{"id":13177,"date":"2022-12-08T10:18:03","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T08:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qmes.eu\/wastewater-treatment\/sludge-reduction\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T14:42:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:42:38","slug":"sludge-reduction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/qmes.eu\/en\/wastewater-treatment\/sludge-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Sludge reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sludge Reduction<\/p>\n<\/div>

Sewage sludge: Costs and Impact on the Financial Balance Sheet<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Sewage sludge is a byproduct of sewage and industrial wastewater treatment. It contains organic matter, nutrients and sometimes harmful substances that must be carefully processed to prevent environmental damage. Treatment sludge processing often represents a significant cost to wastewater treatment plants and has a direct impact on the overall financial balance sheet.<\/p>\n

Efficient processing techniques, such as digestion or thermal drying, can reduce these costs and even provide valuable energy or raw materials. Optimizing treatment processes not only helps control costs, but also contributes to more sustainable water treatment.<\/p>\n

QM Environmental International supplies MicroCat\u00ae<\/sup>-SR<\/strong>, a product that helps reduce sludge mass.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Sludge production is not directly considered a problem, it is part of the biological treatment of wastewater. The biomass converts the incoming BOD(Biological<\/u> Oxygen<\/u> Demand<\/u>) intoCO2<\/sub> and new biomass. But what we think of as sludge is not just biomass. Sludge contains particles and polymeric substances. Particles are very small components. It contains fats, oils, proteins, polysaccharides and celluloses that can accumulate as an inert part of the MLSS. This inert part also includes dead microbes.<\/p>\n

This sludge is separated from the water in the secondary clarifier and part of it is returned to the aeration basin and the other part is dewatered and disposed of. Dewatering and disposal involves costs. Looking at the total budget of a wastewater treatment plant, aeration costs are usually the largest cost, followed by sludge processing. Sludge processing costs in Western Europe vary considerably, depending on the technology used and local conditions. Examples from the Netherlands show that costs can range from \u20ac41 to \u20ac58 per ton of dewatered sludge with a dry matter content of 23%, excluding transport costs (source: STOWA<\/a>). Transport costs can add another \u20ac5 to \u20ac10 per ton depending on the location. It is important to note that these costs are highly dependent on factors such as the chosen processing method, scale of the plant, and regional differences.<\/p>\n

Bacteria growing in most sewage treatment plants and industrial wastewater treatment plants with activated sludge prefer to convert the BOD to biomass rather than CO2<\/sub>. As a rule of thumb, 2\/3 of the BOD is converted to biomass and 1\/3 to CO2<\/sub>, but this varies depending on operational settings.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"sludge,<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"control<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\"Slamreduktion,<\/span><\/div>

MicroCat\u00ae<\/sup>-SR<\/h3><\/div>

MicroCat\u00ae<\/sup>-SR<\/strong> is a synergistic blend of carefully selected, adapted microorganisms for use in biological wastewater treatment plants receiving domestic wastewater.<\/p>\n

MicroCat\u00ae<\/sup>-SR<\/strong> is formulated with microbial strains that efficiently convert the majority of the organic fraction of the influent to carbon dioxide (CO2<\/sub>) rather than additional biomass. MicroCat\u00ae<\/sup>-SR<\/strong> also contains a combination of enzymes selected for their ability to degrade a wide range of substances in domestic wastewater. These include ligno-cellulose, fats, oils, proteins, fibers and other wastes. Such substances tend to accumulate in the sludge which has a detrimental effect on dewatering causing weight gain.<\/p>\n

Applications:<\/strong><\/p>\n