Abstract
The predominant method of the sewage sludge management in Poland is land disposal. However, since 01/01/2013, this method will be prohibited. Therefore, there is a strong need for the development of thermal methods of sludge disposal. In Polish legal system sewage sludge may be named as biomass or waste. For the purposes of determining the obligations of environmental regulations the definition of the Minister of Environment should be used. When disposing of sewage sludge in an amount up to 1% by weight of fuel, emission standards for fuel do not change. At the disposal of sewage in quantities of more than 1%, should be conducted continuous measurement of emissions, including HCl, HF, and continuous measurements of flue gas param eters (as for the installation of waste disposal). In order to meet the requirement to porduce energy from renewable sources we use the definition of Minister of Economy. In this case, in accordance with applicable law, sewage sludge shall be considered as pure biomass, thus it is CO 2 neutral. The use of sewage sludge as a fuel requires the determination of fundamental combustible properties. These properties should be in accordance with the requirements put fuels as an energy source. The paper presents the results of a detailed physico-chemical analysis of dried sewage sludge produced in the two Polish wastewater treatment plants. The results were compared with five representatives of biomass fuels: straw of wheat, straw of rape, willow, pine and oak sawdust. Ultimate and proximate analyses include a detailed analysis of fuel and ash. The results clearly indicate that sludge is a very valuable fuel similar to “traditional” biomass.
Highlights
IntroductionSewage sludge, originating from the treatment process of waste water, is the residue generated during primary (physical and/or chemical), secondary (biological) and the tertiary (additional to secondary, often nutrient removal) treatment [15,16,17]
Sewage sludge, originating from the treatment process of waste water, is the residue generated during primary, secondary and the tertiary treatment [15,16,17]
The infrared spectroscopy analyzer was used to carry out the ultimate analysis of the sewage sludge
Summary
Sewage sludge, originating from the treatment process of waste water, is the residue generated during primary (physical and/or chemical), secondary (biological) and the tertiary (additional to secondary, often nutrient removal) treatment [15,16,17]. Biomass and residues like sewage sludge are the only renewable energy sources that can provide C and H, it Journal of Ecological Engineering vol 14(1), 2013 is interesting to process them by means of treatments that enable to obtain chemically valuable products like fuels. As a type of biomass fuel, sewage sludge is a renewable source and has an advantage of being CO2-neutral: no additional CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere in the long term. Gasification is one way of using sewage sludge and is an attractive alternative to other treatment methods. The elemental composition of sewage sludge and the contents of inorganic compounds depend on many factors, but it may be largely dependent on the country or region of origin
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