Emerging contaminants in municipal sewage/sludge: occurrence, risk assessment, and treatment technologies

Abstract

Emerging contaminants (ECs) have received widespread attention globally due to their potential ecological and human health impacts. Sludge, a byproduct of the sewage treatment processes, accumulates amounts of ECs or toxic byproducts that have not been fully degraded. Without proper treatment, it may affect the resource utilization of sludge and damage the ecological environment. Therefore, it is significant to investigate the generation mechanism of ECs in municipal sewage/sludge and explore effective treatment technologies to remove them. This chapter first reviews the main occurrence of ECs in municipal sewage/sludge. Secondly, the potential environmental risks of ECs are evaluated, and the treatment technologies of different ECs are discussed in detail, such as anaerobic consumption, aerobic composting, and advanced oxidation. Finally, suggestions and prospects are put forward for the removal of ECs from municipal sewage/sludge.