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Category: Aktuelles

RePhoR joint project DreiSATS short film released

RePhoR joint project DreiSATS short film released

The first of a total of seven short films about the RePhoR joint projects has been released. Filming for the RePhoR collaborative projects started on 12 December last year in Markranstädt at the Pontes Pabuli pilot plant on the site of Veolia Klärschlammverwertung Deutschland GmbH and at the incineration plant of CARBOTECHNIK Energiesysteme GmbH in Magdeburg.

The short film about the DreiSATS joint project has now been completed and published.

The aim of the DreiSATS project is the practical testing and demonstration of an innovative, economically and technically feasible process chain for decentralised, thermal sewage sludge utilisation with phosphorus recycling and product utilisation for the model region “Central German Triangle”. The short films are planned, produced and edited in close cooperation with the joint projects. They are intended to provide a lively insight into the pilot plants and the work of the joint projects and will be published gradually over the coming weeks on the RePhoR homepage and the YouTube channel.

Inauguration of the demonstration plant of the RePhoR joint project AMPHORE in Bottrop and release of the AMPHORE short film

Inauguration of the demonstration plant of the RePhoR joint project AMPHORE in Bot-trop and release of the AMPHORE short film

Inauguration of the demonstration plant (f.l.t.r.): Carolin Fieback (Vorständin Personal, Verwaltung, Soziales Ruhrverband) / Prof. Dr. Norbert Jardin (Vorstands-vorsitzender Ruhrverband/Leadpartner AMPHORE) / Volker Kraska (Vorstand LINEG) / Ingo Noppen (Vorstand Wupperverband) / Thomas Kufen (Oberbürgermeister Stadt Essen), Oliver Krischer (Minister für Umwelt, Nach-haltigkeit und Verkehr NRW) / Judith Pirscher (Staatssekretärin Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) / Josef Hovenjürgen (Staatssekretär im Ministerium Heimat, Kommunales, Bau und Digitalisierung NRW) / Dr. Frank Dudda (Oberbürgermeister Stadt Herne) / Dr. Dennis Blöhse (Leitung Planung u. Betrieb PhosRec), Dr. Yvonne Schneider (Geschäftsführung PhosRec) / Dr. Frank Obenaus (Vorstandsmitglied Wassermanagement u. Technik Emschergenossenschaft / Lippeverband) / Prof. Dr. Torsten Frehmann (Geschäftsführung PhosRec) / Prof. Dr. Uli Paetzel (Vorstandsvorsitzender Emschergenossenschaft / Lippeverband). © Kirsten Neumann / PhosRec GmbH
Inauguration of the demonstration plant (f.l.t.r.): Carolin Fieback (Vorständin Personal, Verwaltung, Soziales Ruhrverband) / Prof. Dr. Norbert Jardin (Vorstands-vorsitzender Ruhrverband/Leadpartner AMPHORE) / Volker Kraska (Vorstand LINEG) / Ingo Noppen (Vorstand Wupperverband) / Thomas Kufen (Oberbürgermeister Stadt Essen), Oliver Krischer (Minister für Umwelt, Nach-haltigkeit und Verkehr NRW) / Judith Pirscher (Staatssekretärin Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) / Josef Hovenjürgen (Staatssekretär im Ministerium Heimat, Kommunales, Bau und Digitalisierung NRW) / Dr. Frank Dudda (Oberbürgermeister Stadt Herne) / Dr. Dennis Blöhse (Leitung Planung u. Betrieb PhosRec), Dr. Yvonne Schneider (Geschäftsführung PhosRec) / Dr. Frank Obenaus (Vorstandsmitglied Wassermanagement u. Technik Emschergenossenschaft / Lippeverband) / Prof. Dr. Torsten Frehmann (Geschäftsführung PhosRec) / Prof. Dr. Uli Paetzel (Vorstandsvorsitzender Emschergenossenschaft / Lippeverband). © Kirsten Neumann / PhosRec GmbH
© Kirsten Neumann / PhosRec GmbH
© Kirsten Neumann / PhosRec GmbH

The first RePhoR plant was officially inaugurated in Bottrop on May 2nd, with high-ranking visitors including BMBF State Secretary Judith Pirscher. In the meantime, the short film of the joint project has been completed and released.

