Following a field sampling campaign across three Greek cities, researchers at the Hellenic Mediterranean University are now processing soil and plant tissue samples to evaluate the effects of treated sludge on agricultural land.
From the field to the laboratory: analysing the effects of treated sludge on soils and crops
Following the sampling campaign carried out in late May 2026 across Lamia, Larissa and Thessaloniki, the next phase of the Sludge2Energy project is now underway at the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) in Heraklion, Greece.
Researchers at the Laboratory of Natural Resources Management and Agricultural Engineering have begun processing the collected soil and plant tissue samples, preparing them for the analytical procedures that will commence shortly. The samples were gathered from agricultural fields where treated sludge has been applied, as part of the project’s effort to understand both the benefits and the risks of biosolid reuse in agriculture.
What the analyses will tell us
The laboratory work will generate data on how treated sludge affects soil quality, nutrient retention and crop productivity — and whether the presence of contaminants such as pharmaceutical residues or PFAS poses any risk to the environment or public health. These findings will directly inform the development of safer and more sustainable approaches to sludge management across the Mediterranean region.
Towards a circular approach to sludge
The Sludge2Energy project investigates the integration of solar drying and pyrolysis as a pathway to transform sewage sludge — currently a waste product — into energy and biochar. The laboratory analyses underway at HMU are a crucial part of this work: understanding what happens to soils and crops after sludge application is essential to validating the circular bioeconomy model the project aims to support.
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