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How Can Sewage Sludge Use in Sustainable Tunisian Agriculture Be Increased?

Marzougui, Nidhal ; Ounalli, Nadia ; Sabbahi, Sonia ; Fezzani, Tarek ; Abidi, Farah ; Jebari, Sihem LU ; Melki, Sourour ; Berndtsson, Ronny LU orcid and Oueslati, Walid (2022) In Sustainability (Switzerland) 14(21).
Abstract

In recent years, farmers in Beja, an agricultural governorate in northwestern Tunisia, have expressed their willingness to use urban sewage sludge as agricultural fertilizer, especially with the unavailability of chemical fertilizers and the soil type of the region that is poor in organic matter. However, there is an imbalance between the important farmers’ demand versus the limited quantity of sludge produced by the Beja wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In the face of this, this study aims to identify the problems related to the agricultural reuse of sludge in Beja and propose solutions to solve them. The quality of the sludge produced by the five Beja WWTPs was assessed based on physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The... (More)

In recent years, farmers in Beja, an agricultural governorate in northwestern Tunisia, have expressed their willingness to use urban sewage sludge as agricultural fertilizer, especially with the unavailability of chemical fertilizers and the soil type of the region that is poor in organic matter. However, there is an imbalance between the important farmers’ demand versus the limited quantity of sludge produced by the Beja wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In the face of this, this study aims to identify the problems related to the agricultural reuse of sludge in Beja and propose solutions to solve them. The quality of the sludge produced by the five Beja WWTPs was assessed based on physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The data were collected using the Delphi method, with 15 experts representing different positions on the issue treated. The SWOT-AHP methodology was used to define the strategies promoting the sustainable use and management of urban sewage sludge for sustainable agricultural development in Beja. Results showed that there were no problems with compliance with the Tunisian standards NT 106.20 for the sludge produced. A set of twelve practical conclusions was identified, constituting the strategies of Strengths–Opportunities, Strengths–Threats, Weaknesses–Opportunities, and Weaknesses–Threats deduced from the SWOT-AHP.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
agricultural reuse, Beja governorate of Tunisia, Delphi method, qualitative characterization, strategies identification, SWOT-AHP methodology, urban sewage sludge
in
Sustainability (Switzerland)
volume
14
issue
21
article number
13722
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85141861832
ISSN
2071-1050
DOI
10.3390/su142113722
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
cd606c09-12a5-409a-9a9f-39ad609eb07d
date added to LUP
2023-01-03 14:52:26
date last changed
2023-10-09 06:28:15
@article{cd606c09-12a5-409a-9a9f-39ad609eb07d,
  abstract     = {{<p>In recent years, farmers in Beja, an agricultural governorate in northwestern Tunisia, have expressed their willingness to use urban sewage sludge as agricultural fertilizer, especially with the unavailability of chemical fertilizers and the soil type of the region that is poor in organic matter. However, there is an imbalance between the important farmers’ demand versus the limited quantity of sludge produced by the Beja wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In the face of this, this study aims to identify the problems related to the agricultural reuse of sludge in Beja and propose solutions to solve them. The quality of the sludge produced by the five Beja WWTPs was assessed based on physicochemical and microbiological parameters. The data were collected using the Delphi method, with 15 experts representing different positions on the issue treated. The SWOT-AHP methodology was used to define the strategies promoting the sustainable use and management of urban sewage sludge for sustainable agricultural development in Beja. Results showed that there were no problems with compliance with the Tunisian standards NT 106.20 for the sludge produced. A set of twelve practical conclusions was identified, constituting the strategies of Strengths–Opportunities, Strengths–Threats, Weaknesses–Opportunities, and Weaknesses–Threats deduced from the SWOT-AHP.</p>}},
  author       = {{Marzougui, Nidhal and Ounalli, Nadia and Sabbahi, Sonia and Fezzani, Tarek and Abidi, Farah and Jebari, Sihem and Melki, Sourour and Berndtsson, Ronny and Oueslati, Walid}},
  issn         = {{2071-1050}},
  keywords     = {{agricultural reuse; Beja governorate of Tunisia; Delphi method; qualitative characterization; strategies identification; SWOT-AHP methodology; urban sewage sludge}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{21}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Sustainability (Switzerland)}},
  title        = {{How Can Sewage Sludge Use in Sustainable Tunisian Agriculture Be Increased?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su142113722}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/su142113722}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}