Sludge / Biosolids

As demand for urban sustainability and resource efficiency rises, cities and industry are investing in comprehensive biosolid and residuals programs to extract maximum value from sludge.

Veolia offers the extensive technical knowledge required to take full advantage of this resource and produce agriculturally beneficial byproducts in the form of biosolids.

Sludge recycling: make better use of your resources

Solids separated from treated wastewater is referred to as sludge, a waste product deemed unfit for further recycling and refinement. A smaller subsection of this category is considered biosolids, which meet EPA pollutant and pathogen requirements for use as fertilizer or surface disposal. Veolia has experience managing class A biosolids of both standard and Exceptional Quality.

Our employees are experts in managing the full sludge value chain, including the services and technologies used throughout the treatment, recovery, distribution, and disposal processes. Our focus is on minimizing sludge generation, enhancing system efficiency, optimizing energy performance. Furthermore, we offer opportunities to maximize beneficial reuse with commercially proven technologies such as alkaline stabilization, enclosed composting, and thermal drying solutions.
 

Why invest in sludge treatment?

Territorial methanization, biowaste recycling, microfiltration…your primary and activated sludge should not simply be considered as waste and eliminated – but rather treated like a potentially valuable resource that can be a major source of competitiveness. In fact, the proper treatment of sludge and wastewater directly contributes to reducing the operating costs of water purification and treatment plants, by providing an economical outlet for some of the biowaste resulting from disintegration and settling processes.

In fact, up to 60% of sludge from wastewater treatment plants can be recovered through innovative processes such as agronomic recycling, as well as integrated into new use cases in the context of agricultural spreading. Stabilization of sludge by methanization, on the other hand, offers the possibility of producing a large quantity of biogas.