Sustainability analysis of implementing sludge reduction in overall sludge management process: Where do we stand?

Sustainable sludge management has significance due to the great potential of recovering energy and resources, potentially achieving carbon neutrality and energy positivity in the process. However, whether the sludge reduction strategy really benefits the aim of a sustainable sludge management process requires a holistic analysis. In this study, nine scenarios involving different sludge management strategies with or without sludge reduction methods were environmentally and economically assessed to clarify the necessity of adopting a sludge reduction or not. Results reveal that direct sludge incineration without prior in-plant sludge reduction generates the least environmental impacts (less than 25–120 %), but it increases operation costs by 103–110 % compared to landfilling with prior in-plant sludge reduction. Chemical Oxygen Demand flows indicate that direct sludge incineration is superior in converting organic matter into energy compared to employing sludge reduction followed by landfilling or land application. This converted energy offsets environmental impacts from electricity consumption, but these electricity benefits are insignificant in the overall cost. Case studies suggest that direct sludge incineration could facilitate potential nutrient and energy recovery, especially for metropolis. While sludge reduction strategies are more suited for developing regions relying on landfills or land application, to lower the economic burdens. The findings of this study tend to shed light on the decision-making of adopting sludge reduction strategies and sustainable sludge management.