Conversion of Sewage Sludge into Biofuels via Different Pathways and Their Use in Agriculture: A Comprehensive Review

The valorisation of sewage sludge for sustainable agricultural use and biofuel production proposes an effective and beneficial management of sewage sludge in a closed-loop cycle. The management of sewage sludge biowaste is a rising problem due to increasing waste storage expenses. In this sense, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energies (Basel) 2024-03, Vol.17 (6), p.1383
Main Authors: Kowalski, Zygmunt, Makara, Agnieszka, Kulczycka, Joanna, Generowicz, Agnieszka, Kwaśnicki, Paweł, Ciuła, Józef, Gronba-Chyła, Anna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural industry
agricultural use
Agriculture
Alternative energy sources
Analysis
Biodiesel fuels
Biofuels
Biomass energy
biosolids sewage sludge
Carbon
circular economy
Emission standards
Emissions
Greenhouse gases
hydrothermal carbonization
Innovations
Production increases
Publishing industry
Purification
Raw materials
Renewable resources
Sewage
Sludge
Sustainable development
sustainable management
thermal treatment
Water treatment
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Summary:The valorisation of sewage sludge for sustainable agricultural use and biofuel production proposes an effective and beneficial management of sewage sludge in a closed-loop cycle. The management of sewage sludge biowaste is a rising problem due to increasing waste storage expenses. In this sense, the use of circular economy principles in sewage sludge management creates opportunities to develop new technologies for processing. The biorefinery model allows the application of wasteless technologies via sewage sludge valorisation in terms of agricultural use and biofuel production, especially with the hydrothermal carbonisation method. Applying hydrothermal carbonisation in the treatment of biosolid sewage sludge has numerous benefits due to processing highly hydrated organic waste into carbon hydro char, a high-quality solid biofuel. The direct use of sewage sludge in the soil does not allow for full use of its functional properties. However, the hydrothermal carbonisation of sewage sludge results in biocarbon pellets, making it a viable approach. This work also discusses the barriers (legal, chemical, biological, and technical) and possibilities related to sewage sludge biorefining processes.
ISSN:1996-1073
1996-1073
DOI:10.3390/en17061383