Recycling drinking water treatment sludge in construction and building materials: A review

Drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) is a by-product of water treatment, and it is difficult to recycle to high value and poses potential environmental risks. Recycling DWTS into cement-based materials is an effective measure to achieve its high-volume utilization and reduce its environmental load. DWTS is rich in silica-alumina phases and has potential pozzolanic activity after drying, grinding and calcination, giving it similar properties to traditional supplementary cementitious materials. Adjusting the sludge production process and coagulant type will change its physical and chemical properties. Adding a small amount of DWTS can generate additional hydration products and refine the pore structure of the cement sample, thus improving the mechanical properties and durability of the sample. However, adding high-volume DWTS to concrete causes microstructural deterioration, but it is feasible to use high-volume DWTS to produce artificial aggregates, lightweight concrete, and sintered bricks. Meanwhile, calcined DWTS has similar compositions to clay, which makes it a potential raw material for cement clinker production. Cement-based materials can effectively solidify heavy metal ions in DWTS, and alkali-activated binders, magnesium-based cement, and carbon curing technology can further reduce the risk of heavy metal leaching. This review provides support for the high-value utilization of DWTS in cement-based materials and the reduction of its potential environmental risks.

Life cycle assessment and thermophysical properties of a fly ash-based geopolymer containing drinking water treatment sludge

Fly ash-based geopolymers have emerged as a sustainable alternative in construction, leveraging industrial by-products to mitigate CO2 emissions. This study investigates the novel incorporation of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) into fly ash-based geopolymers at varying proportions (5-40%). Authors focus is to analyze the thermophysical properties and environmental implications, including a robust life cycle assessment case study conducted within the Moroccan context. The comprehensive analysis encompassed X-ray powder diffraction, apparent porosity, water absorption, scanning electron microscopy, hot disc, compressive strength, and a comparative assessment of fly ash-based geopolymer containing 20% of DWTS (GP-DWTS-20) and ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Notably, the results reveal that DWTS enhances thermal performance, with a remarkable 33% reduction in thermal conductivity observed in geopolymers containing 20% DWTS. This enhancement motivates the potential for innovative fly ash-based geopolymers. Moreover, the study contributes quantifiable evidence of a substantial 48% reduction in global warming potential for DWTS-based geopolymers compared to OPC. These findings underscore the environmental benefits of this alternative while emphasizing avenues for optimization in alkaline solution, curing, and renewable energy integration.

Characteristics of organic matter released from drinking water treatment sludge under different storage conditions: Evaluation based on activated carbon adsorbability

Recycling water from drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) as raw water raises several problems in the drinking water supply. In this study, the impact of storage temperatures and oxygen conditions for DWTS on the characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) released from sludge was evaluated in terms of adsorbability by activated carbon. Results showed that the adsorbability of the released DOM varied greatly with storage temperatures and oxygen conditions. The modified Freundlich isotherm model revealed that the average adsorption strength (KF) estimated based on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and ultraviolet absorbance at 260 nm (UV260) varied in the ranges of 4.01-12.1 (mg g-1)1-1/n and 23.1-52.6 (L m-1 g-1)1-1/n, respectively. DOM released under the condition without aeration possessed higher adsorbability compared to DOM released under the condition with aeration (1.41-3.01 times for DOC-based; 1.14-2.28 times for UV260-based). Moreover, the KF values of fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM)-based fulvic acid-like and humic acid-like substances were higher than those of tyrosine-like and tryptophan-like substances, indicating humic-like substances released from DWTS were more adsorbable than protein-like ones. The methods or adsorption conditions that can enhance the removal of protein-like substances are essential for dealing with water quality problems associated with recycling water from drinking water treatment sludge.

