SEWAGE SLUDGE DISPOSAL in the Federal Republic of Germany
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SEWAGE SLUDGE DISPOSAL in the Federal Republic of Germany German Environment Agency Imprint Publisher: German Environment Agency Sections III 2.4 Waste Technology, Waste Technology Transfer and III 2.5 Monitoring Methods, Waste Water Management Post Box 14 06 D-06813 Dessau-Roßlau Phone: +49 340-2103-0 [email protected] Internet: www.umweltbundesamt.de /umweltbundesamt.de /umweltbundesamt.de/umweltbundesamt /umweltbundesamt /umweltbundesamt /umweltbundesamt Authors: Authors:Andrea Roskosch, Patric Heidecke Andrea Roskosch, Patric Heidecke Contributors: Contributors:Claus-Gerhard Bannick, Simone Brandt, Maja Bernicke, Claus-GerhardClaudia Dienemann, Bannick, Marcus Simone Gast, Brandt, Maximilian Maja Bernicke,Hofmeier, ClaudiaChristian Dienemann, Kabbe, Kathrin Marcus Schwirn, Gast, InesMaximilian Vogel, DorisHofmeier, Völker, ChristianBenjamin Kabbe,Wiechmann Kathrin Schwirn, Ines Vogel, Doris Völker, Benjamin Wiechmann Design: Design:Atelier Hauer + Dörfler GmbH, Berlin Atelier Hauer + Dörfler GmbH, Berlin Publication as a pdf: Publicationwww.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen as a pdf: www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen Photo credits: PhotoTitel: shutterstock.com credits: Titel:stock.adobe.com: shutterstock.com Markus Bormann, cpt212, Gordon Grand, stock.adobe.com:stu12; shutterstock.com Markus Bormann, cpt212, Gordon Grand, stu12; shutterstock.com As of May 2018, Asfully of revised May 2018, edition fully revised edition ISSN (print) 2363-8311 ISSN (print)(online) 2363-8311 2363-832X] ISSN (online) 2363-832X] SEWAGE SLUDGE DISPOSAL in the Federal Republic of Germany Sewage Sludge Disposal in the Federal Republic of Germany Table of contents 4 Introduction ..................................................................... 4 1 Basics ............................................................................... 6 What is sewage sludge? ........................................................... 6 Where does sewage sludge come from? ...................................... 7 Relevant legislation for sewage sludge disposal ........................... 9 Circular Economy Act (KrWG) ................................................... 9 Sewage Sludge Ordinance (AbfKlärV) – 2017 amendment ................ 9 EU Sewage Sludge Directive �������������������������������������������������� 13 HELCOM Recommendation .....................................................14 5 Fertiliser Legislation ............................................................14 Fertiliser Act (DüngG) ...........................................................14 Fertiliser Application Ordinance (DüV) .......................................14 Fertiliser Ordinance (DüMV) ....................................................16 EU Fertiliser Legislation.........................................................16 17th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (17. BImSchV) .................16 Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control (TA Luft) .....................17 6 Landfill Ordinance (DepV) ......................................................17 2 Composition of sewage sludge ������������������������������������ 18 Heavy metals in sewage sludge ����������������������������������������������� 20 Organic compounds in sewage sludge ...................................... 21 7 Pathogens and hygiene requirements �������������������������������������� 23 Pharmaceutical residues in sewage sludge ................................ 24 Nanomaterials in sewage sludge ............................................. 26 Plastics in sewage sludge ...................................................... 27 8 3 Sludge treatment ........................................................... 28 Thickening ....................................................................... 28 Hygienisation .................................................................... 28 9 Sewage sludge disintegration ................................................ 30 Biological sludge stabilisation ............................................... 30 Dewatering....................................................................... 30 Sewage sludge drying ......................................................... 31 2 Sewage Sludge Disposal in the Federal Republic of Germany 4 Thermal sewage sludge treatment .............................. 36 Sewage sludge mono- incineration ........................................... 36 Firing systems ������������������������������������������������������������������� 37 Emissions from sewage sludge incineration plants ....................... 38 Other processes ................................................................ 38 Developments of alternative sewage sludge treatment processes ..... 