The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (June 2014) |
Sewage sludge is the residual, semi-solid material that is produced as a by-product during sewage treatment of industrial or municipal wastewater. The term "septage" also refers to sludge from simple wastewater treatment but is connected to simple on-site sanitation systems, such as septic tanks.
The term "Biosolids" is often used as an alternative to the term sewage sludge, particularly in conjunction with reuse of sewage sludge after sewage sludge treatment. Biosolids can be defined as organic wastewater solids that can be reused after stabilization processes such as anaerobic digestion and composting.[1] Opponents of sewage sludge reuse reject this term as a public relations term.[2][3]