Comparative study of sediment phosphorus immobilization via the addition of lanthanum-modified and thermal-modified drinking water treatment sludge

Lanthanum-modified drinking water treatment sludge (DTSLa) and thermal-modified drinking water treatment sludge (TDTS) were prepared from drinking water treatment sludge(DTS). The adsorption properties of DTSLa and TDTS on phosphate in water and the effects on the controlled release and morphology of phosphorus in sediment at different dosages (0%, 2.5%, 5%) were discussed. Combining with SEM, BET, XRD, FTIR, and XPS characterization methods, the immobilization mechanism of DTSLa and TDTS on phosphorus in sediment was explored. The addition of TDTS can transform NH₄Cl-P (loosely sorbed P), BD-P (bicarbonate-dithionite extractable P), and Org-P (organic P) into stable NaOH-rP (metal oxide-bound P) in sediment, and the conversion amount will increase with the increase of TDTS supplemental amount. DTSLa converted NH₄Cl-P, BD-P, Org-P, and NaOH-rP to more stable HCl-P (calcium-bound P). At the same time, the content of WSP (water-soluble phosphorus) and olsen-P (NaHCO₃ extractable P) in sediment can be reduced by the addition of DTSLa and TDTS, reducing the risk of the release of phosphorus from the sediment to the overlying water. In addition, phosphorus can be directly removed from the interstitial water by DTSLa and TDTS, so as to reduce the phosphorus concentration gradient between the overlying water and the interstitial water, thus inhibiting the release of phosphorus from interstitial water to overlying water. The results showed that DTSLa is better than TDTS in terms of its adsorption capacity and adsorption effect on endogenous phosphorus in water, so DTSLa is more suitable to be used as a sediment conditioner to control the phosphorus content in water and sediment.

Study of the effects of drinking water treatment sludge on the properties of Class F fly ash-based geopolymer

Drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) generated from water treatment plants is a global issue because of the environmental risks it imposes. Managing the abundance of DWTS in landfills remains an important issue. The reuse of these sludges as a construction material could contribute to the development of a geopolymer and mitigate the harmful effects of the excessive production of these sludges on the environment. This study aims to evaluate the effect of DWTS on the properties of Class F fly ash (FFA) geopolymers. Seven geopolymer blends were made with the addition of DWTS in the total fly ash weight of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%, and 40%, and with an alkaline solution composed of 12 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) solution; the liquid/solid and (Na₂SiO₃)/NaOH weight ratios were set to 0.75 and 2.5 respectively. The polymerization temperature was set at 60 °C and different polymerization times such as 3, 7, 14, and 28 days were considered. The bulk density, apparent porosity, compressive strength, and microstructure of the geopolymer samples were tested. The experimental results revealed that the optimum percentage of DWTS incorporation is 20 wt%, which generates a dense and homogeneous microstructure. The addition of more than 20% DWTS decreased the compressive strength from 40.87 to 35.3 MPa and bulk density from 2.134 to 2.087 g/cm³ due to the retention of air bubbles and evaporation of water during the polymerization process forming voids in the matrix, which results in increased apparent porosity from 19 to 22%. This investigation confirmed the feasibility of incorporating DWTS into FFA-based geopolymers.

Recycling drinking water treatment sludge into eco-concrete blocks with CO2 curing: Durability and leachability

Drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) can be recycled into low-strength concrete blocks for construction use. The sodium sulfate resistance and leaching behaviours of the DWTS-derived blocks are investigated in this study. The experimental results show that the addition of DWTS degrades the sodium sulfate resistance of the concrete blocks, however CO₂ curing compensates for such property, especially in the case of blocks incorporating 30% DWTS. The improvement can be attributed to the formation of crystalline CaCO₃ during CO₂ curing for microstructure refinement evidenced by X-ray Computed Tomography and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Leaching analyses show that Cu and Al concentrations increased with increasing DWTS content, and CO₂ curing adversely increased the leachability of metals due to the decrease of pH, especially at early leaching stage. Nevertheless, the total leaching concentrations of Cu and Al after 60-day test is far below the prescribed limitations, regardless of samples subject to air curing or CO₂ curing. In summary, sludge-derived blocks exposed to CO₂ curing are safe and behave well in aggressive environments. Therefore, this study showcases a green technology that successfully recycling DWTS into value-added and durable concrete blocks with low environmental impacts.

