(Source: Author)
Environmental impact assessment and monitoring
The fundamental priority of the chosen sludge disposal option should be the preservation of human health and the environment. The following principles should be followed in standard waste management: all wastes should be reduced; reuse and recycling should be undertaken wherever feasible; and any residual residue should be appropriately disposed (Dean & Suess, 1985; Giusti, 2009). However, this necessitates a thorough study of the environmental consequences and dangers associated with the chosen disposal strategy, with the goal of minimizing negative impacts while emphasizing beneficial ones. Along with technical, economic, operational, and environmental elements of the problem, waste water treatment plant planning and design should incorporate a beneficial use or final disposal choices for the generated sludge.
The use of appropriate environmental indicators is required for effective monitoring. Each sludge disposal technique includes a corresponding indication for assessing the impact of the chosen option. Monitoring water quality, for example, may be more appropriate and relevant for a given disposal option than odor emission. Obviously, both must be regulated, but the influence on water quality resources is more significant and significant than unpleasant odors since it may affect a larger number of people. For each indication, analytical parameters must be defined in order to offer quantitative and qualitative data in the monitoring process that can lead to conclusions about the sludge disposal technique. The primary metrics linked to the consequences of sewage sludge disposal alternatives are shown in Table 12.
Table 12 . Sewage sludge disposal impact and indicators