Overview of sewage sludge minimisation: techniques based on cell lysis-cryptic growth

Abstract

Sewage sludge production is currently considered as one of the most important problems in wastewater treatment due to the high costs of management and treatment, as well as limitations in its final use. In accordance with the order of priority in waste management options, based on the 3Rs’ (reduce, reuse and recycle), numerous studies are addressing this need to minimize the sewage sludge production. This paper presents a review of recent studies in the field of sewage sludge minimisation, focusing on the techniques based on the cell lysis and cryptic growth mechanism. In addition to reducing sludge, the cell lysis-cryptic growth technologies applied in the sludge return line provide, biodegradable carbonaceous matter that aids denitrification. The promising results obtained in the full-scale application of some of the cell lysis-cryptic growth technologies constitute yet another advantage of this strategy.

Keywords:

• Sludge reduction
• Cell lysis
• WWTP
• Activated sludge
• Cryptic growth

Acknowledgements

Authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Consejería de Ciencia e Innovación of Junta de Andalucia (Proyecto Excelencia No. P09-TEP-4539).

Notes

The Third International Congress Smallwat11—Wastewater in Small Communities 25–28 April 2011, Seville, Spain