Utilization of drinking water treatment sludge in concrete paving blocks: Microstructural analysis, durability and leaching properties

The management of abundant drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) in landfill remains an important issue. The reuse of DWTS as construction material could contribute to the development of greener concrete product and to mitigating the detrimental environment effect from excessive production of DWTS. This paper investigates the potential of using DWTS as sand replacement in Concrete Paving Blocks (CPB). Five CPB mixtures were designed and the replacement ratios of sand by DWTS were 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, by weight. Properties of CPB such as compressive strength, water absorption, abrasion resistance, sulfate attack and metal leachability were determined. The results indicated that above 10% of DWTS, the replacement was detrimental to such properties of the CPB. Microstructure analysis proved the addition of DWTS could result in ettringite formation and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the cement matrix and DWTS was more porous than that of sand. In addition, the metal leachability test of CPB demonstrated that the addition of high-copper DWTS into CPB was safe.

Cold finger with semi closed reflux system for sample preparation aiming at Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, V and Zn determination in Drinking Water Treatment Sludge by MIP OES

This study presents method development and optimization, based on statistical approaches, of an alternative sample preparation methodology for Drinking Water Treatment Sludge, through decomposition in semi closed system with cold finger, aiming at the determination of Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, V and Zn by microwave induced plasma optical emission spectrometry. This system was employed to decompose three different Drinking Water Treatment Sludge samples, from three different treatment plants. The compromise conditions were 250 mg of dried sample, 5 mL of HNO₃, 1 mL of H₂SO₄ and heating at 225 °C for 150 min. After the digestion, 1% of cesium and lanthanum chloride buffer solution was added to all samples and standard solutions. The accuracy of the proposed sample preparation method was evaluated by analyzing a sediment certified reference material (CRM NIST 1646a) as well as the spike recovery technique. The recoveries ranged from 83% to 119% for all elements, and the found concentrations for the CRM agreed with the respective certified values, at 95% confidence level. The correlation coefficients for all investigated elements were higher than 0.999. The method LOQ values were adequate and complied with the Drinking Water Treatment Sludge regulation avaliable, ranging from 0.3 (V) and 32 (Zn) μg L^-1, or 0.1 (V) to 13 (Zn) mg kg^-1. The digestion procedure in acidic medium showed suitable to measure the analytes in the investigated matrix by microwave induced plasma optical emission spectrometry.

Optimized removal of natural organic matter by ultrasound-assisted coagulation of recycling drinking water treatment sludge

In previous work we have shown that recycling pre-sonicated drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) could improve coagulated water quality. Here, the removal of naturally occurring organic matter of source water was further optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken Design (BBD). The four variables, i.e., volumetric recycling ratio of DWTS, energy density, ultra-sonication time and duty cycle in an experimental jar test of ultrasound assisted flocculation-coagulation were optimized. All the variables showed a significant effect on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal of source water (p < .05), of which the duty cycle had a stronger effect on the removal performance compared to the other independent variables. The predicted optimal DOC removal rate was 36.94%, and this matched well the observed performance of 36.54 ± 0.56%, obtained by ultra-sonicating the sludge prior to recycling using a power input of 1.015 W/mL, an ultra-sonication time of 9 min 50 s, and a duty cycle of 80%, while the volumetric recycling ratio of DWTS was 5.8%. The natural organic matter fractions in the coagulated water samples indicated that recycling sonicated DWTS that had been washed prior to recycling in order to remove solubilized extracellular polymers could enhance removal of hydrophobic acids and 3-30 kDa fractions, but this treatment increased the presence of substances with molecular weight <3 kDa. Humic-like substances were effectively removed while tyrosine-like substances could be enriched. Sludge samples (raw DWTS, sonicated DWTS, sludge formed by recycling raw DWTS, and sludge formed by recycling sonicated DWTS without solubilized extracellular organics) were characterized by XRF, X-ray diffraction patterns and FE-SEM-EDS to reveal possible physical characteristics that could be related to the DOC removal performance.

