Abstract
A sludge treatment reed bed system (STRB) is a technology used for dewatering and stabilising sewage sludge via assisted biological mineralisation, which creates a sludge residue suitable for use as fertiliser on agricultural land. We evaluated the effect of sludge residue storage time (stabilisation time) for three STRBs on soil N mineralisation and CO2 and N2O emissions in soil. The experiment revealed that the N mineralisation rate and emissions of CO2 and N2O decreased as a function of treatment time in the STRBs. Mixed sludge residue (sludge residue subjected to different treatment times) for the three STRBs resulted in N mineralisation rates similar to the sludge residue subjected to a shorter treatment time but lower N2O emissions similar to the values of the older sludge residue. This finding reveals that combining fresh and more stabilised sludge residue ensures high N availability and reduces N2O emissions when applied to land.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Environmental Management |
Volume | 203 |
Issue number | Part 1 |
Pages (from-to) | 59-67 |
Number of pages | 9 |
ISSN | 0301-4797 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2017 |
Keywords
- Journal Article