ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on estimating costs for sewage sludge land application systems. It aims to explain the base capital cost and base annual operating and maintenance (O&M) cost for different land application practices. The algorithms cover both capital costs and annual O&M costs for land application at agricultural, forest, and land reclamation sites, as well as for transportation of sewage sludge to land application sites and onsite. The cost algorithms for agricultural land application include calculations for the costs of land, lime addition, and site grading. The cost algorithms presented for land application at reclamation sites estimate only the cost of sewage sludge application at the site using onsite sludge application vehicles. Friction losses associated with sludge pipelines have been taken into account in the cost algorithms presented by applying a “K” factor to an otherwise unmodified Hazen-Williams formula. In sludge processing, it is often desirable to express costs in terms of annual cost per dry ton.
