19% of the sewage sludge produced in Germany is presently incinerated. The emissions from sludge combustion in Germany are regulated by the 17th Regulation of the Federal Immission protection Law. These emission limits can only be met, however, with a large technical effort. To fulfill the mercury emission limit of 0.05 mg/m(3) (dry, standard conditions) in particular, special measures are necessary. This paper presents an overview on the various measures for emission control which are used at German sludge incineration plants. Furthermore, future trends of thermochemical sludge treatment in Germany, including co-combustion in power stations and gasification processes, are discussed.