Sludge Treatment and Disposal Technology (7)

31. Why Is There a Charge for Sludge Disposal?

For the same scale of processing capacity, incineration plants often require hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, drying plants require tens of millions of dollars, and composting plants require tens of millions of dollars, including the operating costs (heat energy, electricity, personnel, etc.), the final disposal of sludge will inevitably incur a certain cost.

The disorderly disposal of sludge - abandonment, is a deviation from market rules and the greatest damage to the environment. If abandonment is to be stopped, a reasonable charging system for all disposal resources must be established first.

32. What Are the Costs of Sludge Disposal?

Typical sludge disposal may incur the following costs:

(1) Landfill: concentration → dehydration → drying → transportation → landfill fee.

(2) Incineration: concentration → dehydration → drying → transportation → incineration fee → transportation → landfill fee.

(3) Composting: concentration → dehydration → transportation → composting → transportation.

(4) Building materials (cement, brick making, etc.): concentration → dehydration → drying → transportation → treatment fee (or free, in lieu of loess).

33. What Impact Will the Reasonable Disposal of Sludge Have on Sewage Treatment Fees?

Since the disposal of sludge involves a series of cost expenditures, and the responsibility for its reasonable disposal begins with the sewage treatment plant, therefore, the sewage treatment plant has both the responsibility for reasonable disposal and the right to charge a certain fee.

Depending on various factors such as the region, energy costs, the distribution of final disposal resources, and different disposal methods, the newly added cost converted to each ton of sewage treatment may be between 0.15 and 0.30 yuan (natural gas). With waste heat and cheap energy, this figure is expected to be reduced to less than 0.10 yuan.

34. What Is the Economic Feasibility of Sludge Disposal Methods?

According to the processing and disposal costs, the order from least to most is as follows:

(1) Agricultural use. Including flowers/greening/field (composting or drying to make organic fertilizer for sale).

(2) Thermal energy utilization. Incinerating in incinerators or combined power generation devices.

(3) Building materials. After drying, the sludge is used to be make building materials. The organic matter is used for thermal energy, and the inorganic matter becomes the base material, which can partially replace loess for brick making.

(4) Landfill. Without any utilization, directly landfilled after drying and reduction or without treatment.

35. What Are the Fundamental Conditions for Sludge Disposal in China?

The first element of sludge treatment and disposal is to establish a charging system. The environment belongs to all citizens, and citizens have the obligation to protect and manage it.

The disposal of sludge must be announced and supervised in the form of legislation.

Regardless of the type of waste, its discharge and disposal must be charged a unified standard (weight) according to the economic development of each region, and the charges will be used for the management and disposal of special pollutants.

Complete the process of corporate environmental governance, and distribute all responsibilities and rights for pollutant governance according to the principle of market competition. Its legal person must bear all economic and legal responsibilities for pollutant governance.