BMBF State Secretary Judith Pirscher emphasised the importance of the project on the way to sustainable resource use. Among those present were Oliver Krischer, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; Bernd Tischler, Mayor of the City of Bottrop; Thomas Kufen, Chairman of the Association Council of the Ruhrverband; Dr Frank Dudda, Chairman of the Association Council of the Emschergenossenschaft; Bodo Klimpel, Chairman of the Association Council of the Lippeverband; Prof. Dr Uli Paetzel, Chairman of the Association Council of the Emschergenossenschaft and the Lippeverband; Dr Frank Obenaus, Technical Director of the Emschergenossenschaft and the Lippeverband. Dr Uli Paetzel, Chairman of the Management Board of Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband; Dr Frank Obenaus, Technical Director of Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband; Prof. Dr Norbert Jardin, Chairman of the Management Board of Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband. Frank Obenaus, Technical Director of Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband; Prof. Dr Norbert Jardin, Chairman of the Board of Management of Ruhrverband; Ingo Noppen, Director of Wupperverband; Volker Kraska, Director of Linksniederrheinische Entwässerungsgenossenschaft; Dr Yvonne Schneider, Managing Director of PhosRec Phosphor-Recycling GmbH and Prof. Dr Torsten Frehmann, Managing Director of PhosRec Phosphor-Recycling GmbH. The press release of the Emschergenossenschaft Lippeverband can be found under the following link: https://www.eglv.de/medien/phosphor-recycling-aus-abwasser/

Just in time for the inauguration of the demonstration plant, the short film on the AMPHORE joint project, which was shot in March, was also completed and released. It now provides an insight into the project content at the following link:

The €6.7 million plant is part of the AMPHORE research project. It demonstrates the recycling of phosphorus from sewage sludge ash, an important step towards overcoming the limited availability of this raw material. The demonstration plant, built by PhosRec GmbH, has a capacity of 1,000 tonnes of ash per year and will be in operation for the next two years to test various operating conditions. This is the first time the PARFORCE® technology has been used on an industrial scale. As well as meeting legal requirements, the plant will help to close the nutrient cycle in the EU.

In the AMPHORE joint project, five water boards in North Rhine-Westphalia cooperate with the support of research partners, engineering offices and commercial enterprises. The size of the association with 139 sewage treatment plants and approx. 9% of the German sewage sludge production enables an innovative, region-wide management approach for sewage sludge as well as a targeted production and further treatment of ashes of different qualities. The part of the ashes that is more heavily contaminated with heavy metals is processed in a complex, wet-chemical recovery process with the aim of achieving extensive separation of pollutants and valuable substances by generating precisely fitting phosphoric acid qualities (purity, concentration) for regional customers. It is being examined whether ashes produced in a targeted manner with particularly low pollutant contents can be used in an alternative, possibly more cost-effective phosphorus recovery process. Due to the expected synergy and scale effects, significant advantages for composite solutions can be expected. In the AMPHORE project, therefore, public-law cooperation models are being examined and the cooperation of the participating water associations in the legal form of a limited liability company is being implemented as an example.

More information can be found on the RePhoR homepage at https://www.bmbf-rephor.de/en/joint-projects/amphore/ or on the project homepage https://www.ruhrverband.de/wissen/projekt-amphore/.

Project film and press reports: R-Rhenania in focus

Project film and press reports: R-Rhenania in focus

© Hupp-Dobusch; FiW e. V.

Filming of the 5th RePhoR film at the R-Rhenania joint project in Altenstadt, Bavaria, has been completed.

Following the successful filming of the other collaborative projects, the filming continued in Altenstadt, where the R-Rhenania pilot plant will go into operation this summer on the premises of Emter GmbH. Project coordinator Dr Christian Adam from the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Johann Emter, Managing Director of Emter GmbH, and Christoph Brey, Operations Manager on site, answered our questions in front of the camera. The day of filming was coordinated by BAM project manager Dr Hannes Herzel, and partners Dieter Leimkötter of sePura GmbH and Ludwig Hermann of Proman Consulting also took the opportunity to visit the plant and accompany the filming. The local press also took advantage of the concentrated expertise on site: journalists from the Schongauer Zeitung and the Landsberger Tagesblatt interviewed the consortium on site about the project. The articles are already published:

https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/landsberg/altenstadt-modernste-anlage-europas-aus-klaerschlamm-wird-phosphatduenger-id70594166.html

https://www.merkur.de/lokales/schongau/altenstadt-ort377062/aus-klaerschlamm-wird-phosphatduenger-altenstadt-emter-93052225.html

Such newspaper articles are very important as the topic of phosphorus recycling from sewage sludge is still not well known among the general public and newspaper articles in particular reach many people who are not explicitly involved in the topic. This helps to spread the word.

The article in the Landsberger Tagesblatt is subject to a charge, the article in the Schongauer Zeitung is available free of charge and both articles are only available in german.

We would like to thank the entire team on site for their great and professional cooperation!