High-throughput sequencing reveals microbial communities in drinking water treatment sludge from six geographically distributed plants, including potentially toxic cyanobacteria and pathogens

The microbial community structures of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) generated for raw water (RW) from different locations and with different source types - including river water, lake water and reservoir water -were investigated using high-throughput sequencing. Because the unit operations in the six DWTPs were similar, community composition in fresh sludge may be determined by microbial community in the corresponding RW. Although Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, and Planctomycetes were the dominant phyla among the six DWTS samples, no single phylum exhibited similar abundance across all the samples, owing to differences in total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, Al, Fe, and chloride in RW. Three genera of potentially toxic cyanobacteria (Planktothrix, Microcystis and Cylindrospermopsis), and four potential pathogens (Escherichia coli, Bacteroides ovatus, Prevotella copri and Rickettsia) were found in sludge samples. Because proliferation of potentially toxic cyanobacteria and Rickettsia in RW was mainly affected by nutrients, while growth of Escherichia coli, Bacteroides ovatus and Prevotella copri in RW may be influenced by Fe, control of nutrients and Fe in RW is essential to decrease toxic cyanobacteria and pathogens in DWTS.

Drinking water treatment sludge as an effective additive for biogas production from food waste; kinetic evaluation and biomethane potential test

The effect of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) as a mixture additive, on biogas and methane production from food waste was studied. Mesophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste with 5 concentrations of DWTS (0, 2, 6, 12, and 18 ppm) was carried out. It was found that DWTS can significantly enhance biogas and methane yield. The highest biogas (671 Nml/g VS) as well as methane yield (522 Nml/g VS) was observed when 6 mg/kg DWTS was added. This is equal to 65 and 58 percent increase in comparison with the control digester. The calculated lag time for methane was found to be in between 3.3 and 4.7 days. The DWTS also reduced the lag phase and retention time. The biogas experimental data was fitted with the modified Gompertz and the first-order kinetic models with R² higher than 0.994 and 0.949, respectively. The ratio of the experimental biogas production to the theoretical biogas production (ɛ) for control sample was 0.53 while for other samples containing additive were higher than 0.78.

Optimizing dewaterability of drinking water treatment sludge by ultrasound treatment: Correlations to sludge physicochemical properties

Sludge dewatering has proven to be an effective method to reduce the volume of sludge. In this study, drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) was treated by ultra-sonication under variable conditions comparing two sonoreactor types (bath and probe), four frequencies (25, 40, 68, 160 kHz) and four energy density levels (0.03, 1, 3, 5 W/mL). The effects of these conditions were studied using specific resistance to filtration and capillary suction time as measures of dewaterability, and floc size, the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) specific surface area and Zeta potential to determine treated sludge characteristics. The results indicated that the dewaterability of sonicated sludge improved at relatively low energy densities of 0.03 and 1.0 W/mL, while an optimum for sonication duration (within 10 min) was also identified. Higher frequencies (tested up to 160 kHz) with acoustic energy density of 0.03 W/mL also reduced the dewatering property. At higher energy densities of 3.0 and 5.0 W/mL, dewaterability of sludge deteriorated regardless of ultra-sonication time, with an increase of solubilized organic matter content and severely changed floc characteristics. The deterioration of the dewatering capacity was closely related to the considerably reduced floc sizes, dissolution of proteins and polysaccharides, and to the Zeta potential of sonicated sludge flocs. The dewaterability was not correlated with BET specific surface area. Mechanistic explanations for the observations were discussed by analyzing corrosion patterns of aluminum foil as a measure for cavitation field distribution.

Evaluation of alternative environmentally friendly matrix solid phase dispersion solid supports for the simultaneous extraction of 15 pesticides of different chemical classes from drinking water treatment sludge

This study describes the development, optimization and validation of a method for the extraction of 15 pesticides of different chemical classes in drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) by vortex-assisted Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion (MSPD) with determination by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. It focused on the application of alternative and different solid supports to the extraction step of the MSPD. The main parameters that influenced the extraction were studied in order to obtain better recovery responses. Recoveries ranged from 70 to 120% with RSD below 20% for all analytes. Limits of quantification (LOQ) of the method ranged from 5 to 500 μg kg^-1 whereas the analytical curves showed correlation coefficients above 0.997. The method under investigation used low volume of solvent (5 mL), low sample mass (1.5 g) and low mass of chitin (0.5 g), an environmentally friendly support. It has advantages, such as speed, simplicity and low cost material, over other methods. When the method was applied, 4 out of 15 pesticides were detected in the DWTS samples in concentrations below the LOQ.

