GLOBAL SLUDGE MANAGEMENT - A STATUS-REPORT AND PERSPECTIVE

Sludge management is a more and more complex problem due to increased difficulties in locating disposal works and meeting more stringent env ironmental quality requirements. The most recent notable developments in conventional processing systems have regarded dewatering and stabil ization, which remain essential prerequisites to any disposal method. With the increasing pressure on disposal options, such as agricultural use and landfilling, there has been a resurgence of interest in incin eration. New processes and alternative uses have been proposed and exp erienced, but most of them still require further investigations to eva luate effectiveness and reliability. In ally case, it is not realistic to search for a global solution to the problem, but the best solution s must derive from local and site-specific considerations.