preprints.org > environmental and earth sciences > waste management and disposal > doi: 10.20944/preprints202307.0689.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 6 July 2023 / Approved: 10 July 2023 / Online: 11 July 2023 (10:20:35 CEST)

One of the issues facing modern society, whatever the socio-economic level of the communities involved, is the development of sustainable strategies in the management of sludge/biosolids. Today, it is imperative to replace solutions aimed at simply “disposing of” with those oriented towards “maximizing recovery benefits”. It is desirable that agricultural use remains the main option in sludge/biosolids management, but to ensure effective and safe agronomic benefits, correctly fulfill the legal requirements, and build stakeholder and public confidence, rigorous and sustainable procedures need to be estab-lished. The development of realistic and enforceable regulation is crucial as it represents the right bal-ance between the different aspects of a coordinated and effective management. Furthermore, it is to recognize that regulation needs to be supported by standardized character-ization procedures and guidelines of good practices, because well-defined procedures allow le-gal requirements to be correctly and uniformly met, thus ensuring reliable comparison of re-sults obtained under different conditions. In this article, main aspects to consider for a sustainable application of this management practice are discussed, together with the parameters that need to be evaluated for the characterization of sludge/biosolids, according to the various aspects related to the agricultural use.

agricultural utilization; biosolids; characterization; land application; sustainable management; sewage sludge; standardization.

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Waste Management and Disposal

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