As part of the BMBF funding measure RePhoR (Regional Phosphorus Recycling), the TransPhoR transfer project is producing a total of seven short films about the joint projects. The films provide a lively insight into the different approaches of the projects.

More information can be found on the RePhoR homepage at https://www.bmbf-rephor.de/en/joint-projects/r-rhenania/ or on the project homepage https://www.bam.de/Content/DE/Projekte/laufend/R-Rhenania/r-rhenania.html.

 

7th RePhoR steering committee meeting in Bottrop and Essen.

7th RePhoR steering committee meeting in Bottrop and Essen.

© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband
© Ruhrverband

On 7-8 May, the RePhoR Steering Committee meeting took place at the Emschergenossenschaft wastewater treatment plant in Bottrop and at the new Ruhrverband Ruhrhaus in Essen.

On the first day, the AMPHORE project team invited participants to visit the newly inaugurated AMPHORE demonstration plant in Bottrop, which was presented by Dr Dennis Blöhse of EGLV. On the second day, all participants met on the premises of the Ruhrverband, with the kind permission of the latter.

The Steering Committee is used for cross-project networking between the research projects and for discussing overarching issues. Among other things, cross-cutting themes will be defined, on which all interested collaborative projects will work together during the course of the funding programme, e.g. in workshops. In addition, joint activities are planned for the exploitation and practical implementation of project results and for public relations. The group consists of the coordinators of the collaborative projects, the networking project and experts, e.g. from industry, associations, authorities and ministries. Representatives of the BMBF and the project organiser also take part in the steering committee meetings, which take place up to every six months.

Industry dialogue on the recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge organised by the BMUV

Industry dialogue on the recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge organised by the BMUV

© stockadobe.com

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) hosted the Industry Dialogue “Phosphorus Recovery from Sewage Sludge” on 6 May, where high-ranking representatives of the industry discussed the status quo of phosphorus recovery and possible solutions.

The event was organised in response to the 101st Conference of Environment Ministers, which noted the slow implementation of phosphorus recovery. After a welcome address by State Secretary Dr Rohleder, representatives from various federal and state ministries, municipalities, trade associations and companies discussed the challenges and possible solutions in four thematic blocks. RePhoR was also represented by the TransPhoR joint project and presented the current status of implementation.

The lack of long-term tenders, the ability to pass on charges and the issue of interim storage of sludge ash were key aspects of the discussion. In particular, it became clear that there are a number of unresolved technical, legal and organisational issues associated with the landfilling of ash, and that the costs are enormous. Country-led working groups will be set up to work on solutions. The industry dialogue is to be continue in 2026 and 2028.

Link to the event: https://www.bmuv.de/veranstaltung/branchendialog-phosphor-rueckgewinnung-aus-klaerschlamm

RePhoR at the 57th Essener Tagung für Wasserwirtschaft

RePhoR at the 57th Essener Tagung für Wasserwirtschaft

57th Essener Tagung für Wasserwirtschaft. © Martin Braun / FiW e. V.
57th Essener Tagung für Wasserwirtschaft. © Martin Braun / FiW e. V.
57th Essener Tagung für Wasserwirtschaft. © Martin Braun / FiW e. V.
57th Essener Tagung für Wasserwirtschaft. © Martin Braun / FiW e. V.
Impressions AMPHORE excursion. © Ruhrverband
Impressions AMPHORE excursion. © Ruhrverband
Impressions AMPHORE excursion. © Ruhrverband
Impressions AMPHORE excursion. © Ruhrverband
Impressions AMPHORE excursion. © Ruhrverband
Impressions AMPHORE excursion. © Ruhrverband
Impressions AMPHORE excursion. © Ruhrverband
Impressions AMPHORE excursion. © Ruhrverband

The 57th Essener Tagung took place from 06-08.03.2024. It provided new impulses with its thematic focus on “Paths to sustainable water management and society”. In the opening speech, Prof. Dr. Thomas Wintgens, ISA of RWTH Aachen University, Dr. Bettina Hoffmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMUV, and Ms. Gunda Röstel, Deputy Chairwoman of the German Council for Sustainable Development, made it clear that the water sector holds three key positions in the sustainability transformation with climate, biodiversity and resource protection. The RePhoR joint projects P-Net and RePhoRM also presented their current work and interim results in the “Sewage sludge/phosphorus” thematic block.

