More than 80 per cent of wastewater from human activities is discharged into the rivers or sea without any pollution removal, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to halve this proportion and increase recycling and reuse globally by 2030. Treatment plants in Sub-Saharan Africa often fail due to lack of operating funds, poor regulation and poor design that does not take into account human factors. The failure of treatment plants can also be put down partly to the funding structures for management, which are often dependent on the disposal tariffs charged. Without sufficient regulation and enforcement, which is often lacking in Sub-Saharan Africa, this often leads to illegal disposal of faecal sludge. Due to the nutrient content and energy potential of wastewater, there is increasing focus on reuse of faecal sludge in ways that can contribute funds for maintenance and incentivise good management of treatment facilities. This research investigates potential designs for the re-use of faecal sludge in small cities in Sub-Saharan Africa to ensure proper treatment. Conducting two case studies using qualitative and quantitative methods, the research looks at the potential for re-use to be scaled up in Sunyani, Ghana and Mzuzu, Malawi, and whether different designs can ensure good management. Building upon the research investigation into how previous designs have failed in case studies, the research also investigates the use of agent-based modelling (ABM) as a modelling approach to explore social and technical aspects of sanitation systems to predict how different designs and management approaches can work. In Sunyani, biogas was the most acceptable option to customers whilst also providing a good business model to fund faecal sludge treatment, either as a decentralised system at public toilets where the fresh sludge is better for biogas production, or centrally at the existing disposal site. The success of biogas as a model that can fund maintenance and ensure good management would depend on the faecal sludge quality of public toilet sludge in the city and the investment level required and how any operating approach would work between the government and private sector. In Mzuzu, two main approaches to faecal sludge re-use exist currently: the implementation of Skyloos as above ground household toilets which provide compost, and a central disposal site from which compost is illegally harvested. At disposal, farmers remove sludge from the ponds and apply it untreated directly onto agricultural land. At times, private sector emptying services do not use the ponds, but also apply untreated sludge to agricultural land. Skyloos were found to have varying levels of success from different Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) projects, with key sustainability issues being the availability of financing mechanisms, management between landlords and tenants and the trust of and engagement with implementing organisations. Existing approaches to waste management and re-use were found to be inaccessible and not working when implemented for the poorest and people with disabilities. Adopting re-use of faecal sludge in agriculture in Malawi would require improved marketing of sanitation options, financing options for households to incentivize adopting the technology, not targeting to poorest households and people with disabilities, and an improved management model for the treatment site to ensure safe disposal and production of compost. Looking at ABM as a way of modelling faecal sludge treatment systems in Sub- Saharan Africa, two models of different approaches in Mzuzu were developed to look at scaling up Skyloo toilets and managing the treatment plant. Both models demonstrate the potential of ABM to incorporate social and technical aspects into predicting the performance of different designs and approaches. The success and use of modelling depends on the quality of data that can be collected before implementing system approaches. Overall the thesis presents different models of treatment and re-use that can work and contribute to operating and maintenance of systems. It is unlikely that any design system will be so profitable that the treatment and re-use of sludge will be able to ensure good management without regulation, so the success of designs depends on relationships between the government and private sector and households in small cities.

The production of pulp and paper is associated with the generation of large quantities of wastewater that has to be purified to avoid severe pollution of the environment. Wastewater purification in pulp and paper mills combines sedimentation, biological treatment, chemical precipitation, flotation and anaerobic treatment, and the specific combination of techniques is determined by the local conditions. Wastewater treatment generates large volumes of sludge that after dewatering can be incinerated and thus used for bio-energy production. Sludge is currently viewed as biofuel of poor quality due to its high water content, and some mills treat it solely as a disposal problem. Two strategies have been identified as feasible options to improve the energy efficiency of sludge management. One is drying using multi-effect evaporation followed by incineration. The other is anaerobic digestion of the wet sludge to produce methane. This thesis explores the energy balances of sludge management strategies in pulp and paper mills with special focus on anaerobic digestion. The first part consists of a system analysis, used to evaluate some wastewater treatment processes and sludge management, and the second part of empirical studies of anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill sludge. It was shown that the use of energy for aeration in aerobic biological treatment should be kept to the minimum required for acceptable quality of the processed water. Additional aeration for reduction of the generated sludge will only result in reduced energy generation in a subsequent methane generation stage. In the second part of the thesis, it is shown that anaerobic digestion is a feasible option for sludge management as it leads to production of high value biogas. Co-digestion with grass silage, cow/pig manure or municipal sewage sludge should then be used to counteract the low nitrogen content of pulp and paper mill sludge.

