Selecting sustainable sewage sludge reuse options through a systematic assessment framework: Methodology and case study in Latin America

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

Abstract

Sewage sludge is a by-product of wastewater treatment and has a complex composition including organic matter and nutrients. The recovery of the useful components can partially buffer the continuous depletion of natural resources. However, due to a range of many complex variables, such as concerns on safe-use practices and lack of technical capacities, sludge recovery is classified as a wicked problem. To facilitate the decision-making process, this study intends to provide a decision support framework (DSF) to guide decision making towards selecting sustainable options to handle sewage sludge in Latin America. The framework was tested and refined through a case study in Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Sludge disposal solutions are missing in the municipality and the pathogen content highly exceeds national and international standards. The framework was used to evaluate possible recovery scenarios. The results show that the most sustainable ways to use sewage sludge in Panajachel are through agricultural use and soil conditioning. Composting is suggested as a conversion process to eliminate pathogens and obtain stable fertilisers.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer118389
FachzeitschriftJournal of cleaner production
Jahrgang242
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 1 Jan. 2020
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-5081-2558/work/160480075

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • Framework assessment, Latin America, Resource recovery, Sludge, Stakeholder mapping, Sustainability