On the last day, the participants of the excursion had the opportunity to visit the phosphorus recovery plant of PhosRec GmbH in beautiful weather. Even before the official inauguration and commissioning, the visitors were welcomed by employees from the AMPHORE project in Bottrop. After a short introductory talk, the visitors were taken on a joint tour of the plant in the multifunctional hall. The PARFORCE® process implemented here and the work planned as part of the project were presented to the visitors on the basis of diagrams and during a tour of the plant. Following completion, the phosphorus recovery plant is now in the commissioning phase and is due to start the two-year trial phase in the middle of the year.

Further information on the joint projects can be found under the following link: https://www.bmbf-rephor.de/en/joint-projects/

RePhoR joint project KlimaPhoNds at “Woche der Umwelt“

RePhoR joint project KlimaPhoNds at “Woche der Umwelt“

© Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU)

The “Woche der Umwelt” will take place in Berlin from 4 to 5 June 2024. The RePhoR joint project Klima-PhoNds will be there as an exhibitor.

Together with the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is organising the Environment Week in the park of Bellevue Palace.

This year, the RePhoR joint project KlimaPhoNds will be exhibiting at the event, using the example of the Northeim sewage treatment plant to show that the future phosphorus recovery obligation can be met in a way that is climate-friendly, resource-efficient and cost-effective.

KlimaPhoNds pursues a decentralized phosphate extraction in wastewater treatment plants, and based on this, a centralized refinement of the phosphate precipitation products to high-quality phosphoric acid, ammonia water and magnesium chloride. The climate neutrality is achieved by a nearly heat-neutral drying process with fluidized bed evaporation drying. The result is a fully dried, low-phosphate sewage sludge that can be recycled without residue and used in the cement industry for material and energy generation. A prerequisite for enough P-depletion in the sewage sludge is an optimized bio-P-elimination at the sewage treatment plant. In the first of two phases, the bio-P elimination at the Northeim wastewater treatment plant is maximized. If enough Bio-P fixation is successfully demonstrated, phase 2 will demonstrate the processing of the precipitation products to different raw materials, the almost heat-neutral drying and the utilization of dry sewage sludge as fuel and raw material on a technical scale.

For more information on the event and to register, please visit the following link:
https://www.woche-der-umwelt.de/wdu-aussteller/tu-clausthal-cutec-forschungszentrum/
https://login.dbu.de/veranstaltungen/woche-der-umwelt-2024/

Filming for AMPHORE: A visit to the Bottrop Sewage Treatment Plant

Filming for AMPHORE: A visit to the Bottrop Sewage Treatment Plant

© FiW e. V.
© FiW e. V.
© FiW e. V.
© FiW e. V.
© FiW e. V.
© FiW e. V.
© FiW e. V.
© FiW e. V.

On Wednesday, 20.03.24, it was time for RePhoR for the 4th time! This time we were able to visit the BMBF-funded joint project AMPHORE at the Bottrop sewage treatment plant. In bright sunshine, project coordinator Hanna Evers from the Ruhrverband stood in front of the camera and explained the course of the project as well as its goals and prospects.

As part of the BMBF funding programme RePhoR (Regional Phosphorus Recycling), the TransPhoR project is producing a total of seven short films about the joint projects. The films provide a lively insight into the different approaches of the projects.

We would like to thank the entire team on site for this great day of filming!

In the AMPHORE joint project, five water boards in North Rhine-Westphalia cooperate with the support of research partners, engineering offices and commercial enterprises. The size of the association with 139 sewage treatment plants and approx. 9% of the German sewage sludge production enables an innovative, region-wide management approach for sewage sludge as well as a targeted production and further treatment of ashes of different qualities. The part of the ashes that is more heavily contaminated with heavy metals is processed in a complex, wet-chemical recovery process with the aim of achieving extensive separation of pollutants and valuable substances by generating precisely fitting phosphoric acid qualities (purity, concentration) for regional customers. It is being examined whether ashes produced in a targeted manner with particularly low pollutant contents can be used in an alternative, possibly more cost-effective phosphorus recovery process. Due to the expected synergy and scale effects, significant advantages for composite solutions can be expected. In the AMPHORE project, therefore, public-law cooperation models are being examined and the cooperation of the participating water associations in the legal form of a limited liability company is being implemented as an example.

More information can be found on the RePhoR homepage at https://www.bmbf-rephor.de/en/joint-projects/amphore/ or on the project homepage https://www.ruhrverband.de/wissen/projekt-amphore/ .

P-Net-partner ISOE featured in a Deutschlandfunk Kultur report on sewage sludge recycling

P-Net with radio feature on Deutschlandfunk Kultur

© Studio_Iris, pixabay.com

On January 30, 2024, Deutschlandfunk Kultur (Dlf Kultur) published a radio report on the topic of “Sewage sludge – from waste to raw material”. Dr. Martina Winker from ISOE, a P-Net partner, explained important details on the process.

