Volume: 5, 2026
5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: E022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.E022
Published online: 22 April 2026
Utilization and dewatering of sewage sludge from domestic wastewater treatment plants
Waldemar Raduj*1, 2, Anna Myka-Raduj2 and Krzysztof Jóźwiakowski3
1 Polesie National Park, 3a Lubelska St., 22-234 Urszulin, Poland
2 National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, 97 Pańska St., 00-834 Warsaw
3 Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin,7 Leszczyńskiego St., 20-069 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author: waldemar.raduj@poleskipn.pl; waldemar.raduj@up.edu.pl
Rural areas are characterized by scattered development. Constructing sewer systems in these areas is very expensive. Therefore, domestic sewage treatment plants are used here, whose operation involves the generation and retention of sewage sludge in primary settling tanks. The increasing number of domestic treatment plants has resulted in the production of more and more sewage sludge in recent years, requiring appropriate management. From 2022 to 2024, the number of domestic sewage treatment plants increased by over 133,000. In 2024, the number of domestic sewage treatment plants exceeded 477,000. The most common solution for managing sludge from these facilities is to transport it to collective municipal sewage treatment plants for dewatering and disposal, which usually generates high costs. Available solutions for managing small amounts of sewage sludge enable its dewatering and disposal directly in the household through composting. Large and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants use a variety of methods for dewatering and disposing of sewage sludge. One of these is the constructed wetland method of sewage sludge disposal and dewatering. The constructed wetland method is inexpensive to operate and does not require significant capital expenditures. Using this method can significantly reduce the operating costs of domestic wastewater treatment plants. This will also reduce the burden on collective wastewater treatment plants, as it will reduce the amount of sewage sludge transported from domestic wastewater treatment plants, which are characterized by high pollutant loads.
Keywords: disposal and dewatering of sewage sludge; hybrid constructed wetland; pollution removal; wastewater treatment plant
How to cite
Raduj W., Myka-Raduj A., Jóźwiakowski K., 2026. Utilization and dewatering of sewage sludge from domestic wastewater treatment plants. In: 5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.E022