Integrated model
Implementation of an integrated model for the determination of the quality of sludge based on a toxicology index with the definition of 9 classes of quality.
Advanced forms of sludge management in an Innovative Hub in Lombardy
Each year in Lombardy, around 1,000,000 tonnes of sludge are treated in urban and industrial wastewater purification plants serving about 15 million inhabitants.
This sludge, however, contains substances that are potentially harmful for our health and for the environment. Some of them are emerging pollutants with unknown effects, which can build up in the environment and, in some cases, result in human uptake.
While waiting for legislation in this sphere, we must continue working to find appropriate solutions to safeguard people’s health and the environment.
- The project
- The results
- Further details
The project
We want to test new technologies in order to optimize the efficient recovery of energy and material
The FANGHI project, developed within the ambit of the circular economy, has made it possible to test and validate new sludge treatment technologies so as to optimize management and assess the use of sludge for fertilization in agriculture or as a fuel for energy production.
Of fundamental importance for the project has been assessment of the health and environmental impact of different sludge usage strategies.
The data gathered has been modelized in order to develop a method that enables the evaluation of the quality of sludge output from purification plants.
Methods adopted
In the field of the sustainable management and the treatment of urban wastewater, various technologies have been tested for the detection and removal of persistent compounds (perfluorinated compounds or PFAS) and for the pre-treatment required for combustion (dessication, biodessication and hydrothermal carbonization or HTC).
Making use of sludge to produce energy has then been tested in plants which allow the co-combustion of sludge and solid urban waste and in plants for the mono-combustion of sludge alone with the aim of optimizing the process. In this way, it is possible to guarantee highly efficient energy and heat production while maintaining unchanged emissions, analysed using innovative continuous monitoring technologies.
Combustion residues have been treated for the recovery of essential elements like phosphorous, which can be utilized as a fertilizer in agriculture, and for the production of inert materials suitable for use in the construction industry.
Key figures
6
partners involved
3years
of experimentation
82
researchers in the team
8.5M €
invested in the project
Realized with the support of
The results
We have achieved important goals, evaluating health, environmental, energy and economic sustainability
Dessication systems
Optimization of dessication systems, with a five-fold reduction in the initial weight of sludge.
Energy recovery
Study of the recovery of energy from sludge, achieving self-powering of the process.
Monitoring of emissions
Testing of new prototypes for the monitoring of stack emissions (metals, organic compounds and mercury).
Phosphorous extraction
Development of a process for the extraction of phosphorous from sludge combustion ash, making it possible to obtain a solution comparable to commercial fertilizers.
Further details
Our research activities
In the project, studies on the potentials of sludge were carried out from the perspective of circularity and sustainability to offer valid and complementary alternatives for use in agriculture. Sludge was pre-treated and used in combustion processes, thus recovering energy and natural elements of value to agriculture.
