Developments in sludge characterisation in Europe

The need for a regular and environmentally safe utilisation and disposal of sludges of different origins is well recognised by the EU countries. A number of requirements, such as guide and/or limit values, are contained in the European Directives dealing with this subject, but methods for determination of the respective parameters are often not described, so there is an urgent need to close these gaps. For this reason, CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) has established the Technical Committee 308 (TC308) whose scope is the (i) standardisation of methods employed for sludge characterisation and (ii) drafting of guidelines for good practice in the production, utilisation and disposal of sludges. At present, some physical and chemical parameters have been standardised, a sludge terminology has been set up and a guide for agricultural use of sludge already finished. Future work will concentrate upon determination of nutrients necessary for agricultural use, physical properties, to improve sludge handling, and an inventory of sewage and waterworks sludges, to open new ways of utilisation.