 | 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.
After treatment, and dependent upon the quality of sludge produced (for example with regards to heavy metal content), sewage sludge is most commonly either disposed of in landfills, dumped in the ocean or applied to land for its fertilizing properties, as pioneered by the product Milorganite.[citation needed]
The term "Biosolids" is often used as an alternative to the term sewage sludge in the United States, particularly in conjunction with reuse of sewage sludge as fertilizer 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]
- ^ Tchobanoglous, George; Burton, Franklin L.; Stensel, H. David (2003). Wastewater engineering: treatment and reuse (4 ed.). Metcalf & Eddy. p. 1449. ISBN 978-0071122504.
- ^ "The Sludge Hits the Fan". www.ejnet.org. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ Stauber, John; Rampton, Sheldon (1995). Toxic Sludge Is Good for You: Lies, Damn Lies, and the Public Relations Industry. Common Courage Press. ISBN 1567510604.