Possibilities for energy recovery from sludge at Chişinȃu wastewater treatment plant have been investigated and evaluated. One way of recovering energy from sludge is to produce biogas through anaerobic digestion. Which method of biogas usage that is to prefer in Chişinȃu has been evaluated from a cost-efficiency point of view. There is a possibility that a new waste incineration plant will be built next to the wastewater treatment plant, and therefore solutions that benefit from a co-operation have been discussed. The results show that biogas production would be suitable and profitable in a long time perspective if the gas is used for combined heat and power production. Though, the rather high, economical interest rates in Moldova are an obstacle for profitability.

<p>Possibilities for energy recovery from sludge at Chişinȃu wastewater treatment plant have been investigated and evaluated. One way of recovering energy from sludge is to produce biogas through anaerobic digestion. Which method of biogas usage that is to prefer in Chişinȃu has been evaluated from a cost-efficiency point of view. There is a possibility that a new waste incineration plant will be built next to the wastewater treatment plant, and therefore solutions that benefit from a co-operation have been discussed. The results show that biogas production would be suitable and profitable in a long time perspective if the gas is used for combined heat and power production. Though, the rather high, economical interest rates in Moldova are an obstacle for profitability.</p>

Sewage sludge is a by-product of wastewater treatment that simultaneously gathers contaminants, valuable organic matter, and nutrients. The treatment of the increasing amount of sewage sludge is important from both pollution prevention and resource recovery perspectives as i) large shares of mineral phosphorus, listed as a critical raw material, terminate in the sewage sludge, and ii) energy recovery from sewage sludge can cover the energy-intensive demand of the treatment process. Previous research has identified sewage sludge combustion as a suitable treatment approach as it both addresses contaminant destruction and paves the way for efficient phosphorus recovery from the sewage sludge ash. The commercial development of this practice has, however, been slow. Therefore, this thesis aims to investigate the challenges in sustainable sewage sludge management, and to, in more detail, identify the economic viability of energy and phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge through combustion. The thesis’ aim is divided into two objectives addressed in three papers. First, to investigate how different aspects of sewage sludge management, such as contaminants, economic efficiency, technical aspects, and legislation, evolve and interact. This has been done by a review of sewage sludge management research over fifty years (Paper I). Second, to investigate the economic viability of simultaneous energy and phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge by comparing different technology and market scenarios. This has been done for i) new sewage sludge mono-/co-combustion plants (Paper II), and ii) the integration of treatment technologies, mainly anaerobic digestion, hydrothermal carbonization, and combustion, in an existing wastewater treatment plant (Paper III).  Results from the analysis of sewage sludge management research (Paper I) show a narrow-focused perspective that often excludes inseparable aspects such as combination of economic consideration and advanced extraction technology. The investment viability of a new mono-/co-combustion of sewage sludge (Paper II) is highly conditional on heat, electricity, and fertilizer price, and external financial support is often a crucial requirement. Sewage sludge co-combustion with potassium-rich biomasses improves sewage sludge quality and forms usable ash as fertilizer without further need for phosphorus recovery technology. In this case, the economic feasibility of the process is independent of usable ash revenue, which stimulates a competitive selling price for the ash, thereby improving the marketing of sludge-based fertilizer. Avoided disposal costs of sewage sludge for a retrofitted wastewater treatment plant by introducing hydrothermal carbonization (Paper III) shows good economic feasibility while recovering phosphorus. Integrating anaerobic digestion, hydrothermal carbonization, and combustion may also improve investment incentives by improving energy outputs and phosphorus recovery. The economic feasibility is contingent on product (hydrochar, heat, electricity) prices and sensitive to added equipment costs, and costs for sludge transportation and disposal.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3860.pdf: 7904482 bytes, checksum: fcce0b9ff411b2bc48b7a967806bdb8c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-07-20 / The basins of Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí has a territory of 15,304 square kilometers, about 5.2 million inhabitants, 7% of gross national product. However, the scarcity of water resources threatens all this prosperity. The uses of water have led to conflicts because of its multiple and diverse purposes, which require different quantities and qualities. It is against this background that becomes fundamental to understand the current situation of water supply and waste management from the treatment process. The mobilization of society, awareness of public officials and increase the availability of financial resources for the sanitation sector have provided the municipalities to increase their rates of water treatment, through the construction of new structures and technological innovations, however, has aroused another focus attention to the urgent need for the systemic management of waste from water treatment plants, especially the generation, treatment and disposal of sludge and its actual and potential environmental impacts. This research has made diagnosis of generation under the quantitative aspect of the sludge generated in the 89 water treatment plants operating in 58 cities, and identify some experiences about the management. Through various methodological tools, such as the use of questionnaires for data collection to obtain primary data, the paper presents and discusses information about the current generation of waste, existing experiences regarding the disposal and treatment, and the challenges issue requires to be addressed. The results pointed that 9013.20 tons of monthly dry solids are generated, with prominence the one that 70% of plants in operation don't possess any of measurement of the muds system. The realities, front to the service of the effective legislations, training lack and the managers systemic administration and operators on the theme as well as the need of the integration of the sectorial politics with the operation of the systems of water supply that are the great challenges to be overcome. / As bacias hidrográficas dos Rios Piracicaba, Capivari e Jundiaí possuem um território de 15.304 Km², cerca de 5,2 milhões de habitantes, 7% do Produto Interno Bruto Nacional. No entanto, a escassez dos recursos hídricos ameaça toda essa prosperidade. Os usos da água têm gerado conflitos em razão de sua multiplicidade e finalidades diversas, as quais demandam quantidades e qualidades diferentes. É diante desse panorama que se torna fundamental o conhecimento do cenário atual do abastecimento de água e a gestão dos resíduos oriundos do processo de tratamento. A mobilização da sociedade, a conscientização dos gestores públicos e o aumento da disponibilidade de recursos financeiros para o setor de saneamento têm proporcionado que os municípios aumentem os seus índices de tratamento de água, através da construção de novas estruturas e inovações tecnológicas, entretanto, tem despertado a atenção para outro foco, a premente necessidade da gestão sistêmica dos resíduos oriundos das estações de tratamento de água, com destaque a geração, tratamento e disposição dos lodos e seus potenciais e efetivos impactos ambientais. Este trabalho procurou diagnosticar a geração sob o aspecto quantitativo dos lodos gerados em 89 ETAs em operação nos 58 municípios paulistas integrantes da UGRHI n.° 5, além de identificar algumas experiências quanto ao gerenciamento. Através de diversos instrumentos metodológicos, como a utilização de questionários de coleta de dados para obtenção de dados primários, a adoção de métodos teóricos, visitas técnicas, o trabalho apresenta e discute as informações acerca da geração atual desses resíduos, as experiências existentes quanto à destinação final e tratamento, além dos desafios que a temática exige a serem enfrentados. Os resultados apontaram que são gerados 9013,20 toneladas de sólidos secos mensais, com destaque a que 70% das ETAs em operação não possuem sistema algum de medição dos lodos. As realidades, frente ao atendimento das legislações vigentes, carência de capacitação e gestão sistêmica dos gestores e operadores sobre a temática bem como a necessidade da integração das políticas setoriais com a operação dos sistemas de abastecimento de água que se demonstraram como grandes os desafios a serem superados.

