Amount awarded: £2,329,332
Led by: Yorkshire Water
Partners: Enertecgreen, Northern Ireland Water, Queens University Belfast, Scottish Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, The Carbon Trust, Uisce Éireann, United Utilities, Wessex Water
Our multi-partnership consortium, led by Yorkshire Water, identified Advanced Thermal Conversion (ATC) Gasification as an alternative approach to ‘Sludge to land’. This will allow us to prove the technical and economic viability of gasifying 100% sewage sludge and provide the water industry with the confidence to exploit the technology globally.
“We have identified innovative uses for sewage sludge. Converting it into gas, biochar and ash ‘stones’ opens up new, more sustainable and low carbon ways to reuse sewage sludge.
Once proven, the process will produce sustainable wastewater treatment media, construction materials and high-value products and generate heat and power.” – Dr Danielle Hankin, Innovation Programme Manager, Yorkshire Water
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The necessary upgrades and modifications to the gasification plant have been successfully implemented and the plant configured and fully commissioned ready to perform the operational sludge testing program to be executed in Phase 2. Some dried sewage sludge has been successfully gasified and this has been carried out within Environmental Permit limits. Preparatory work commenced in August and has focused primarily on the Gasification unit with several significant upgrades to the core reactor, control system and emissions measurement and monitoring system being implemented. Work on the sludge reception and drying facility has been completed and providers of expert services have been brought in to support the recommissioning and condition surveys undertaken. Scope and costs have been agreed with the Carbon Trust for the development of a full carbon assessment model for the end-to-end process. Scope and costs have also been agreed with WSP to provide insightful reporting of project outcomes. Scottish Water have been providing dried sludge for the commissioning phase of the project and will continue to do so during Phase 2. The project is liaising with the CIP4 project to ensure that sampling and analysis aligns with the work being carried out as part of the CIP4 initiative.
For more information on Sewage Sludge Gasification, take a look at the following resources:
