Generation, treatment and final disposal of the waste of water treatment stations in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil

ABSTRACT This article deals with the generation, quantification and final disposal of the sludge generated at existing Water Treatment Plants (WTPs), operating in the state of Pernambuco. The research was carried out in the period between January 2015 and December 2016 by the collection, systematization and interpretation of data that showed 246 WTPs that generate residues, of which 69 in decanters and filters, 176 only in the filters and one in the desalination system. The largest number of conventional WTPs is in the metropolitan region of Recife and the highest production of sludge was observed in the Capibaribe river basin, which receives a load of between 50 and 50,000 kg / (m3day). It was verified that approximately 75% of the state’s WTPs discard their residues in water bodies and 22% in the soil, without any kind of treatment. Only 3% perform the degassing process, yet discarding the solid mass in the soil, without any control at the final disposal of the same.