Gasification of Sewage Sludge Within a Circular Economy Perspective: a Polish Case Study

Overview

Journal Environ Sci Pollut Res Int

Publisher Springer

Specialties Environmental Health
Toxicology

Date 2019 Jul 24

PMID 31332680

Authors

Sebastian Werle

Szymon Sobek

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Sewage sludge (SS) is a by-product of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operation. Due to fast rates of urbanization and industrialization, and rapid population growth, the world community faces a serious challenge associated with its disposal. There is an urgent need to explore low cost, energy efficient, and sustainable solutions for the treatment, management, and future utilization of SS. Thermal conversion of SS is considered the most promising alternative for sustainable SS management. Among three main thermochemical processes, it seems that gasification (GAS) of SS has the most advantages. The aim of this paper is a presentation of the gasification process as a sustainable method of SS management that takes into account the idea of a circular economy (CE). Gaseous fuel production, phosphorus recovery potential, and solid adsorbent production during the gasification process are analyzed and discussed. Result of this study shows that the lower heating value (LHV) of the gas from SS GAS process is up to 5 MJ/m and it can be effectively utilize in an internal combustion engines. The analysis proved that solid fraction after the SS GAS process can be treated as a valuable phosphorus source and perspective adsorbent materials. The amount of PO in this material was equal to 22.06%. It is similar to natural phosphate rocks (28.05%). The maximum of the adsorption capacity of the phenol was comparable with commercial activated carbon (CAC): 42.22 mg/g for solid fraction after SS GAS and 49.72 mg/g for CAC. Graphical abstract.

References

Gorazda K, Tarko B, Werle S, Wzorek Z . Sewage sludge as a fuel and raw material for phosphorus recovery: Combined process of gasification and P extraction. Waste Manag. 2017; 73:404-415. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.10.032. View

Kim M, Lee Y, Park J, Ryu C, Ohm T . Partial oxidation of sewage sludge briquettes in a updraft fixed bed. Waste Manag. 2016; 49:204-211. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2016.01.040. View

Bridle T, Pritchard D . Energy and nutrient recovery from sewage sludge via pyrolysis. Water Sci Technol. 2004; 50(9):169-75. View

Acelas N, Lopez D, Brilman D, Kersten S, Kootstra A . Supercritical water gasification of sewage sludge: gas production and phosphorus recovery. Bioresour Technol. 2014; 174:167-75. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.10.003. View

Werle S . Impact of feedstock properties and operating conditions on sewage sludge gasification in a fixed bed gasifier. Waste Manag Res. 2014; 32(10):954-60. DOI: 10.1177/0734242X14535654. View

Wilfert P, Dugulan A, Goubitz K, Korving L, Witkamp G, van Loosdrecht M . Vivianite as the main phosphate mineral in digested sewage sludge and its role for phosphate recovery. Water Res. 2018; 144:312-321. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.07.020. View

Samolada M, Zabaniotou A . Comparative assessment of municipal sewage sludge incineration, gasification and pyrolysis for a sustainable sludge-to-energy management in Greece. Waste Manag. 2013; 34(2):411-20. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2013.11.003. View

Chen P, Xie Q, Addy M, Zhou W, Liu Y, Wang Y . Utilization of municipal solid and liquid wastes for bioenergy and bioproducts production. Bioresour Technol. 2016; 215:163-172. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.02.094. View

Gorazda K, Tarko B, Wzorek Z, Kominko H, Nowak A, Kulczycka J . Fertilisers production from ashes after sewage sludge combustion - A strategy towards sustainable development. Environ Res. 2017; 154:171-180. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.01.002. View

10.

Haibo C, Ayamba E, Agyemang A, Afriyie S, Anaba A . Economic development and environmental sustainability-the case of foreign direct investment effect on environmental pollution in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019; 26(7):7228-7242. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-04167-5. View

11.

Thomsen T, Sarossy Z, Ahrenfeldt J, Henriksen U, Frandsen F, Muller-Stover D . Changes imposed by pyrolysis, thermal gasification and incineration on composition and phosphorus fertilizer quality of municipal sewage sludge. J Environ Manage. 2017; 198(Pt 1):308-318. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.04.072. View

12.

Werle S, Dudziak M . The assessment of sewage sludge gasification by-products toxicity by ecotoxicologial test. Waste Manag Res. 2015; 33(8):696-703. DOI: 10.1177/0734242X15576025. View

13.

Vonk G, Piriou B, Felipe Dos Santos P, Wolbert D, Vaitilingom G . Comparative analysis of wood and solid recovered fuels gasification in a downdraft fixed bed reactor. Waste Manag. 2019; 85:106-120. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.12.023. View

14.

Donatello S, Cheeseman C . Recycling and recovery routes for incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA): a review. Waste Manag. 2013; 33(11):2328-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2013.05.024. View

15.

Seggiani M, Puccini M, Raggio G, Vitolo S . Effect of sewage sludge content on gas quality and solid residues produced by cogasification in an updraft gasifier. Waste Manag. 2012; 32(10):1826-34. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2012.04.018. View

16.

Bjorklund K, Li L . Adsorption of organic stormwater pollutants onto activated carbon from sewage sludge. J Environ Manage. 2017; 197:490-497. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.04.011. View

17.

Zhang J, Tian Y, Yin L, Zhang J, Drewes J . Insight into the effects of biochar as adsorbent and microwave receptor from one-step microwave pyrolysis of sewage sludge. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2018; 25(19):18424-18433. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2028-9. View

18.

Muzyka R, Chrubasik M, Stelmach S, Sajdak M . Preliminary studies on the treatment of wastewater from biomass gasification. Waste Manag. 2015; 44:135-46. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2015.07.002. View

19.

Lozano-Lunar A, Barbudo A, Fernandez J, Jimenez J . Promotion of circular economy: steelwork dusts as secondary raw material in conventional mortars. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019; 27(1):89-100. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-04948-y. View

20.

Hroncova E, Ladomersky J, Musil J . Problematic issues of air protection during thermal processes related to the energetic uses of sewage sludge and other waste. Case study: Co-combustion in peaking power plant. Waste Manag. 2017; 73:574-580. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2017.08.025. View