-Water). This
concept is centered on converting individual wastewater treatment plants
into units that produce recovered resources. Climate change and
population shifts are the foundations of this paradigm, as increasing
biogenic contamination of water, which accelerates the eutrophication
process, and the need for sustainable development. Developed countries
now have the biggest sewage sludge output (Yesil et al., 2021). Sludge
utilization is largely limited to sewage sludge and biosolids, and it is
only reported in industrialized nations (LeBlanc et al., 2009). Many of
these nations had trouble disposing of sewage sludge from treatment
facilities after recognizing that traditional sewage sludge disposal in
landfills was no longer an option.
With the increased use of wastewater treatment, many nations are
tackling one problem while creating a new one: managing or disposing of
sewage sludge. While wastewater treatment results in cleaner water being
released to oceans, rivers, and lakes, it also results in a substantial
volume of sewage sludge being created (Table 1).