As the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” strategy advances, carbon emissions have gradually become a significant indicator in selecting and evaluating sewage and sludge treatment solutions. This study compared the carbon footprints of different digested sludge post-treatment routes, taking the Lu’an project in China as an example. Considering anaerobic digestion and digested sludge post-treatment options, the carbon footprints are as follows: 347.7 kg CO₂ (land application) < 459.7 kg CO₂ (composting-involved land application) < 858.4 kg CO₂ (brickmaking). In general, land application was superior to brickmaking from the perspective of carbon footprints. The power consumption incurred by aerating and turning and the direct N₂O and CH₄ emissions during composting increase the composting-involved land application carbon footprint. However, digested sludge that is not subject to high-temperature sterilization and compost is phytotoxic and can be fetid, which is a limitation of its applicability. And the composted sludge has a lower N ratio and water content, so the same N input means more sludge usage, which is conducive to solving the disposal problem of large amounts of sludge. Thus, if possible, composting-involved land application should be a preference, and improvements to the technique are required to minimize energy consumption and direct N₂O and CH₄ emissions.

In this study, urban wastewater was treated by flocculation, ozone pre-oxidation and denitrification for efficient purification. Polymeric aluminum chloride (PAC) and polymeric aluminum ferric sulfate (PAFS) were added to the wastewater at different levels to remove the COD, turbidity, TP and TN of the wastewater. A better flocculant was selected and its optimum ozone pre-oxidation concentration was determined by changing the ozone concentration and measuring the effluent quality. Denitrification was further enhanced by varying the C/N ratio of the wastewater. The results show that, with the increase in flocculant dosage, the removal rates of COD, turbidity, TP and TN by PAC and PAFS were improved. The purification effect of PAC was better than that of PAFS and the optimum removal of COD, turbidity, TP and TN was obtained at a dosage of 80 mg L⁻¹ by PAC, at 55.9%, 55.6%, 90.0% and 13.3%, respectively. Ozone pre-oxidation enhanced the removal of COD, turbidity and TN by PAC, and the optimal ozone dosage was 1.2 mg L⁻¹, which resulted in 64.8%, 57.1% and 24.8% removal of COD, turbidity and TN, respectively. With the increase in the C/N ratio from 2.0 to 4.0, the NO₃⁻-N concentration of PAC-treated water gradually decreased, but when the C/N ratio was 4.0, the COD concentration increased, so the optimal C/N ratio should be 3.5. Overall, the combination of ozone pre-oxidation, denitrification and flocculation was an effective method to treat urban wastewater, which has a strong application prospect.

With the increasing frequency of desilting in urban drainage systems, the safe disposal and resource reuse of sewer sediments have become a prominent practical challenge. Screened sand, the most promising component for resource recovery from sewer sediments, still lacks systematic insight into its pollution risks and the necessity of pretreatment. In this study, 120 raw sewer sediment samples were collected from sanitary, storm, and illicitly connected (IC) storm sewers in Shanghai, alongside seasonal screened sand samples. We systematically characterized their physicochemical properties and heavy metal and antibiotic pollution profiles, and evaluated the purification performance of ultrasonic treatment, sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) washing, and their coupled processes. Results revealed significant differences in sediment properties across pipeline types. Screened sand, dominated by SiO₂ and CaO, shows preliminary potential for reuse as a low-grade bulk building material, but its organic loss on ignition (LOI) of 5.29–13.42% exceeded the reuse limit. Concentrations of heavy metals and antibiotics were generally higher in screened sand than in raw sediments, with further enrichment in the fine sand fractions, indicating that screening only redistributed contaminants rather than eliminated them. The coupled ultrasonic–SHMP process, applied for the first time to screened sand from sewer sediments, achieved optimal performance, with a maximum LOI reduction and over 85% removal of certain antibiotics, without damaging the sand’s mineral skeleton. This study provides a scientific basis for the safe resource reuse of screened sand.

The resource utilization of urban river sediments is often hindered by their high-water content, poor mechanical properties, and potential environmental risks. In this study, a composite stabilization system based on mayenite (CA) and coconut-shell biochar (BC) was developed to simultaneously improve the engineering performance and environmental safety of contaminated sediments. The effects of initial water content, CA dosage, CA particle size, BC dosage, and BC particle size were systematically investigated using unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests. The optimal conditions were 70% initial water content, 40% CA (250 mesh), and 20% BC (200 mesh), achieving a maximum UCS of 2.31 ± 0.11 MPa. Microstructural analyses revealed distinct functional roles of the two stabilizers. CA primarily provided mechanical stabilization by forming cementitious hydration products that bound sediment particles into a dense, continuous matrix, whereas BC mainly enhanced environmental stabilization through pore refinement and adsorption-assisted contaminant retention. As a result, the CA–BC composite significantly reduced the leaching of heavy metals, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus compared to CA stabilization alone. This study demonstrates that CA and BC play complementary roles in sediment stabilization, with CA dominating mechanical reinforcement and BC enhancing environmental stability, providing an effective strategy for the sustainable reuse of dredged sediments in geotechnical engineering.

The global fish industry is an essential contributor to food security and the economy; however, it produces considerable quantities of fish waste. Depending on species and processing methods, 20–80% of fish biomass is discarded as waste, amounting to almost 64 million tons annually. Conventional disposal methods such as landfilling, incineration, and wastewater discharge cause environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, for sustainable development, it is important to valorize fish waste into renewable energy and value-added products. Hence, this review aims to encourage the technical development of fish waste into bioenergy and bioresources by thoroughly studying key technologies for converting it into biogas, biodiesel, fertilizer, animal feed, and biochar. Although several studies have explored these technologies, most remain disjointed and lack a systematic assessment. Therefore, this work attempted to critically evaluate the technological principles, advantages, limitations, and optimization strategies of current valorization approaches. Furthermore, several recommendations have been proposed, including conducting pilot-scale trials, producing higher value-added products within a biorefinery system. Overall, this review provides a holistic outlook on the energy and resource conversion of fish waste, supporting sustainable waste management.