title: Method for technical, economic and environmental assessment of advanced sludge processing routes.
abstract: The legislative framework in force in Europe entails restrictive effluent standards for sensitive areas, and quite severe restrictions on the properties of residual sewage sludge, both for landfill disposal and for agricultural use. Several technologies and management strategies have been proposed and applied in wastewater treatment plants to minimise sludge production and contamination. However, their techno-economic and environmental performance has to be carefully evaluated. The ROUTES project, funded within the EU Seventh Framework programme, aims to find new routes for wastewater treatment and sludge management and thereby guide EU members in their future choices. Within this project, the authors have developed and applied a procedure for techno-economic-environmental assessment of new wastewater and sludge processing lines in comparison to reference plants. The reference plants are model conventional plants that experience different types of problems and the new plants are modified plants in which different innovative technologies have been added to solve these problems. The procedure involves a rating of selected technical issues, estimates of operating costs and an assessment of environmental impacts from a life cycle perspective. This paper reports on the procedure and shows examples of results.
authors: Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden E-mail: magdalena.svanstrom@chalmers.se.
authors: Magdalena
authors: M
authors: Svanström
authors: Università degli Studi di Brescia, DICATA, via Branze, 43-25123 Brescia (BS), Italy.
authors: Giorgio
authors: G
authors: Bertanza
authors: INCA, Interuniversity Consortium for Environmental Chemistry and Technology, Venice, Italy.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Bolzonella
authors: Università degli Studi di Brescia, DICATA, via Branze, 43-25123 Brescia (BS), Italy.
authors: Matteo
authors: M
authors: Canato
authors: Università degli Studi di Brescia, DICATA, via Branze, 43-25123 Brescia (BS), Italy.
authors: Carlo
authors: C
authors: Collivignarelli
authors: Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden E-mail: magdalena.svanstrom@chalmers.se.
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Heimersson
authors: CNR - Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, Via Salaria km 29,300 C.P. 10, 00015 Monterotondo Stazione (Roma), Italy.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Laera
authors: CNR - Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, Via Salaria km 29,300 C.P. 10, 00015 Monterotondo Stazione (Roma), Italy.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Mininni
authors: Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden E-mail: magdalena.svanstrom@chalmers.se.
authors: Greg
authors: G
authors: Peters
authors: CNR - Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, Via Salaria km 29,300 C.P. 10, 00015 Monterotondo Stazione (Roma), Italy.
authors: Maria Concetta
authors: MC
authors: Tomei
mesh_terms: D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D005062:European Union; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical