Towards a complete recycling of phosphorus in wastewater treatment – options in Germany

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Petzet ◽  
P. Cornel
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Phosphorus Recovery ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Municipal Sewage Sludge ◽  
Waste Incinerators

Global reserves of mineral phosphorus are finite and the recycling of phosphorus from wastewater, a significant sink for phosphorus, can contribute to a more sustainable use. In Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, an increasing percentage of municipal sewage sludge is incinerated and the contained phosphorus is lost. This paper reviews current technologies and shows that a complete phosphorus recovery from wastewater is technically feasible. Depending on the composition of the sewage sludge ash (SSA), there are various options for phosphorus recovery that are presented. Iron-poor SSAs can be used directly as substitute for phosphate rock in the electrothermal phosphorus process. SSAs with low heavy metal contents can be used as fertilizer without prior metal elimination. Ashes not suitable for direct recycling can be processed by thermal processes. Operators of wastewater treatment plants can additionally influence the ash composition via the selection of precipitants and the control of (indirect) dischargers. This way, they can choose the most suitable phosphorus recovery option. For sewage sludge that is co-incinerated in power plants, municipal waste incinerators or cement kilns phosphorus recovery is not possible. The phosphorus is lost forever.

Pharmaceuticals in processing of municipal sewage sludge studied by grab and passive sampling

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra C. Lindholm-Lehto ◽  
Heidi S. J. Ahkola ◽  
Juha S. Knuutinen
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Passive Sampling ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Municipal Sewage Sludge ◽  
Municipal Sludge ◽  
Bioavailable Fraction ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Concentrations of pharmaceuticals, consisting of four anti-inflammatory and one antiepileptic drug, were studied in the aqueous and solid phase of municipal sewage sludge, collected from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in central Finland. The samples included untreated municipal sludge from the biological wastewater treatment, digested sludge and sludge before and after composting. First, samples were taken as grab samples to study the bioavailable part in aqueous phase but also the part in solid fraction. Later, the long-term concentrations were studied by passive sampling with styrene divinylbenzene-reverse phase sulfonated (SDB-RPS) disks. In the untreated solid sludge, the concentrations of carbamazepine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen were 0.5 ng g−1, 26 ng g−1, 29 ng g−1, 250 ng g−1, and 13 ng g−1, while in liquid phase they were 5.6 ng L−1, 200 ng L−1, 210 ng L−1, 35 ng L−1, and 55 ng L−1, respectively. Concentrations decreased with the treatment steps but substantial amounts still occured even after the final stage. The results show that current sludge treatment cannot fully remove pharmaceuticals, leaving varying concentrations after each stage. Additionally, the results suggest that SDB-RPS disks are suitable for sampling and quantification of the bioavailable fraction of pharmaceuticals in municipal sludge.

scholarly journals Directions and Challenges in the Management of Municipal Sewage Sludge in Poland in the Context of the Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ksymena Rosiek
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Municipal Sewage Sludge ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Sludge Disposal ◽  
Sewage Sludge Management

Landfilling was the main method of sewage sludge disposal in Poland for decades. After Poland’s accession to the European Union (EU), many investments have been made into providing better access to tap water as well as to collect and treat municipal sewage. However, sewage sludge treatment has not been treated as an integral part of the implementation of wastewater management obligations. Stricter European Union regulations regarding the management of municipal sewage sludge (MSS) pose new challenges for Poland. The aim of this study was to analyze changes in the direction of the final management of municipal sewage sludge in Poland based on the analysis of strategic documents, regulations, literature, and available statistical data. The aim of the analysis was to search for directions to modify how sewage sludge is managed, given the approach promoted by the circular economy concept. The results prove that investments in wastewater treatment plants according to the EU sewage directive are not applied to the development of infrastructure that would enable the disposal of sewage sludge, which, for many years, has been stored (landfilling) or used directly in agriculture and ground reclamation. The introduction of stricter regulations in the area of sewage sludge usage and better wastewater treatment have increased the level of difficulties concerning sewage sludge management. Poland faces the challenge of defining sewage sludge management directions. The circular economy concept offers an approach that can be the basis for the creation of a new sewage sludge management strategy for Poland. The concept allows the combined goals of sewage sludge disposal and of energy and nutrients recovery to be achieved.

