As a specialist for integrated solutions for sludge treatment and resource-saving heat and energy generation, the SÜLZLE Group has a broadly-based presence at the IFAT, the world’s leading trade fair in Munich. The water and energy experts will be offering future-oriented solutions at their booth 221/320 in Hall A2 from May 30 to June 3, 2022. SÜLZLE KLEIN and SÜLZLE KOPF SynGas cover the entire process of thickening, dewatering, drying, sewage sludge utilisation, energy recovery and pollutant elimination. For the first time, visitors to the booth will also be able to don VR goggles and enter the virtual world of drying and thermal sewage sludge utilisation.

Rosenfeld, March 24, 2022 – At this year’s IFAT, the world’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies, the changing climate conditions are among the key challenges that the industry will have to overcome in the future. The reduction of CO₂ and the recovery of phosphorus in sewage sludge disposal pose major tasks and not only for wastewater treatment plant operators. “The energy transition has become one of the central challenges of our time. Thanks to ongoing developments and synergies within our group of companies, our future-proof technologies optimise the utilisation of sewage sludge as part of the circular economy. The SynGas fuel gas module can also ensure that sewage sludge becomes a secondary fuel in the long term,” explains Heinrich Sülzle, Managing Partner of the SÜLZLE Group.

Comprehensive sludge treatment
SÜLZLE KLEIN will be presenting a comprehensive product portfolio for mechanical and thermal sewage sludge treatment to trade show visitors. The focus will be on a trade show innovation for sludge volume reduction and machines and systems such as the solidXfloc polymer station, the solidXdrain belt thickener, and the Pro-Dry series for dryers.

“We will be further expanding the machinery and equipment portfolio and the services for our customers, together with experienced specialists and our competent team. We aim to offer customers ideal solutions for thickening, dewatering and drying sewage sludge,” says SÜLZLE KLEIN Managing Director Frank Scheidt.

The experts from SÜLZLE KLEIN will give municipal and industrial sludge treatment sector trade show visitors insights into current reference projects, such as the development and delivery of two belt filter presses for a major steel manufacturer, including peripherals. The goal is an environmentally friendly and largely automated blast furnace gas sludge dewatering system. The technical challenges include an extremely abrasive medium and high availability expectations. SÜLZLE KLEIN met both criteria thanks to specially designed machine technology. The user opted for two solidXpress HD belt filter presses with two solidXfloc polymer plants. The turnkey system was completed by discharge belt conveyors, container loading and control unit, including installation and commissioning. The new solidXpress HD belt filter presses round off SÜLZLE KLEIN’s portfolio of dewatering solutions with the blast furnace gas sludge application. These presses are suitable for almost all metallurgical engineering and steel mill technology sectors.

Thermal sewage sludge utilisation
The thermal SÜLZLE KOPF SynGas process is a flexible and future-proof utilisation concept for extracting energy from sewage sludge. Syngas is first created by a fluidised-bed reactor and subsequently made flexibly available as an energy source in various modules.

The process can be easily integrated into existing operations thanks to its compact design. It also meets the legal requirements for sewage sludge treatment and syngas ash in phosphorus recovery. The most recent reference plant in Koblenz was handed over to the customer at the end of 2021 and has since been operated by KOPF SynGas for the city’s sludge dewatering system.

Replacing fossil fuels with sewage sludge
The SynGas fuel gas module solution also targets power and cement plants, for instance, contributing to the decarbonisation of industry. The material flow must be separated during the sewage sludge utilisation process to ensure the efficient recovery of phosphorus in the future. This is where the SynGas fuel gas module excels: integrating it into the existing infrastructure will continue to ensure the acceptance and utilisation of sewage sludge.

The combustible syngas produced from the sewage sludge is a substitute fuel that can be flexibly integrated into various firing processes with exergy requirements. The phosphorus in the sewage sludge is separated together with the ash produced during the process and, if desired, fed to downstream utilisation processes. In recovering phosphorus, the process contributes to the circular economy and helps reduce CO₂ emissions.