Sewage sludge in Germany is mainly incinerated, whereby important nutrients such as phosphorus (P) are concentrated in the ashes and currently cannot be viably recovered.
In the RECaPHOS project ("Phosphorus extraction in the context of the high-temperature thermal treatment of sewage sludge"), ZSW evaluates and optimizes the incineration of sewage sludge in the fluidized bed process. The main project research objective is the development of models useful for the evaluation of the process efficiency, the process optimization, the system/equipment engineering purposes as well as for generating process economics data.
In this frame, the technology of process-integrated P-recovery in the fluidized bed process will be evaluated by means of key performance indicators and compared with existing, alternative P-recovery processes. The construction of new sewage sludge thermal treatment plants as well as the retrofitting of existing mono-incineration plants will be investigated and evaluated. The identification of the marketing potential is planned on the basis of current market analyses.
Goal of the work is the production of a P rich valuable product by means of an economic viable and environmental friendly process with high phosphorus recovery rate. The project is funded by the European Union from the framework programme "Horizon 2020 - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships" within the framework of a post-doc position over 3 years.