Circular approaches to industrial wastewater and sludge management for minimizing eco toxicological risks: A regional analysis of Shandong Province

Industrial wastewater and sewage sludge management in rapidly industrializing regions faces growing pressure from stringent environmental standards and public concern about toxic contaminants. This article examines how circular approaches to wastewater and sludge management can reduce ecotoxicological risks in major industrial clusters of Shandong Province in eastern China. The analysis combines regional material flow data, plant-level monitoring of priority pollutants and life cycle oriented indicators for alternative treatment and reuse routes. Three management archetypes are compared: conventional linear treatment and disposal, energy and nutrient recovery with controlled land application and advanced product-based recycling of dewatered sludge into construction materials. Ecotoxicological risk indicators are derived from measured concentrations of metals and organic micropollutants in effluents, biosolids and receiving waters. Results show that well-designed circular strategies substantially reduce ecotoxicological risk while also lowering climate and resource footprints, but they require robust monitoring, strict quality standards and careful siting to avoid risk transfer between environmental compartments.