International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—Currently, the level of urban sewage treatment technology in China is very mature, but the development of urban sludge technology lags behind. In some cities, sludge has not been effectively treated for a long time, emitting foul odors that seriously affect people’s daily lives. Moreover, heavy metals and pathogens cause corrosion and damage to the land. Therefore, it is particularly important to choose an efficient and environmentally friendly approach to urban sludge treatment. This article lists three routes for urban sludge treatment. The Ebsilon software was used to simulate the co-combustion process of coal and sludge in the sludge incineration route. Based on domestic and international research results, the technical characteristics of sludge pyrolysis and composting were analyzed. The research method of comparative analysis was adopted to comprehensively compare and analyze the technical characteristics and return on investment (ROI) of the three routes. This research method can intuitively demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of the three routes, and accurately and quantitatively determine the best route. In conclusion, Route 1: the comprehensive treatment process of drying and incineration is currently the most suitable route for China’s development prospects. It has the most mature technology and the widest range of applications, achieving the highest efficiency in sludge treatment. In the foreseeable future, sludge incineration technology will remain the cornerstone of sludge treatment and disposal in China.

Keywords—sludge incineration, sludge pyrolysis, sludge composting, technical analysis, economic analysis

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Cite: Fangxu Gui, Lai Wei, Peiyuan Pan, Heng Chen, and Kai Zhang, "Technical and Economic Feasibility of Different Urban Sludge Treatment Technologies," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 23-29, 2024.

Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).