A comprehensive guide to sludge management, reuse, and disposal When wastewater is treated, reducing organic material to carbon dioxide, water, and bacterial cells—the cells are disposed of, producing a semisolid and nutrient-rich byproduct called sludge. The expansion in global population and industrial activity has turned the production of excess sludge into an international environmental challenge, with the ultimate disposal of excess sludge now one of the most expensive problems faced by...