Sludge Management

The treatment, management, and application or disposal of sludge is currently a major problem all over the world. However, solutions vary from one region to another and must be based on the technical and economical capacities of each country. Thus this issue reflects the special emphasis put on knowing the characteristics of sludges and their differences according to whether they come from a developed or a developing country, or from one region or another. A broad range of sludge stabilisation techniques were considered, ranging from low-cost and easy-to-operate technologies, to highly technological and costly alternatives, with local circumstances in mind. Sludge minimisation processes focus on solutions that avoid the problems, but it is clear that there will always be sludge generation and thus beneficial reuse should still be encouraged. Land application in developed and developing countries is included to present the perception of this alternative under different scenarios, comparing, for example, the experiences in countries like France and the United States, with those of Brazil and Greece. Similar international comparisons are given of management and regulatory regimes. Alternative processes give a rapid vision of non-conventional options that may constitute an interesting approach to sludge reuse. with the intention of satisfying the needs in different parts of the world. From the high-quality programme of this conference 41 papers have been selected after peer review. They provide an authoritative and wide-ranging survey of the state of research and practice in sludge management that will be an essential source of information of worldwide value.