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Survey of options available in the treatment/valorisation of sludge. Selection criteria of appropriate options and associated decision tree

Summary

This study provides owners of urban and industrial sludge with the decision-making information they need to choose the treatment/recovery process(es) best suited to their specific requirements (sludge characteristics, size of facilities, technical skills required, type of outlets, approximate costs, etc.).
More specifically, this study provides:
1. an original inventory of sludge in France, including its characteristics
2. a summary of the main applicable legislation
3. a detailed state of the art of existing processes and those under development (one sheet per process)
4. a decision tree in Excel format to guide decision-makers

The inventory was compiled by collecting the most recent data from the Water Agencies (urban sludge) and from manufacturers in the main sectors (industrial sludge), and supplementing it with data from the literature. This original inventory is the most comprehensive currently available for France. The legislative analysis is essentially a succinct presentation of the main applicable legislation, but is neither exhaustive nor in-depth. The process sheets cover 18 pre-treatment, treatment, recovery and disposal processes. They have been drawn up by experts in the field and contain a description, a discussion of the areas of application, the advantages and disadvantages, an estimate of the cost ranges and a discussion of the reliability of the process (references). The Excel tool asks the user for the main characteristics of the sludge to be treated (quantity, dryness, presence of pollutants, organic matter content) and of the local context (proximity of existing treatment facilities). In response, it provides a list of possible process combinations as well as the reasons why the excluded processes do not apply and suggestions for making them applicable (grouping to achieve critical volume, etc.).

Keywords: boues, urbaine, industrielle, état de l'art, séchage, arbre décision, inventaire, France, traitement, outil, aide à la décision, sludge, inventory, treatment, tool, decision making

Publication date: September 2007

Achievement: RDC ENVIRONNEMENT

Reference: 05-0132/1A


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