Use of Sludge for agricultural works

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Project One
Sludge Work
Use of Sludge for agricultural works
Sludge is not just a byproduct of wastes that can be used for the creation of the fertilizer. Sludge
contains very heavy metals, thousands of chemicals and bacteria like staphylococcus.Sludge
actually begins as manufacturing chemicals, human wastes, and landfill runoff. It is obvious that
anything which fills down the drain is difficult to know its content. The sludge will definitely
infiltrate the food chain via the livestock which tends to ingest it during the grazing process. This
very common in the cases where it is applied to the grazing fields with the intention of incasing
the quality of the pasture. The areas like Eden, Donnybrook, and Kilmore that are targeted for
the disposal are likely to be the victims of these negative impacts (Yoshida, Christensen and
Scheutz 2013).
Sludge, however, comes to the full circle when people consume the crops like cabbages which
are grown on these fields, drinking milk or eating of, meat of the animals that indirectly and
directly ingest the sludge. Sludge can possibly get into the waterways through irrigation or
erosion. Using the sludge for agricultural purposes like in the case of the Kilmore area will lead
to the pollution of the area and the possible spread of the diseases.
If sludge were just manure, it would be less dangerous to the environment. Considering that it
contains thousands of chemicals like mercury, arsenic and lead with others having radioactive
materials and parasites, it is very dangerous for life. Diseases like hepatitis A and food poisoning

is caused by the microbes that are found within the sludge. This happens despite the threatening
of the plant that produces the sludge. Some sludge contains an antibacterial chemical called
triclosan which is found in very may soaps, mouthwash, and the kitchenware. Considering that
this particular chemical is linked to birth defects, immune deficiencies and other health
problems, the improper disposal may lead to health hazards(Yang, Zhang and Wang 2015).
Use of sludge as a landfill after the incineration process
The company has been contemplating to use incineration as one of the methods of disposal of the
hazardous elements of the sludge. This can be a viable adoption in the case of the challenge of
the shortage of the landfill. This method can be the best option of all the other alternatives that
are available. This is because it is environmentally sound with the following advantages:
Generation of energy
The Whittlesea Council may choose to take sludge through a mass burn to very high
temperatures. If the company uses very large plants to perform the operation of burning, a lot of
heat will be produced. This heat can be used to heat water and produce steam for turning turbines
that will generate electricity. The process of incineration will be most effective in cases where it
is combining for both heats and power production. The energy that is produced through this
process of sludge can be recaptured by the use of pipes. This will improve the economic viability
of the company.
Control of diseases
The residual materials from the hospitals can be very dangerous to health. Use of incineration as
a means of disposal of the sludge from such units will be proper in the control of the spread of