Pre-treatment of tannery sludge for sustainable landfilling

•A treatment process was developed for sustainable landfilling of tannery sludge.•The treatment was a novel combination of biological and mechanical processes.•The treatment allowed the reduction of mass and volume of sludge to dispose off.•The treatment reduced landfill long term emissions.•The treatment reduced leachability of metals.

The wastewater produced during tanning activities are commonly conveyed to centralised industrial wastewater treatment plants. Sludge from physical-chemical treatments (i.e. primary sedimentation) and waste activated sludge from biological treatment units are called tannery sludge. Tannery sludge is a solid waste that needs to be carefully managed and its disposal represents one of the major problems in tannery industry. Conventional treatment and disposal of tannery sludge are based mainly on incineration and landfilling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a pre-treatment process composed of aerobic stabilisation, compaction and drying, for a sustainable landfilling of tannery sludge. The process produced a reduction of volume, mass and biodegradability of treated sludge. Results also demonstrated a reduced leachability of organic and inorganic compounds from treated sludge. The pre-treatment process could allow to extend landfill life time due to lower amounts of tannery sludge to be disposed off, minimise long terms landfill emissions and obtain a state of carbon sink for tannery sludge landfilling.