Sludge Treatment Reed Beds (STRBs) are widely used in Northern Europe to dewater and mineralize surplus sludge from activated sludge systems used to treat urban domestic sewage. STRBs are low-technology, energy-efficient, and do not require addition of chemicals. They dewater and stabilize the sludge and produce a final product that can be safely used as a fertilizer for agricultural crops. Long-term sludge reduction takes place in the reed beds due to dewatering and mineralization of the organic matter in the sludge. Although, in theory, a simple technique relying largely on natural processes, experience has shown that it is very important to understand and respect the basic design and operation requirements of STRBs. This paper describes the basic design and operation requirements of STRBs, with special focus on pivotal requirements to respect in order to secure proper functioning. Also, the paper summarizes performance experience concerning final dry matter content, degree of mineralization, emission of greenhouse gases, and degradation of micro-pollutants in STRBs. There are still a number of outstanding issues that are not fully understood, particularly in relation to the importance of the sludge quality for the dewatering in an STRB. Therefore, extreme care should be taken when attempting to extrapolate the use of STRBs to applications and regions outside of their ‘normal’ and documented area of application.
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