2008 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 1-8
The amount of sewage sludge produced from municipal wastewater treatment plants in Japan is increasing every year. This sewage sludge has to be condensed, dewatered, incinerated and then landfilled. However, because landfill capacity is decreasing in Japan, effective treatment methods and disposal technologies for sewage sludge are urgently needed. Usually, sewage sludge has been used as compost and construction materials, but the amount of sewage sludge is not reduced effectively through these uses. Recently, the solubilization process has become the focus of attention as a means by which sewage sludge can be reduced effectively.
In this review, we introduce an overview of solubilization processes using chemical, biological and physical technologies while referring to previous sludge treatment methods. Additionally, we provide details about the performance and efficacy of each solubilization process.
