TITRE



Shieldhall Sludge Treatment Centre

Shieldhall Sludge Treatment Centre is the basis of our case study. Shieldhall is based in Glasgow and is one of the sewage treatment centres under West of Scotland Water.

Sludge characteristics:

  • Production: 585,000 m3 per year at 3.2% dry solids
  • Mineral matter: 28.8% of dry solids
  • Volatile matter: 71.2% of dry solids
  • Total nitrogen N: 5.1% of dry solids

    In this project it is assumed that the sludge is further thickened by gravity thickening to 6% dry solids.


  • West of Scotland


    Shieldhall is based in the middle of Glasgow. The type of sludge treatment should not be offensive to the public (see route 1 & 2: Incineration). Both odour and incineration gases as well as heavy transport of treated sludge from the site to its final disposal destination will be factors that have to be considered.

    The heavy metal content of the sludge does not present a problem to use of the sludge for agricultural purposes, but the availability of suitable agricultural land around Shieldhall is a limiting factor (see route 3: Anaerobic digestion + land application).

    A solution has been proposed for disposing of the Shieldhall sludge production by burning a refuse-derived fuel at Longannet coal fired power station, situated 52 kilometres east of Glasgow (see route 4: Thermal drying to produce a refuse-derived fuel).