The project is part of the customer’s new sewage sludge mono-incineration plant, which will be capable of thermally treating up to 180,000 tonnes of municipal sewage sludge per year. At the same time, the plant will create the conditions required for legally mandated phosphorus recovery and represents an important component of future sewage sludge treatment in Germany. Commissioning of the evaporator condensate treatment plant is scheduled for 2029.
Reliable Treatment of Challenging Evaporator Condensates
Depending on operating conditions, evaporator condensates from sewage sludge drying contain relevant concentrations of ammonium, organic compounds, hydrocarbons and other accompanying substances. For the customer, EnviroChemie is therefore implementing a multi-stage treatment solution based on a physico-chemical Envochem® plant. The process includes:
- Mixing and equalization tanks to buffer load fluctuations
- Pretreatment to reduce oils and hydrocarbons
- Physico-chemical treatment followed by filtration
- NH₃ stripper with ammonium sulfate absorption for targeted ammonia removal
- Neutralization and pH adjustment
- Optional polishing stage for further reduction of trace substances and phenols
- Integrated sludge treatment
The treated water meets the requirements for the intended indirect discharge. At the same time, the project demonstrates the potential of modern evaporator condensate treatment: a high level of water quality is already achieved after the planned treatment. The project therefore also highlights the potential of modern evaporator condensate treatment to meet future requirements for resource efficiency and water cycles. In the long term, this can open up opportunities to reduce freshwater demand in industrial processes.
Growing Market Driven by Phosphorus Recovery
With the legal requirements for phosphorus recovery, new sewage sludge mono-incineration plants are currently being developed throughout Germany. As a result, demand is also growing for high-performance solutions for evaporator condensate treatment, industrial wastewater treatment and process water treatment.
The treatment of these often highly contaminated condensates presents particular challenges for planners and operators. The development of economical and technically robust treatment concepts is therefore becoming increasingly important.
The contract awarded by the customer was preceded by extensive preliminary studies, laboratory investigations and engineering services. With the project at Knapsacker Hügel, EnviroChemie is strengthening its references in the fields of sewage sludge drying, sewage sludge mono-incineration and industrial wastewater treatment. At the same time, the company is further expanding its expertise in the treatment of challenging evaporator condensates and creating a solid foundation for future projects in the field of phosphorus recovery.
