Enhancing energy recovery from Wastewater Treatment Plant sludge through carbonization
I Wayan Koko Suryawan,
Iva Yenis Septiariva,
Dhea Umi Falentina Widanarko,
Fatimah Dinan Qonitan,
Ariyanti Sarwono,
Mega Mutiara Sari,
Wisnu Prayogo,
Nur Novilina Arifianingsih,
Sapta Suhardono,
Jun-Wei Lim
Affiliations
I Wayan Koko Suryawan
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure Planning, Universitas Pertamina, Komplek Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta 12220, Indonesia; Corresponding author at: Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure Planning, Universitas Pertamina, Komplek Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta 12220, Indonesia.
Iva Yenis Septiariva
Civil Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia; Corresponding author at: Civil Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia.
Dhea Umi Falentina Widanarko
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure Planning, Universitas Pertamina, Komplek Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta 12220, Indonesia
Fatimah Dinan Qonitan
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure Planning, Universitas Pertamina, Komplek Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta 12220, Indonesia
Ariyanti Sarwono
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure Planning, Universitas Pertamina, Komplek Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta 12220, Indonesia
Mega Mutiara Sari
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure Planning, Universitas Pertamina, Komplek Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta 12220, Indonesia
Wisnu Prayogo
Department of Building Engineering Education, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan 20221, Indonesia
Nur Novilina Arifianingsih
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung 40116, Indonesia
Sapta Suhardono
Environmental Sciences Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta 57126, Indonesia
Jun-Wei Lim
Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, HICoE-Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan 32610, Malaysia
The Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) uses a dewatering machine to separate sludge from water. The resulting sludge is used as raw material for Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), while the separated water is treated in the subsequent WWTP unit. However, the sludge from the WWTP is currently only processed into briquettes as per policy and then disposed of in landfills. Our investigation centers on the effects of carbonization temperature on sludge characteristics in a dewatering unit. Initial analysis revealed that 1-day-old sludge possesses a high moisture content (87.72 %) and a low calorific value (3.44 MJ/kg). Carbonization at 300 °C significantly enhanced the sludge's calorific value to 12,504 MJ/kg, reduced its moisture content to 60.72 %, and increased its carbon percentage to 22.76 %, indicating a direct correlation between carbonization temperature and both energy recovery and carbon content. Comparative analysis showed sludge carbonized at lower temperatures (200 °C and 100 °C) yielded lower carbon percentages (22.23 % and 21.66 %, respectively) and energy values, underscoring the efficiency of higher temperature carbonization in optimizing energy recovery.. This research contributes to developing sustainable organic waste recycling practices and supports achieving Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 12 targets. This research promotes sustainable development by improving sludge utilization from WWTPs as a raw material for energy production rather than being directly disposed of in landfills. This study provides insight into the potential for energy recovery from organic waste, technology, and policy's role in achieving a circular economy.
