Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39852256›Full record

ArticleMembranes2025

Circular Economy Applied to Sludge Minimization: The STAR Project.

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli, Stefano Bellazzi, Alessandro Abbà

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Membranes, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Removal of organic matter and nitrogen in a single reactor with extremely high sludge age and cyclic aeration.Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Maria Cristina CollivignarelliDepartment of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 3, 27100 Pavia, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0497-9354
Stefano BellazziDepartment of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 3, 27100 Pavia, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0176-4304
Alessandro AbbàDepartment of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics, University of Brescia, Via Branze 43, 25123 Brescia, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1377-9741

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The management of biological sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) poses a significant environmental challenge due to increasing sludge production and the presence of emerging pollutants. This study investigates an innovative solution by integrating a thermophilic aerobic membrane reactor (TAMR) into the sludge treatment line of a medium-size WWTP, aiming to minimize biological sludge output while enhancing resource recovery. The study involved a six-month monitoring of an industrial-scale TAMR system, assessing the reduction in volatile solids (VSs) in thickened sludge and evaluating the compatibility of TAMR residues with conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems. The TAMR unit, which achieved up to a 90% reduction in VSs, was combined with traditional CAS processes, forming the STAR (Sludge Treatment and Advanced Recycling) configuration. This configuration reduced sludge output to just 10% of conventional levels while enabling the recirculation of nutrient-rich liquid effluents. Both batch and continuous respirometric tests demonstrated the biological treatability of TAMR residues, highlighting their potential reuse as external carbon sources and their positive impact on CAS system performance. The findings suggest that integrating mesophilic and thermophilic systems can significantly improve sludge management efficiency, lowering both operating costs and environmental impacts.

Indexed as

resource recoveryrespirometric testssludge minimizationthermophilic membrane reactor

Identifiers

PMID39852256
PMCPMC11766586

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.