Hildesheim receives new sewage sludge plant: focus on phosphorus recovery!

Hildesheim receives new sewage sludge plant: focus on phosphorus recovery!

A new lighthouse in sewage sludge utilization is being built in Hildesheim! Municipal Nutrient Recovery Niedersachsen GmbH (KNRN) has commissioned the renowned plant manufacturer Andritz to build a mono-incineration plant. Loud Euwid Wasser This project aims to ensure reliable sewage sludge disposal and to recover phosphorus from the resulting sewage sludge ash - a hot topic in resource conservation.

The plant will be located in the Hildesheim harbor and can process up to 14 tons of original sewage sludge per hour. This means it can handle around 33,500 tonnes of dry sewage sludge per year. Approval for construction was granted last autumn and also includes sewage sludge storage, drying measures and a waste transfer facility.

Sustainability in focus

Particular attention is paid to the recovery of phosphorus, which plays a crucial role in fertilizers. Given limited phosphorus reserves and increasing demand from the growing world population, recovery is the order of the day. The new sewage sludge regulation sets out comprehensive requirements for phosphorus recovery for the first time Climate protection municipality reported. From the beginning of 2029, facilities with more than 100,000 population equivalents must actively recover phosphorus in order to meet the requirements.

The Hildesheim plant will also play a crucial role in the local energy system: the steam generated from combustion will be used to produce electricity for the public grid and to provide heat for the local district heating network. The aim is to ensure environmentally friendly disposal in accordance with the requirements of the Sewage Sludge Ordinance (AbfKlärV).

A strategic decision

The decision to invest in a mono-incineration plant could also bring economic benefits in the long term. Given the rising prices for phosphate fertilizers, which rose by 60% in 2021 even before the Ukraine war, safe recovery from sewage sludge becomes even more important. Not only for the environment, but also for agriculture. While around 20% of municipal sewage sludge in Germany was used in agriculture in 2019, energy production and use as a secondary fuel represents another important possible use.

In summary, the mono-incineration plant in Hildesheim not only offered a solution to the sewage sludge problem, but also a direct contribution to resource conservation and the region's energy supply. Commissioning of this promising facility is scheduled for December 2027 - and anticipation for this environmentally friendly innovation is growing.

For more information on sewage sludge disposal and phosphorus recovery, please visit IWU.