38 Co-incineration of sewage sludge �������������������������������������������� 39 Co-incineration in coal-fired power plants .................................. 39 Co-incineration in waste incineration plants ............................... 40 Co-incineration in cement works ............................................. 40 Advantages and disadvantages of sewage sludge co-incineration .....41 5 Agricultural use of sewage sludge ............................... 42 Nutrients in sewage sludge .................................................... 43 Pollutants in sewage sludge ................................................... 44 Advantages and disadvantages of sewage sludge utilisation on soil ...45 6 Phosphorus recovery .................................................... 46 Phosphorus recovery potential and methods ............................. 48 Germany on the road to economical phosphorus recycling .............51 Utilisation of sewage sludge incineration ash .............................55 7 Sewage sludge generation, disposal and utilisation . 56 Trend of sewage sludge volume ...............................................59 Capacities for thermal treatment of sewage sludge ....................... 60 Sewage sludge utilisation in the EU Member States ...................... 60 8 Cost of sewage sludge disposal ����������������������������������� 64 9 Summary and recommendations ................................. 68 Directories and annexes ............................................... 72 List of figures ...................................................................... 73 List of tables ....................................................................... 73 List of abbreviations ..............................................................74 Acknowledgement .................................................................75 Bibliography ������������������������������������������������������������������������76 Annex I ............................................................................... 80 Annex II .............................................................................. 89 Annex III ............................................................................. 92 3 Introduction Introduction In the 18th legislative period coalition agreement, in sewage sludge incineration ash. The deadline is the coalition partners agreed to terminate sewage based on suitably approved expansion capacities sludge application for fertilising purposes and replace of wastewater treatment plants and for plants with it with recovery of phosphorus and other nutrients more than 100,000 population equivalents (PE), it from sewage sludge. The Sewage Sludge Ordinance expires on 01/01/2029 or for plants above 50,000 PE was amended for this purpose and the amendment on 01/01/2032. Until then, sewage sludge from these entered into force on 03/10/2017 as “Ordinance to wastewater treatment plants may continue to be Reorganise Sewage Sludge Utilisation”. utilised as a fertiliser on soil in compliance with the criteria of waste and fertiliser legislation. Sewage The central element of the new Sewage Sludge Or- sludge from smaller wastewater treatment plants dinance is the obligation to recover phosphorus (P) (≤ 50,000 PE) may continue to be used indefinitely from sewage sludge or sewage sludge incineration on soil in the future. ash. Thus, after a transitional phase, sewage sludge with a minimum phosphorus content of 20 g/kg total solids (TS) must be treated using such phosphorus recovery processes that can extract at least 50 % of phosphorus from the sewage sludge total solids itself or reduce phosphorus content to less than 20 g/kg TS or recover at least 80 % of phosphorus contained 4 Sewage Sludge Disposal in the Federal Republic of Germany The vast majority of the almost 1.8 million tonnes of The aim of this report is to present the current state sewage sludge total solids (TS) produced in municipal of municipal sewage sludge disposal in the Federal waste water treatment plants in Germany in 2016 was Republic of Germany and to highlight the possibilities incinerated. A significant increase (to around 64 %) in for its sustainable utilisation. The current task in the thermal sewage sludge treatment has been observed next few years is to gradually limit sewage sludge since the introduction of the landfill ban on untreated utilisation on soil and at the same time efficiently use organic waste from 01/06/2005. the nutrients in sewage sludge – especially the phos- phorus content – e. g. for fertilisation purposes. Thermal sewage sludge treatment is mostly carried out in sewage sludge mono-incineration plants, cement works, coal-fired power plants and waste incineration plants. The proportion of sewage sludge utilisation on soil – agricultural and landscape engi- neering use – has been decreasing