scholarly journals Ammonia Emission from Sewage Sludge Incineration Process

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Wielgosiński ◽  
Robert Cichowicz ◽  
Jacek Wiśniewski
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Combustion Process ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Ammonia Emission ◽  
Municipal Sewage Sludge ◽  
Sludge Incineration

Abstract In quantitative terms, sludge produced in the process of municipal wastewater treatment represents a small part of the total waste generated in municipal sources - its quantity represents only a few percent of the generated mass of municipal waste. However, the threats it brings, do not allow it to be neglected while designing the wastewater treatment process. At the same time, with increasing requirements regarding the quality of sewage discharged into the environment, there is an increase in the amount of sludge produced in wastewater treatment processes. In recent years, the share of thermal treatment of municipal sewage sludge has risen sharply - about 12 modern sludge incineration plants have been built and construction of new ones is considered. During more than a four-year operation of the sewage sludge incineration plant in the Combined Sewage Treatment Plant in Lodz (GOS) a large ammonia emission from the combustion process was observed. So, a decision was taken to examine this process. The paper presents results of ammonia emission from the combustion of sewage sludge from GOS as a function of temperature.

Ash fusion and mineral evolution during the co-firing of coal and municipal sewage sludge in power plants

Fuel ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 122416
Author(s):  
Ao Zhou ◽  
Xuebin Wang ◽  
Aneta Magdziarz ◽  
Shilin Yu ◽  
Shuanghui Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Municipal Sewage Sludge

scholarly journals Co-Combustion of Municipal Sewage Sludge and Biomass in a Grate Fired Boiler for Phosphorus Recovery in Bottom Ash

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Nordin ◽  
Anna Strandberg ◽  
Sana Elbashir ◽  
Lars-Erik Åmand ◽  
Nils Skoglund ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
European Union ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Fixed Bed ◽  
Bottom Ash ◽  
Phosphorus Recovery ◽  
Fixed Bed Reactor ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Municipal Sewage Sludge ◽  
Critical Element

Phosphorus has been identified as a critical element by the European Union and recycling efforts are increasingly common. An important phosphorus-containing waste stream for recycling is municipal sewage sludge (MSS), which is used directly as fertilizer to farmland. However, it contains pollutants such as heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues, polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs) and nano-plastics. The interest in combustion of MSS is continuously growing, as it both reduces the volume as well as destroys the organic materials and could separate certain heavy metals from the produced ashes. This results in ashes with a potential for either direct use as fertilizer or as a suitable feedstock for upgrading processes. The aim of this study was to investigate co-combustion of MSS and biomass to create a phosphorus-rich bottom ash with a low heavy metal content. A laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor in addition to an 8 MWth grate-boiler was used for the experimental work. The concentration of phosphorus and selected heavy metals in the bottom ashes were compared to European Union regulation on fertilizers, ash application to Swedish forests and Swedish regulations on sewage sludge application to farmland. Element concentrations were determined by ICP-AES complemented by analysis of spatial distribution with SEM-EDS and XRD analysis to determine crystalline compounds. The results show that most of the phosphorus was retained in the bottom ash, corresponding to 9–16 wt.% P2O5, while the concentration of cadmium, mercury, lead and zinc was below the limits of the regulations. However, copper, chromium and nickel concentrations exceeded these standards.

Hydrothermal Treatment Technology of Municipal Sewage Sludge

2014 ◽  
Vol 908 ◽  
pp. 457-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Li Qian ◽  
Shu Zhong Wang ◽  
Xing Ying Tang
Keyword(s):  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Hydrothermal Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Municipal Sewage Sludge ◽  
Treatment Technology ◽  
Drying Technology ◽  
Dewatered Sewage Sludge ◽  
Treatment And Disposal

In China, over 28 million tons of dewatered sewage sludge, with 80 wt% moisture content, was generated from wastewater treatment plants in 2011. High moisture content is the bottleneck of sludge treatment and disposal. Thermal drying technology can significantly reduce the moisture content of sludge but its cost is too high. Hydrothermal treatment technology based on cell-break principle can efficiently and economically reduce the moisture content of sludge. This paper will introduce the specific process, features, treatment effect of this technology and propose an economic evaluation. The results show that hydrothermal treatment technology is a reasonable and economical method for treating sewage sludge in cities.

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