Sludge treatment is of great significance for environmental protection and sustainable development. Existing treatment technologies fall short in terms of carbon emissions, process efficiency, and resource recovery. This study focuses on alkaline hydrothermal treatment, proposing a short-cycle, low-energy, high-value management process for sludge valorization. Here, we investigate the impact of treatment duration, temperature, and solid content on the synthesis of high-value products and their effects on both solid and liquid phases. Based on the comprehensive results, 2 h, 160°C, and 14% solid content can be regarded as the optimized treatment condition. The resulting products, including phytohormones, humic substances, and essential nutrients (C, N, P and K), exhibit substantial potential for high-value agricultural utilization. In the unconcentrated solution, a single phytohormone can reach a concentration of 10⁴ μg/L. Heavy metal content is well below standard limits, simultaneously achieving biological stability, and the volume can be reduced to 60%. This process is 42.12 times more energy-efficient than conventional anaerobic digestion. This novel approach promotes waste resource recycling and sustainable urban management.

中文翻译：

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通过植物激素生产实现污水污泥价值化：参数调节和过程评估


污泥处理对环境保护和可持续发展具有重要意义。现有的处理技术在碳排放、工艺效率和资源回收方面存在不足。本研究以碱性水热处理为重点，提出了一种短周期、低能耗、高价值的污泥增值管理工艺。在这里，我们研究了处理持续时间、温度和固体含量对高价值产品合成的影响及其对固相和液相的影响。综合结果显示，2 h、160°C、14% 固含量可视为最佳处理条件。由此产生的产品，包括植物激素、腐殖质和必需营养素（C、N、P 和 K），显示出高价值农业利用的巨大潜力。在未浓缩的溶液中，单一植物激素的浓度可达 10⁴ μg/L。重金属含量远低于标准限度，同时达到生物稳定性，体积可降至 60%。该工艺的能源效率是传统厌氧消化的 42.12 倍。这种新颖的方法促进了废物资源的回收和可持续的城市管理。