Characterisation of sludge produced by the agri-food industry and recycling options for its agricultural uses in a typical Mediterranean area, the Segura River basin (Spain)

Pascual, José Antonio; Morales, Ana Belén; Ayuso, Luis; Segura, Pedro A.; Ros, Margarita

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2018.10.020

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Among them, agro-industrial wastes can be distinguished. In line with Pascual et al [1], they are solid or liquid materials generated from the direct consumption of primary products or industrialization. Over the years 2010-2018, production of industrial sludge in Poland increased by 20% and reached 463 million tons in 2018.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 65%

The effect of application of digestate and agro-food industry sludges on Dystric Cambisol porosity

et al. 2020

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The spatial arrangement and pore size distribution play an important role in accumulation and protection of exogenous organic matter (EOM) in the soil, but how different organic materials contribute to modify pore structure is poorly understood. We aimed at exploring possible changes in the complexity of the soil phase during fertilization with different doses of digestate and sludges sourced from the agro-food industry. For this purpose, the shortterm effects-one year, of soil fertilization, were investigated in several sampling periods and within two depths (0-25 cm and 25-40 cm). Changes in the specific surface area (SSA), total pore volume (V MIP), total pore area (S MIP), average pore radius (R MIP) and pore size distribution (PSD) were monitored using N 2 adsorption/desorption (NAD) and mercury porosimetry (MIP) methods. Our results showed that the intensity of observed changes depended on the type and dose of organic material, soil depth and sampling date. Accumulation of EOM increased with soil depth, masking a large proportion of SSA. Deeper soil layer was more susceptible to changes in the pore size distributions due to the formation of new elongated pores. We concluded that this specific structural porosity was related to the decomposition of organic matter during the formation of soil aggregates.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 65%

The effect of application of digestate and agro-food industry sludges on Dystric Cambisol porosity

et al. 2020

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“…During agro-industrial processing-used in, for example, the sugar [2], winery [3] dairy [4] and meat processing [5] industries-large quantities of organic waste such as agro-industrial sludge is produced, which needs to be correctly processed, valorized and/or disposed of. Among the different strategies for the valorization of agro-industrial sludge, direct soil application, sludge drying, composting and the use of anaerobic digestion to produce energy are the most often used [6]. Even if the direct soil application of the sludge could be economical, and the characteristics of agri-food sludge make their direct use in agriculture somewhat suitable, application rates should take into account the characteristics of the soil and the nutritional requirements of crops [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the different strategies for the valorization of agro-industrial sludge, direct soil application, sludge drying, composting and the use of anaerobic digestion to produce energy are the most often used [6]. Even if the direct soil application of the sludge could be economical, and the characteristics of agri-food sludge make their direct use in agriculture somewhat suitable, application rates should take into account the characteristics of the soil and the nutritional requirements of crops [6]. Due to the high environmental risks associated with heavy metal accumulation in soil [7], the direct soil application of sludge is a practice which is severely restricted in many European countries nowadays.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agro-industrial digested sludge is a high-moisture residue, typically showing total solid content (also referred to as dry matter content) between 1.5 and 8 wt% [16][17][18], a significant amount of residual carbon (up to 40 wt%), and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus (up to 0.2-14 wt% [17][18][19] and 1.7 wt% [19] respectively, on a dry basis (db)). Together with residual C and nutrients, anaerobically digested sludge, depending on its specific origin, can contain variable quantities of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc [20], together with pathogens such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli [6]. As stated above, the sustainable processing of agro-industrial waste, which offers the opportunity to recover and valorize residual carbon, and to retrieve valuable nutrients such as phosphorus, which is considered a critical element in Europe [21], must include appropriate treatment of the waste products before disposal, in order to avoid sanitary problems and the risk of environmental pollution [22,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Industrial-Scale Hydrothermal Carbonization of Agro-Industrial Digested Sludge: Filterability Enhancement and Phosphorus Recovery

Lucian¹,

Merzari²,

Gubert³

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) provides an attractive alternative method for the treatment of high-moisture waste and, in particular, digested sludge. HTC could reduce the costs and environmental risks associated with sludge handling and management. Although it is recognized that the dewaterability of hydrochars produced from digested sludge, even at mild temperatures (180–190 °C), is highly improved with respect to the starting material, the filterability of HTC slurries for the recovery of the solid material (hydrochar) still represents a challenge. This study presents the results of an investigation into the filterability of agro-industrial digested sludge HTC slurries produced by a C-700 CarboremTM HTC industrial-scale plant. The filterability of HTC slurries, produced at 190 °C for 1 h, with the use of acid solutions of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or citric acids, was investigated by using a semi-industrial filter press. The use of sulfuric acid or citric acid solutions, in particular, significantly improved the filterability of HTC slurries, reducing the time of filtration and residual moisture content. The acid treatment also promoted the migration of heavy metals and phosphorus (P) in the HTC filtrate solution. This study demonstrates that P can be recovered via the precipitation of struvite in high yields, recovering up to 85 wt% by mass of its initial P content.

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“…According to Andreadakis et al [53] and Chen et al [54], the sludge can be used in agriculture without other treatments, but it depends on the raw material used and a composting treatment that is beneficial for stabilizing the sludge. Thus, the sludge can be considered as a by-product and not waste if it is to be used as a raw material in agriculture as a soil improviser [55][56][57]. If it cannot be used directly, it must be subjected to special thermal treatments (subjected to temperatures above 60 • C).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Analysis of the Economic Effects on the Greening and Recovery of the Sludge Waste Resulting from the Biogas Production Activity

et al. 2019

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Starting from identifying an upward trend in waste disposal costs at the municipal landfill, the research aims to analyze the viability of investment to integrate a compost platform, which transforms the sludge resulting from the biogas production process into a soil improver for agricultural land. The economic entity analyzed activates agri-food and uses a biogas plant as a management tool for the waste from slaughtering chickens, to obtain biogas, heat, and electricity. The study is carried out through the multi-criteria analysis based on the following variants: The operation of the biogas plant with sludge disposal as waste (V1), the operation with recovery of waste as soil improver (V2), the closure of the biogas plant (V3). The economic effects regarding the greening and capitalization of the sludge waste are quantified from a monetary point of view and based on the analysis the optimal variant, V2, is established. It has been proven that the investment generates: Positive results increased by 70.52%, a positive and upward opportunity cost by 37.96%, and marginal profit growth of 53.17%. The study emphasizes that efficient waste management turns an environmental problem and cost into an economic and ecological advantage for the economic entities.

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Characterisation of sludge produced by the agri-food industry and recycling options for its agricultural uses in a typical Mediterranean area, the Segura River basin (Spain)

Cited by 15 publications

References 75 publications

The effect of application of digestate and agro-food industry sludges on Dystric Cambisol porosity

The effect of application of digestate and agro-food industry sludges on Dystric Cambisol porosity

Industrial-Scale Hydrothermal Carbonization of Agro-Industrial Digested Sludge: Filterability Enhancement and Phosphorus Recovery

The Analysis of the Economic Effects on the Greening and Recovery of the Sludge Waste Resulting from the Biogas Production Activity

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