Turning sewage sludge into green energy and sustainable feed using solar-powered method
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore have unveiled an innovative, solar-powered solution that transforms sewage sludge — a challenging by-product of wastewater treatment — into green hydrogen for clean energy and single-cell protein for animal feed.
Published in Nature Water, this "sludge-to-food-and-fuel" breakthrough addresses two critical global issues: waste management and sustainable resource generation.
Unlike traditional methods such as incineration, landfill, or anaerobic digestion, NTU's three-step solar-powered process recovers significantly more resources, fully removes heavy metal contaminants, and offers a smaller environmental footprint — making it economically and environmentally superior.
“Our method transforms waste into valuable resources, reducing environmental damage while creating renewable energy and sustainable food. This exemplifies the circular economy and contributes to a greener future,” said Assoc Prof Li Hong, lead researcher from NTU's School of MAE and ERI@N.
“Our solar-powered process demonstrates how we can tackle multiple challenges at once — turning a difficult waste product into clean energy and nutritious protein,” added Prof Zhou Yan, co-lead researcher from NTU's School of CEE and NEWRI.
This breakthrough showcases a powerful step forward in circular economy innovation, transforming an environmental burden into sustainable solutions for energy and food.
