Sustainable Sewage Sludge Management Technologies Selection Based on Techno-Economic-Environmental Criteria: Case Study of Croatia

Dinko Đurđević, Saša Žiković and Paolo Blecich
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Dinko Đurđević: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Paolo Blecich: Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-23

Abstract: The management and disposal of sewage sludge is becoming a growing concern at the global level. In the past, the main goal was to completely eliminate sewage sludge since it was deemed a threat to humans and the environment, but recently different possibilities for energy generation and material recovery are emerging. Existing technologies such as incineration or direct application in agriculture contribute to quantity reduction and nutrient recovery but are unable to fully exploit the potential of sewage sludge within the frameworks of circular economy and bioeconomy. This paper developed a model within the PROMETHEE method, which analyses technologies for the sustainable management of sewage sludge, which could make the most from it. For the empirical part of the study, the Republic of Croatia was used as a country in which sewage sludge is increasing in quantity as a result of recent upgrades and expansions in the wastewater system. Incineration, gasification, anaerobic digestion, and nutrient recovery were analyzed as treatment concepts for the increased amounts of sewage sludge. The model reveals that the best solution is the material recovery of sewage sludge, using the struvite production pathway through analysis of selected criteria.

Keywords: sewage sludge; multicriteria decision; anaerobic digestion; incineration; gasification; material recovery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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