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Co-Treatment of Food Waste and Municipal Sewage Sludge: Technical and Environmental Review of Biological and Thermal Technologies

Author

Listed:
  • Giovanni Gadaleta

    (Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Politecnico di Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
    Biodegradability and Compostability Laboratory, AIMPLAS–Plastics Technology Centre, C. Gustave Eiffel n. 4, 46980 Paterna, Spain)

  • Francesco Todaro

    (Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Politecnico di Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Annamaria Giuliano

    (Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Politecnico di Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Sabino De Gisi

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Section of Chemical Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II n. 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy)

  • Michele Notarnicola

    (Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh), Politecnico di Bari, Via E. Orabona n. 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

Abstract

To face the ongoing issues related to global warming, a circular economy approach should be pursued, rethinking the waste management system and the recovery of organic waste. The main organic waste streams are Food Waste (FW) and municipal Sewage Sludge (SS). In the spirit of circularity, a commingled treatment of FW and SS could be a viable solution. To this end, the present work aims to review the technical and environmental aspects of the co-treatment of FW and SS through biological and thermal processes. Firstly, a detailed characterization of the two substrates is presented as well as the current and future treatment technologies. Then, the technical feasibility and the environmental impacts of conventional biological co-treatments of FW and SS (i.e., composting, anaerobic digestion, and a combination of them), as well as innovative thermal ones (i.e., incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, and hydrothermal carbonization), is summarized. The outcomes of this work could contribute to achieving a more sustainable way to approach organic waste treatment and to help policy-making authorities move toward sustainable planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Giovanni Gadaleta & Francesco Todaro & Annamaria Giuliano & Sabino De Gisi & Michele Notarnicola, 2024. "Co-Treatment of Food Waste and Municipal Sewage Sludge: Technical and Environmental Review of Biological and Thermal Technologies," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-34, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jcltec:v:6:y:2024:i:3:p:44-885:d:1429567
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Yashar Aryanfar & Jorge Luis García Alcaraz & Ali Keçebaş & Julio Blanco Fernandez & Busra Arslan & Mustafa Ilbas & Salem Algarni & Talal Alqahtani & Kashif Irshad, 2025. "Transforming Food Industrial Sludge Into Sustainable Resources: Innovations in Waste Management and Renewable Energy Recovery," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 3672-3700, March.
    2. Ye Nyi Nyi Lwin & Abhisit Bhatsada & Sirintornthep Towprayoon & Suthum Patumsawad & Noppharit Sutthasil & Komsilp Wangyao, 2024. "Aeration Optimization for the Biodrying of Market Waste Using Negative Ventilation: A Lysimeter Study," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-18, November.
    3. Casper Boongaling Agaton & Marween Joshua A. Santos, 2025. "Social Acceptability of Waste-to-Energy: Research Hotspots, Technologies, and Factors," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-28, July.
    4. Ahmad, Anwar & Almohamadi, Hamad & Alnasser, Abdullah S. & Nasser, Qazi & Al-Sibani, Mohammed & Al-Rahbi, Amal S. & Mubarak, Mohammad S., 2026. "Microbial synergies in co-digestion of food waste and wastewater sludge: pathways to energy recovery and emission reduction," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PB).

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