FertiCycle partners with Ekobalans

ESR 12 - Maja Rydgård

University of Copenhagen

A new partner organization has been included in the FertiCycle network. The company, EkoBalans, provides process solutions for nutrient recycling and is based in southern Sweden. Maja Rydgård (ESR12) visited the company to learn about high-temperature pyrolysis of sewage sludge and to collect data for a Life Cycle Assessment study comparing sewage sludge management strategies. The pyrolysis process takes place at temperatures above 700°C in order to evaporate cadmium, enabling the separation of the cadmium from the biochar.

Today, 1/3^rd of the sewage sludge in Sweden is applied on agricultural fields; the rest is used for landfill coverage or construction soil. Before the sludge is field applied, it is stored for at least 6 months in an outdoor storage. The storage leads to die-off of salmonella bacteria, but also causes emissions of nitrous oxide. Pyrolysis could be an alternative solution to recycle phosphorus to agriculture, while ensuring hygienization as well as degradation of organic pollutants and removal of cadmium.