Combining sewage sludge and algae biomass to a valuable biosolid composite: Literature review on treatment and applications

Abstract

Increasing amount of sewage sludge is produced in Romania and there is stricter requirement to treat and dispose sewage sludge after the EU Landfill Directive and Sludge Directive applied in Europe. In this report, the sludge issue is briefly reviewed from scientific and engineering points of views, with focus on sterilisation of biosolids. Based on the review and the experiences from Norway and other countries in Europe, it is believed that sewage sludge and marine algae from the coast of the Romanian Black Sea can be combined and processed to fulfil the stringent requirements for land applications. However, further studies are required to highlight the possibilities and challenges with such a co-treatment of sludge and alga biomass.