Sven Kästner visits the Ruhleben sewage treatment plant near Berlin, which treats and reuses the wastewater of around 2 million Berliners. Toilet, washing and street waste water is treated here. Stephan Natz from Berliner Wasserbetriebe explains how a sewage treatment plant works and what happens to the remaining sludge. This is fed into a secondary clarifier, where the water is removed from the sludge, and then burnt in the sludge incinerator.

Dr. Martina Winker from ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, a partner in the P-Net project, explained details on the nutrients within the sewage sludge. The report is available to listen to via the following link: https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/klaerschlamm-vom-abfall-zum-rohstoff-dlf-kultur-53f6db00-100.html

In recent years, processes that produce crystalline phosphorus products by means of precipitation and crystallisation have become established in the large-scale implementation of phosphorus recovery. P-Net is researching the open questions of this technology in order to make it fit for the entry into force of the amended Sewage Sludge Ordinance. The aim is to preserve the advantages of these plants in fertiliser production and to make them more widely available. The focus is on establishing a regional network for phosphorus recycling to strengthen this technology line (“struvite line”).

Public relations and science communication is becoming increasingly important in research projects. Especially for complex topics such as phosphorus recycling, which is still little known in the public eye, it is necessary to use different media to present the projects. With the increasing number of podcasts and podcast listeners, it makes sense to take the first steps in this direction of science communication with radio programmes. We congratulate the P-Net team on placing this important topic in such a prominent format!

RePhoR filming continues: SATELLITE in Hannover, Hildesheim and Pattensen

RePhoR-Dreharbeiten gehen weiter: SATELLITE in Hannover, Hildesheim and Pattensen

Interview with Prof. Stefan Köster. © Hupp-Dobusch
Interview with Prof. Stefan Köster. © Hupp-Dobusch
Main building of Leibniz University Hannover. © FiW e. V.
Main building of Leibniz University Hannover. © FiW e. V.
Impressions from the shoot at the Hildesheim sewage treatment plant. © FiW e. V.
Impressions from the shoot at the Hildesheim sewage treatment plant. © FiW e. V.
Impressions from the shoot at the Hildesheim sewage treatment plant. © FiW e. V.
Impressions from the shoot at the Hildesheim sewage treatment plant. © FiW e. V.

The next RePhoR filming continues: this time at the SATTELITE joint project in Hildesheim and Nienburg. After the last two filming dates at DreiSATS and P-Net, we were able to continue together with the team from Hupp-Dobusch in Lower Saxony. Together with the coordinator from ISAH Leibniz Universität Hannover we visited the LUH test facility and the semi-technical test facility. Prof. Stefan Köster answered our questions in front of the camera about the aims of the project, while Dr.-Ing. Erwin Voß, CEO of Stadtentwässerung Hildesheim, and Dr.-Ing. Jens Manthey, Managing Director of KNRN, provided insights into the further processes on site in Hildesheim. The filming was prepared and accompanied by Dr.-Ing. Maike Beier, coordinator of the SATELLITE project, Johannes Reiter and Torben Martens from ISAH and Miriam Müller from SeHi. A big thank you to the entire team for a great day of filming!

As part of the BMBF funding programme RePhoR (Regional Phosphorus Recycling), the TransPhoR project is producing a total of seven short films about the joint projects. The films provide a lively insight into the different approaches of the projects.

The Satellite project offers a concept for the implementation of a comprehensive intermunicipal network for the joint planning and management of plants in regional centres (treatment plants with more than 50,000 inhabitants) and their satellites (treatment plants with less than 50,000 inhabitants) for regions with a strong agricultural character. In addition to the treatment of sewage sludge, the aim is also to integrate relevant agricultural nutrient sources (liquid manure, biogas plants). The project is coordinated by the ISAH at the Leibniz University of Hannover and is carried out together with the partner institutions BIORESTEC, Göttinger Entwässerungsbetriebe, Kommunale Nährstoffrückgewinnung Niedersachsen GmbH, Kreisverband für Wasserwirtschaft Nienburg, Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen, PARFORCE GmbH, Raiffeisen Agil Leese eG, R-E-Pro Ingenieurbüro Dr Sabrina Breitenkam, SF-Soepenberg GmbH, Stadtentwässerung Hildesheim and the town of Pattensen.

More information can be found on the RePhoR homepage at https://www.bmbf-rephor.de/en/joint-projects/satellite/ or on the project homepage https://satellite-rephor.de/index.php