Ascertaining and Optimizing the Water Footprint and Sludge Management Practice in Steel Industries

Abstract

Steelmaking is a water-intensive process. The mean water intake against each ton of steel manufactured is ascertained as between 2 and 20 m3. Primarily, the stated requirement is in the form of make-up water to compensate for evaporation and mechanical losses and does not contribute to wastewater generation. Conversely, unit operations, such as rolling, continuous casting, pickling, etc., generate highly complex wastewater rich in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), cyanide, ammonia, non-consumed acids, benzene, toluene, xylene, oil, grease, etc. Further, the conjugative wastewater contains a high concentration of metallic oxides, toxic elements, oil, nitrogen, and heavy metals such as zinc, nickel, chromium, etc. These contaminants are generally treated and neutralized using physicochemical and membrane-based systems. This also yields hazardous sludge, which is landfilled, thereby incurring an ancillary financial burden. However, sludge can be a frugal source of extracting multi-dimensional benefits. The present review investigated and identified the most water-intensive and wastewater/sludge-contributing unit operations and proposed a preferential combination of treatments to balance efficacy and economy. Further, the various global practices for sludge recycling and management documented in the existing literature are summarized and ranked with the help of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The findings revealed concrete making and nutrient recovery as the most- and least-preferred recycling alternatives.

Soil Remediation after Sewage Sludge or Sewage Sludge Char Application with Industrial Hemp and Its Potential for Bioenergy Production

“…Wastewater treatment generates huge amounts of sewage sludge, and its production in the world is projected to increase in the future. Sustainable sewage sludge management and disposal is a growing problem worldwide [1,2]. The annual total amount of sewage sludge produced in the EU is estimated to be more than 10 million tons [3].…”