Removal of aluminum from drinking water treatment sludge using vacuum electrokinetic technology

A vacuum electrokinetic apparatus was operated at a municipal water supply plant in Wuxi, China to study the removal of aluminum from the plant's drinking water treatment sludge, high in trivalent aluminum content. The effect of several experimental variables (initial pH, potential gradient, and zone in the sludge tank) and the trivalent aluminum removal mechanism were analyzed. The speciation of trivalent aluminum mainly depends on the initial pH of drinking water treatment sludge, and more fractions of trivalent aluminum were migrated at pH 4 than at higher or lower pH. The application of high voltage can enhance the removal efficiency of aluminum. A three-dimensional electric field analysis explained the difference in the removal efficiency at different zones in the sludge tank. In view of energy consumption, when the initial pH was 4 and a potential gradient of 2 V cm^-1 was applied, achieving a final aluminum concentration of 30 g kg^-1 after 120 h. The specific energy consumption was 11.7 kWh kg^-1 of Al removed.

Recycling of iron and silicon from drinking water treatment sludge for synthesis of magnetic iron oxide@SiO₂ composites

More attention has been paid to the deterioration of water bodies polluted by drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) in recent years. It is important to develop methods to effectively treat DWTS by avoiding secondary pollution. We report herein a novel investigation for recovery of Si and Fe from DWTS, which are used for the synthesis of two iron oxide@SiO2 composites for adsorption of reactive red X-3B (RRX-3B) and NaNO2. The results show that Fe(3+) (acid-leaching) and Si(4+) (basic-leaching) can be successfully recovered from roasted DWTS. Whether to dissolve Fe(OH)3 precipitation is the key point for obtaining Fe3O4 or γ-Fe2O3 particles using the solvothermal method. The magnetic characteristics of Fe3O4@SiO2 (390.0 m(2) g(-1)) or Fe2O3@SiO2 (220.9 m(2) g(-1)) are slightly influenced by the coated porous SiO2 layer. Peaks of Fe-O stretching vibration (580 cm(-1)) and asymmetric Si-O-Si stretching vibrations (1080 cm(-1)) of Fe3O4@SiO2 indicate the successful coating of a thin silica layer (20-150 nm). The adsorption capacity of RRX-3B and NaNO2 by Fe3O4@SiO2 is better than that of Fe2O3@SiO2, and both composites can be recycled through an external magnetic field. This method is an efficient and environmentally friendly method for recycling DWTS.

The removal characteristics of natural organic matter in the recycling of drinking water treatment sludge: Role of solubilized organics

To clarify the role of solubilized organics derived from drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) in the elimination of natural organic matter (NOM) in the DWTS recycling process, a probe sonoreactor at a frequency of 25 kHz was used to solubilize the organics at varied specific energies. The coagulation behavior related to NOM removal in recycling the sonicated DWTS with and without solubilized organics was evaluated, and the effect on organic fractionations in coagulated water was determined. The study results could provide useful implications in designing DWTS recycling processes that avoid the enrichment of organic matter. Our results indicate that DWTS was disrupted through a low release of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and proteins, which could deteriorate the coagulated water quality under the specific energy of 37.87-1212.1 kW h/kg TS. The optimal coagulation behavior for NOM removal was achieved by recycling the sonicated DWTS without solubilized organics at 151.5 kW h/kg TS specific energy. Recycling the sonicated DWTS could increase the enrichment potential of weakly hydrophobic acid, hydrophilic matter, and <3 kDa fractions; the enrichment risks could be reduced by discharging the solubilized organics. Fluorescent characteristic analysis indicated that when recycling the sonicated DWTS without solubilized organics, the removal of humic-like substances was limited, whereas removal of protein-like substances was enhanced, lowering the enrichment potential of protein-like substances.

Effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the characteristic evolutions of drinking water treatment sludge and its impact on coagulation property of sludge recycling process

Large amounts of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) are produced during the flocculation or flotation process. The recycling of DWTS is important for reducing and reclaiming the waste residues from drinking water treatment. To improve the coagulation step of the DWTS recycling process, power ultrasound was used as a pretreatment to disintegrate the DWTS and degrade or inactivate the constituents that are difficult to remove by coagulation. The effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the characteristics of DWTS, including the extent of disintegration, variation in DWTS floc characteristics, and DWTS dewaterability, were investigated. The capacity of the recycling process to remove particulates and organic matter from low-turbidity surface water compared to a control treatment process without DWTS was subsequently evaluated. The coagulation mechanism was further investigated by analyzing the formation, breakage, and re-growth of re-coagulated flocs. Our results indicated that under the low energy density applied (0.03-0.033 W/mL) for less than 15 min at a frequency of 160 kHz, the level of organic solubilization was less elevated, which was evidenced by the lower release of proteins and polysaccharides and lower fluorescence intensities of humic- and protein-like substances. The applied ultrasound conditions had an adverse effect on the dewaterability of the DWTS. Ultrasound pretreatment had no significant impact on the pH or surface charge of the DWTS flocs, whereas particle size decreased slightly and the specific surface area was moderately increased. The pollution removal capacity decreased somewhat for the recycled sonicated DWTS treatment, which was primarily ascribed to organic solubilization rather than variability in the floc characteristics of sonicated DWTS. The main coagulation mechanism was floc sweeping and physical adsorption. The breakage process of the flocs formed by the recycling process displayed distinct irreversibility, and the flocs were stronger and more resistant to breakage compared to those from the control treatment.

Characterization of drinking water treatment sludge after ultrasound treatment

Ultrasonic technology alone or the combination of ultrasound with alkaline or thermal hydrolysis as pretreatment for anaerobic digestion of activated sludge has been extensively documented. However, there are few reports on ultrasound as pretreatment of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS), and thereby the characteristic variability of sonicated DWTS has not been fully examined. This research presents a lab-scale study on physical, chemical and biological characteristics of a DWTS sample collected from a water plant after ultrasonic treatment via a bath/probe sonoreactor. By doing this work, we provide implications for using ultrasound as pretreatment of enhanced coagulation of recycling sludge, and for the conditioning of water and wastewater mixed sludge by ultrasound combined with polymers. Our results indicate that the most vigorous DWTS disintegration quantified by particles' size reduction and organic solubilization is achieved with 5 W/ml for 30 min ultra-sonication (specific energy of 1590 kWh/kg TS). The Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) specific surface area of sonicated DWTS flocs increase as ultra-sonication prolongs at lower energy densities (0.03 and 1 W/ml), while decrease as ultra-sonication prolongs at higher energy densities (3 and 5 W/ml). Additionally, the pH and zeta potential of sonicated DWTS slightly varies under all conditions observed. A shorter sonication with higher energy density plays a more effective role in restraining microbial activity than longer sonication with lower energy density.

Feasibility of sulfide control in sewers by reuse of iron rich drinking water treatment sludge

Dosage of iron salt is the most commonly used method for sulfide control in sewer networks but incurs high chemical costs. In this study, we experimentally investigate the feasibility of using iron rich drinking water treatment sludge for sulfide control in sewers. A lab-scale rising main sewer biofilm reactor was used. The sulfide concentration in the effluent decreased from 15.5 to 19.8 mgS/L (without dosing) to below 0.7-2.3 mgS/L at a sludge dosing rate achieving an iron to total dissolved inorganic sulfur molar ratio (Fe:S) of 1:1, with further removal of sulfide possible by prolonging the reaction time. In fact, batch tests revealed an Fe consumption to sulfide removal ratio of 0.5 ± 0.02 (mole:mole), suggesting the possible occurrence of other reactions involving the removal of sulfide. Modelling revealed that the reaction between iron in sludge and sulfide has reaction orders of 0.65 ± 0.01 and 0.77 ± 0.02 with respect to the Fe and sulfide concentrations, respectively. The addition of sludge slightly increased the total chemical oxidation demand (tCOD) concentration (by approximately 12%) as expected, but decreased the soluble chemical oxidation demand (sCOD) concentration and methane formation by 7% and 20%, respectively. Some phosphate removal (13%) was also observed at the sludge dosing rate of 1:1 (Fe:S), which is beneficial to nutrient removal from the wastewater. Overall, this study suggests that dosing iron-rich drinking water sludge to sewers could be an effective strategy for sulfide removal in sewer systems, which would also reduce the sludge disposal costs for drinking water treatment works. However, its potential side-effects on sewer sedimentation and on the wastewater treatment plant effluent remain to be investigated.