title: Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from sludge biodrying instead of heat drying combined with mono-incineration in China.
abstract: Sludge is an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, both in the form of direct process emissions and as a result of indirect carbon-derived energy consumption during processing. In this study, the carbon budgets of two sludge disposal processes at two well-known sludge disposal sites in China (for biodrying and heat-drying pretreatments, both followed by mono-incineration) were quantified and compared. Total GHG emissions from heat drying combined with mono-incineration was 0.1731 tCO2e t-1, while 0.0882 tCO2e t-1was emitted from biodrying combined with mono-incineration. Based on these findings, a significant reduction (approximately 50%) in total GHG emissions was obtained by biodrying instead of heat drying prior to sludge incineration.
  
  
  
  Sludge treatment results in direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moisture reduction followed by incineration is commonly used to dispose of sludge in China; however, few studies have compared the effects of different drying pretreatment options on GHG emissions during such processes. Therefore, in this study, the carbon budgets of sludge incineration were analyzed and compared following different pretreatment drying technologies (biodrying and heat drying). The results indicate that biodrying combined with incineration generated approximately half of the GHG emissions compared to heat drying followed by incineration. Accordingly, biodrying may represent a more environment-friendly sludge pretreatment prior to incineration.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Hong-Tao
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Yan-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Ding
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Guo-di
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Guang-Hui
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Hai-Xia
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: b Centre of Science and Technology of Construction , Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Juan
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002681:China; D003890:Desiccation; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D006358:Hot Temperature; D017745:Incineration; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D012722:Sewage