Vid vattenrening produceras slam som restprodukt. Slam innehåller en stor mängd ämnen, såsom metaller, medicinrester och olika näringsämnen. I Sverige produceras flera hundra tusen ton årligen. Innehållet måste hanteras, men hur görs det idag och hur kommer det att hanteras i framtiden. Vanligast idag är att återvinna fosfor och kväve genom att sprida slam som gödning inom jord och skogsbruk. Däremot metaller som finns i slam utvinns inte idag, även om det vore värdefullt ur miljösynpunkt.  Denna litteraturstudie beskriver hur slamhantering ser ut idag, med fokus på Sverige. Därefter beskrivs forskningsläge och möjlig framtida utveckling i hantering. Slamhantering är problematisk ur flera aspekter. Slamhantering behöver hantera följande svårigheter: En logistisk aspekt är de stora volymer som behöver hanteras och att de produceras på många olika platser.Forskning på konsekvenser av slamspridning är relativt liten. Det gäller den påverkan som medicinrester, tungmetaller och andra ämnen utgör.Vilka utvinningsbara ämnen ska prioriteras, eftersom metoder för utvinning ställer maximerad utvinning av gödning i motsats till maximerad utvinning av metaller. / When purifying water, sludge is produced as a residual product. Sludge contains lots of different substances, such as metals, medical waste and different nutrients. In Sweden there is many hundred thousands of tons of sludge produced annually. The content must be managed, but how is it handled today and how will it be managed in the future. Commonly today phosphorus and nitrogen recycles by spreading sludge as fertiliser in agriculture and forestry. Metals in sludge is not recycled, even if it would be positive from an environmental point of view. This literature study describes how sludge treatment is today with a focus in Sweden. Then it describes the current state of research and possible future development in management. Sludge handling is problematic from many different aspects. Sludge treatment must have to address these challanges: One logistic aspect is that there are great volumes that needs to be handled and that it is produced in many different places. The research in consequences of sludge spreading is a relatively small base. That goes for the influence of medical waste, heavy metals, and other substances in sludge. What recyclable substances needs to be prioritised, since the methods of extraction puts the maximal extraction of fertiliser against the maximised extractions of metals

The concept of sludge management at the level of sludge treating technology of sewage treatment plants, as well as at national, continental or world level, requires fundamental improvement in the interest of sustainable development. Sewage sludge production is continuously increasing. Sewage sludge contains a number of pollutants but also a significant renewable resource for material transformation and / or energy recovery. Sewage sludge is composed of an inorganic mineral part and organic components. Its organic part is a source of energy and nutrients, but also contains harmful pollutants for exapmple heavy metals. However, there are technologies that offer the possibility of neutralizing pollutants while using other sludge components in terms of recycling energy, nutrients and other attractive sludge components. The mentioned technologies include mainly thermal methods of sewage sludge treatment and one of them is pyrolysis. Thessis focuses on sewage sludge prepartation for pyrolysis process, which includes mixing with additives and peletization of prepared mixture for purposes of agricultural or energetical utilisation. Technology for material transformation and energy utilization of sewage sludge, in particular the mentioned pyrolysis or torrefaction, require an insignificant degree of detailed research in order to expand it in the field of sludge management. Indeed, it is not only research that will enable direct correct use of this technology in practice. The results of such research are the basis for the drafting of the relevant legislation, which will subsequently enable the deployment of pyrolysis technologies in practice.