The Influence of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Technologies on the Biological Stabilization of Sewage Sludge: A Systematic Review

José Luis Cárdenas-Talero, Jorge Antonio Silva-Leal, Andrea Pérez-Vidal and Patricia Torres-Lozada
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José Luis Cárdenas-Talero: Faculty of Engineering, Study and Control of Environmental Pollution Research Group-ECCA, Universidad del Valle, Cali 760032, Colombia
Jorge Antonio Silva-Leal: Faculty of Engineering, Electronic, Industrial and Environmental Engineering Research Group-GIEIAM, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali 760032, Colombia
Andrea Pérez-Vidal: Faculty of Engineering, Electronic, Industrial and Environmental Engineering Research Group-GIEIAM, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali 760032, Colombia
Patricia Torres-Lozada: Faculty of Engineering, Study and Control of Environmental Pollution Research Group-ECCA, Universidad del Valle, Cali 760032, Colombia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-21

Abstract: Various wastewater treatment technologies are available today and biological processes are predominantly used in these technologies. Increasing wastewater treatment systems produces large amounts of sewage sludge with variable quantities and qualities, which must be properly managed. Anaerobic and aerobic digestion and composting are major strategies to treat this sludge. The main indicators of biological stabilization are volatile fatty acids (VFAs), volatile solids (VS), the carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, humic substances (HS), the total organic carbon (TOC), the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) evolution rate, the specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR), and the Dewar test; however, different criteria exist for the same indicators. Although there is no consensus for defining the stability of sewage sludge (biosolids) in the research and regulations reviewed, controlling the biological degradation, vector attraction, and odor determines the biological stabilization of sewage sludge. Because pollutants and pathogens are not completely removed in biological stabilization processes, further treatments to improve the quality of biosolids and to ensure their safe use should be explored.

Keywords: biological stabilization; biosolids; organic matter; sludge management; sewage sludge; wastewater treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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