Removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater using chemical processes is a promising solution to mitigate pollution in drinking and surface waters. Non-catalytic wet air oxidation (WAO) is a highly efficient advanced...

The release of ammonia nitrogen during composting of sewage sludge mixed with a lignocellulosic bulking agent leads to a reduction in the agronomic value of the final compost and to harmful effects on the environment. We propose adding a cheap salt FeCl 3 which can be used without special precaution to reduce ammonia losses by decreasing pH conditions. An in-vessel cocomposting experiment was conducted in a large reactor (100 L) in which FeCl 3 was added to sludge mixed with a bulking agent (pine shavings and sawdust) and compared with a control mixture without FeCl 3. Temperature, oxygen consumption and pH were monitored throughout the composting of both mixtures. The final balance of organic matter, organic and inorganic nitrogen permitted to conclude that the addition of FeCl 3 reduced nitrogen loss (by a factor of 2.4 in relation to the control) and increased mineralisation of the organic nitrogen by 1.6.