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THE EUPHORE PROCESS

An Advanced Process for the Disposal of Sewage Sludge with Co-current Recovery of Phosphorus

Ben HAZARDSimon JABORNIG

Konrad WUTSCHERFrank ZEPKE

European Biosolids and Organic Resources ConferenceLeeds 2018

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Rationale for the Recovery of Phosphorus

• Phosphorus is an essential element for all creatures.

• Phosphorus cannot be replaced by another element.

• The available phosphate resources will be exhausted in foreseeable future

• The quality of the remaining phosphate resources does no longer meet the requirements of the processing industries because of apparent contamination by harmful substances, notably heavy metal compounds.

• Assuming a world population of nine billion people in 2050, which triggers an increase of foodproduction.

• The European Union has declared phosphorus to be a strategic resource and hence will requestits recovery from selected sources by means of a future directive respectively.

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General Objectives of a Phosphorus Recovery Process

1. Best possible recovery of phosphate

2. Best possible bioavailability of phosphate

3. Maximum concentration of phosphate

4. Reduction and/or destruction of all relevant hazardous substances (especially heavy metals and volatiles)

5. Compliance with national and international fertilizer regulations

6. High energy efficiency of process

7. Minimum hazardous waste output

8. Immediate plant availability

9. Simplicity and robustness of process operation at market costs

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The Two-Stage EuPhoRe®- Process

1. Mechanical milling to < 10 mm (if required)

2. Mixing with additives for heavy metal elimination (if required)

3. Reductive reactor (stage 1) and heating-up to 650 to 750 °C .

Generation of process gas and biomass coke.

Release of heavymetals into gaseousphase.

Thermal segmentation of phosphate-

containing biomasses

4. Oxidative reactor

(stage 2) under oxygen supply and thereby autonomous initiation of the oxidative post-combustion of residual

carbon at 900 – 1,000°C anddestruction of hazardous volatiles

5. Potential utilisation of the process gas: Drying Cooling and/or heating Generation of electric

power Destruction of hazardous volatiles

6. Mineralic phosphatefor fertilizer productionas final product

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New Arrangement

Process Flexibility

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Retrofit ArrangementExisting incineration plant and flue gas system

Stage 1 and 2 in one rotary kiln

Process Flexibility

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Model of a Retrofit Solution

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Picture of Existing EuPhoRe Plant

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Pictures of Existing EuPhoRe Plant

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Pictures of 1st EuPhoRe Plant in Germany

Capacity 135,000 tons/a of SS (ca. 37,500 tons/a DS)

Split of 2 rotary kilns of ca. 30 meter length

Delivery of dewatered sewagesludge (DS 23 – 29%)

Delivery of dried SS (DS > 90%) possible, storage in silos

Production of ca.15,000 tons/a product for fertilizer(ca. 3,000 tons/a phosphate)

Rotary Kiln

Combustion Chamber Waste Bunker

Sewage SludgeBunker

Bunkerfor Wasteand Sewage Sludge

Closed Delivery Hall

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Product Characteristics Comparison of Conventional Pyrolysis over Euphore Process(Application of Additive Dosing)

Raw Material Pyrolysis

2.5 % MgCl2

EuPhoRe

2.5 % MgCl2Volatiles % 56.8

Total Carbon TC % 32.8 23.9 4.7

Ignition Loss % 43.2 75.4 95.3

Total Phosphate P2O5 % 9.4 16.9 21.4

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Product-Characterisation Comparison of Phosphates Solubility

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Plantation Tests

Scientific SupportUniversity of Bonn (Germany)Department of Agricultural CropsProf. Dr.Heiner Goldbach

Time PeriodTest start: April 2016Intermediary results: July 2016

Test Sets- Control Test 0 kg P / ha- EuPhoRe – PI 240 kg P / ha (from lab scale Euphore plant)- EuPhoRe – PII 240 kg P / ha (from full scale Euphore plant)- Superphosphate 240 kg P / ha

Test PlantRyegrass being cut approximately every 4 weeks.

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Intermediate Pictures of Plantation Tests

EuPhoRe - PI

EuPhoRe - PII

Control

TSP

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Biomass Yields in Plantation Tests

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Reduction of Heavy Metals

Element up toAs 84.4 %Pb 99.3 %Cd 97.1 %

Crges 27.1 %Ni 70.6 %Hg 97.4 %Ti 87.5 %Cu 41.7 %Zn 72.0 %

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Typical Heavy Metal Concentrations

Trace Nutrients EuPhoRe® Ash German Fertilizer Directive

EU Fertilizer

DirectiveIron Fe ppm 100,000 -200,000Copper Cu ppm 200-800 900Manganese Mn ppm 300-600Selenium Se ppm 0-4.0Zinc Zn ppm 600 -1,200 5,000Heavy MetalsArsenic As ppm 5-30 40 60Lead Pb ppm 3-30 150 150Cadmium Cd ppm 0-0.8 1.5 3Nickel Ni ppm 10-60 80 120Mercury Hg ppm < 0.05 1 2Thallium Tl ppm < 0.10 1Vanadium V ppm 40-80Uranium U ppm 0-12Chromium VI Cr ppm < 1.0 2

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Reduction of Organic Hazardous Compounds

Compound Reduction

Polychlorinated Dibeno(p)-dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) 1/12 of German limits

Dioxinlike PCB (dl-PCB) 1/40 of German limits

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) not detectable

Perfluorinated Compounds (PFC) not detectable

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Cost Estimates

Retrofit Plant Greenfield PlantDesign Capacity t SS/a 53,000 8,000Investment Costs m € 15.0 est. 6.5 est.Operation Costs € /t SS 40 est. 85 est.

Operation costs include depreciation over 20 years,

interests of 3 % p.a.,

license fee and no subsidies.

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Advantages of the Euphore Process over Other Competing Processes

• Single step process arrangement rather than thermochemical treatment in two separate subsequent process steps

• Ashes with extra low concentrations of heavy metals

• High immediate plant availability of phosphates

• Low process energy input

• Low residuals output

• Simple technology

• Extra low OPEX especially in case of a retrofit solution

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References of the Euphore Process

Location Capacity

Tons of dewatered sludge per year

Status

Zofingen (CH) 30,000 full scale operation demonstrated

Ouviers (CH) 15,000 full scale operation demonstrated

Mannheim (D) 135,000 start of construction by early 2019

2 other plants in Germany 135,000

100,000

contracts in progress

1 plant in Czech Republic 30,000 contract in progress

1 plant in Italy 53,000 contract in progress

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THANK YOUFOR

YOUR ATTENTION.