P.E. The Author, a civil-sanitary engineer with over 40 years of experience, is responsible for engineering analysis and design of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment systems at LAS International Ltd in Bismarck, USA Wastewater sludge. What to do with it. Dewatering, conditioning, storage, hauling and final disposal it all adds up to significant manpower, capital costs and operating expenses including a good deal of equipment, supplies and chemicals.
Landfills are costly and limited in capacity.
Incineration has its own staggering costs and complexities. Land application is running into resistance and regulatory issues. Everywhere you look things are becoming more and more difficult, complex and expensive when it comes to wastewater sludge. Might sound too good to be true given the huge expenditures suggested to address current and proposed curtailments of certain sludge disposal methods. In fact, it is true.