Paper Sludge: From Industrial Waste to a Sustainable Resource

Mohammad Hassan is a professor at Cellulose and Paper Department, Institute of Chemical Industries, National Research Centre (NRC) in Egypt. He is a member of the Centre of Excellence of Advanced Sciences, Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Group at the NRC. He graduated from the Faculty of Science, Cairo University, in Egypt, and received his Master's degree from the same faculty. He got a Ph.D. scholarship to the Forest Products Laboratory, USDA, Madison WI, USA. He also got a post-doctoral fellowship at the Polymer Science Department, University of Akron, OH, USA. His current research interest is the chemistry and technology of cellulose and paper. He has been the principal investigator for several international projects with USA, Sweden, France, and Tunisia, in addition to several national research projects. All of these projects are focused on the utilization of agricultural residues and papermaking wastes for different applications. The most recent research project is focused on the recycling of paper sludge. Mohammad Hassan is also a member of the editorial board of four journals and a reviewer for many journals belonging to different publishers (Elsevier, ACS, Springer, Wiley, MDPI, and others). Dr. Md Zillur Rahman is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He received his Ph.D. and M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and his B.Sc. (Eng.) from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. His research focuses on fiber-reinforced composites, nanocomposites, hybrid and bio-composites, bio-inspired design, computational simulation, and processing-structure-property relationships governing the physical, mechanical, thermal, and durability performance of advanced composite materials, with particular emphasis on sustainable natural fiber and thermoplastic composite systems. Dr. Rahman has authored more than 160 scholarly publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters published with leading international publishers. He is currently editing several books with major publishers, including Elsevier, Springer, and ACS, and was included in the 2025 Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scientists list.

• 1. Introduction to Paper Sludge: Origins, Compositions, Global Productions, and Current Challenges2. Environmental Impact and Sustainable Management of Paper Sludge Disposal3. Advances in Paper Sludge Processing and Dewatering Technologies4. Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties of Paper Sludge5. Conversion of Paper Sludge into Carbon Materials, Their Properties and Applications6. Paper Sludge Utilization in Papermaking7. Paper Sludge as a Source of Cellulose Nanofibers, Their Properties and Applications8. Paper Sludge in Composite Materials, Their Properties and Applications9. Paper Sludge in Construction and Geotechnical Applications10. Paper Sludge in Soil Amendment and Agriculture11. Paper Sludge in Energy Production12. Paper Sludge as a Catalyst and Adsorbent in Industrial Processes13. Paper Sludge in Biotechnological Applications14. Paper Sludge in the Textile Industry15. Paper Sludge in the Packaging Industry16. Sustainability, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and Socio-economic Impacts of Paper Sludge Utilization