Reuse of drinking water sludge

Over the last few decades the replacement of natural raw materials with debris or alternative materials, which thus acquire an economic, energy and environmental value, has acquired more and more importance. The considerable consumption of drinking water has fostered the number of purification plants and, consequently, the production of drinking water sludge. The present work envisaged the analyses of the chemical characteristics of drinking water sludge from the water treatment facilities present in the Basilicata region, by evaluating their beneficial use for geo-environmental applications, such as the construction of barrier layers for landfill capping and for the formation of “bio-soils”, mixed with the stabilized organic fraction (SOF) of urban solid waste (USW). The SOF respirometric analysis highlighted the necessity of using waste derived from waste differentiated collection. The sludge granulometric analysis, the chemical and physical analysis on the sludge and the SOF for assessing its behaviour under a leaching test have showed the suitability of the proposed materials for reuse. The study showed that the reuse of drinking water sludge for the construction of barrier layers and the formation of “bio-soils” reduces the consumption of natural materials and the demand for landfill volumes, and offers technological advantages.