The diploma thesis is focused on the energy utilization of sewage sludge before and after microwave pyrolysis process. The first part of the thesis deals with sludge management, treatment of sludge and its subsequent use or disposal. In the second part of the thesis prepared and modified samples of sludge from WWTP 1 and WWTP 2 are subjected to microwave pyrolysis process. Subsequently, samples are taken for analyzes to determine the total organic carbon, the specific surface area, the heavy metal content and the calorific values. The resulting data was processed in Microsoft Office Excel and presented at work. At the end of the thesis two case studies are then proposed for a specific design of the conceptual location of microwave pyrolysis for the sludge drying process and the drying process of the sewage sludge in the direct combustion boiler room.

Diploma thesis deals with issues related to final treatment sludge. Sewage sludge is an inevitable product of wastewater treatment. Also, most of them concentrated pollution. Most of pollution are concentrated in to them. And because it contains a large percentage of combustibles. Before thermal utilization, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the sludge. Thermal sludge utilization offers the most effective method of energy recovery. It is an energy conversion in the sludge, to heat and electricity. In the vast majority, if not the co-firing, it is necessary to modify the sludge and so it is dried. This is the optimal use of modern technology. There are several variations possible use. Unfortunately it is not in general able to propose the most appropriate technology or methodology, how to make best use of sewage sludge. Specific assignment usually have their own characteristics. In my work I will therefore first try to outline possible technology and in the second part to suggest sludge terminal for WWTP Hodonín.

The thesis deals with the technical and economic comparison of technologies for wastewater treatment plants 50-2000 PE based on the processing of selected data ownership and operational records (VÚME, VÚPE) for the years 2013-2015 provided by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. The first section presents an overview of the most important laws and standards of the Czech Republic for water management, describes the characteristics of municipalities to 2,000 inhabitants and operation of wastewater treatment plants up to 2000 PE.The second part evaluates the influence of different types of drainage systems on the quality of wastewater and the efficiency of wastewater treatment. Furthermore, this section deals with the influence of technical and economic comparison of the influence of sludge management concept.In the last part I work with studies and generators for calculating the cost of sludge treatment in larger WWTP, possibly for sludge dewatering and storage.

This thesis deals with the sludge management in wastewater treatment plants. It provides a basic overview of methods for modifying risk material in sludge ending. The main goal of this work is to create a fault trees based on faults which occurred in the sludge management facilities. Furthermore, it was created frequency of failures assessment of the objects on wastewater treatment plant in Hodonín. Provided information were obtained during excursions of WWTP Hodonín and Zbýšov.