Installation of SÜLZLE KOPF SynGas system commences

SÜLZLE KOPF SynGas GmbH & Co. KG, based in Sulz a. N., commenced the installation of the SynGas system at the Koblenz sewage treatment plant on Tuesday. The expert in sewage sludge exploitation for energy production is part of the SÜLZLE Group and has a subsidiary in Tübingen. The system is an important component for the EU-promoted pilot project “SusTreat”, an energy self-sufficient sewage plant which is part of the Koblenz urban drainage system. In addition, the drainage and drying specialists of SÜLZLE KLEIN GmbH last year installed a Pro-Dry 2/4 belt dryer, which prepares the sewage sludge for the gasification plant.

The KOPF SynGas system was delivered in several individual parts. Moreover, the first components of the gasifier, which is the heart of the system, were also erected and welded on site. “With our technology, we are making a significant contribution to the “SusTreat” project”, explains Dr. Stephan Mey, Managing Director of SÜLZLE KOPF SynGas. Yesterday, numerous representatives of the press were present at the Koblenz large-scale sewage treatment plant site for the commencement of the installation of the SynGas system. Those attending from the City of Koblenz included Head of Building Works, Bert Flöck, Works Manager, Bernhard Mohrs, and the superintendents of the sewage treatment plant, Thomas Kesselheim and Ulrich Marquart.

The objective of the “SusTreat” pilot project is to generate energy autonomously. Sewage treatment plants are amongst the largest communal energy consumers – around 20% of the power requirement of towns and communities is down to them. In order to supply the sewage treatment plant as self-sufficiency as possible, the operator is relying on the high potential of the sewage sludge. This contains large quantities of carbon which can be converted to energy by gasification and is where the innovative technology of SÜLZLE KOPF SynGas and SÜLZLE KLEIN comes to bear.

The drainage and drying specialists of SÜLZLE KLEIN GmbH had already commissioned a Pro-Dry 2/4 belt dryer for the project as long ago as last year. This brings the sewage sludge to a residual dryness of up to more than 90%. In doing so, a solid granulate is formed which the sewage plant operator stores in an interim storage silo. The KOPF SynGas system then gasifies the granulate at a temperature of around 850 degrees Celsius. This completely destroys organic toxins such as leftover medicines, hormones and bacteria. The result is an inflammable gas which is subsequently scrubbed in several stages to remove further polluting substances such as heavy metals, tars and sulphur. The gas can then be used in an adjacent combined heat and power plant for recovering heat or in a gas engine to generate electricity. The SynGas system is so flexibly designed that it can generate only heat, only electricity or both, depending on the requirement. The ash produced during gasification contains minerals and phosphates. This can be exploited further in the form of fertilisers for agricultural purposes or for recovering the valuable phosphate. The high potential commercial value of the sewage sludge is therefore fully exploited.

“The combined know-how of SÜLZLE KOPF SynGas and SÜLZLE KLEIN enables a sophisticated and sustainable energy concept, in which all elements of the process chain mesh perfectly with one another,” emphasises Dr. Mey. The installation of the KOPF SynGas system is planned to be completed in May 2017. The whole project is then expected to be finished in October.