RBB, Germany, orders sewage sludge mono-incineration plant from ANDRITZ

With this new plant, RBB is laying the foundation for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to sewage sludge treatment that supplies energy and enables the recovery of valuable phosphorus. The integration of a flue gas condensation system combined with heat pumps will significantly increase the plant’s overall energy efficiency.

“With the planned sewage sludge mono-incineration plant, we will ensure long-term waste disposal security for the region, create a state-of-the-art facility with strong innovative potential, and secure important local jobs. This is a significant milestone for cross-municipal collaboration as well as for preserving the environment and resources,” according to Dr. Frank Schumacher, Managing Director of RBB, and Sascha Hejny, Commercial Director. “The sewage sludge utilization plant is both a response to legal requirements and a major regional project for the future. It will enable the safe and sustainable utilization of sewage sludge, strengthen our energy infrastructure, and combine municipal responsibility with technological innovation.”

ANDRITZ will supply equipment for sewage sludge reception, conveying, drying (including vapor condensation and condensate treatment), and incineration with an adiabatic EcoFluid bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boiler system. The scope also includes a multi-stage flue gas cleaning system, heat pumps, a steam turbine with generator, the water-steam cycle, and various auxiliary systems.

Designed for a capacity of 36,000 tons of dry matter per year, the highly efficient plant will thermally treat sewage sludge from more than 70 municipalities and associations across Baden-Württemberg. This ensures resource-efficient and environmentally friendly disposal in line with the German Sewage Sludge Ordinance (AbfKlärV), which requires the recovery of phosphorus from sludge starting in 2029.

Phosphorus is a valuable, but limited resource and an essential component of fertilizers in agriculture. Mono-incineration of sewage sludge produces ash from which phosphorus can be recovered and recycled for fertilizer production. This supports the circular economy while preventing soil contamination from pollutants contained in sewage sludge. The steam generated by the incineration process will be used to produce electricity for the public grid. In addition, the combination of flue gas condensation and heat pump technology will supply heat to the local district heating network.

“This third order for a sewage sludge mono-incineration plant in Germany in just over a year continues our success story in this market and demonstrates our ability to adapt to our customers’ specific needs,” says Thiemo Klein, Project Manager, Sales at ANDRITZ. “We are honored to partner with RBB on this forward-looking project and to contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.”

ANDRITZ’s scope includes engineering, supply, erection, and commissioning of the entire mechanical and process equipment. The plant is scheduled to start operation in November 2028.

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ANDRITZ GROUP
International technology group ANDRITZ provides advanced plants, equipment, services, and digital solutions for a wide range of industries, including pulp and paper, metals, hydropower, environmental, and others. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in Austria, the publicly listed group employs about 30,000 people at 280 locations in over 80 countries.

As a global leader in technology and innovation, ANDRITZ is committed to fostering progress that benefits customers, partners, employees, society, and the environment. The company’s growth is driven by sustainable solutions enabling the green transition, advanced digitalization for highest industrial performance, and comprehensive services that maximize the value of customers’ plants over their entire life cycle. ANDRITZ. FOR GROWTH THAT MATTERS.

ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER
ANDRITZ Pulp & Paper provides sustainable technology, automation, and service solutions for the production of all types of pulp, paper, board and tissue. The technologies and services focus on increased production efficiency, lower overall operating costs as well as innovative decarbonization strategies and autonomous plant operation.

The product portfolio also includes boilers for power generation, various nonwoven technologies, and panelboard (MDF) production systems. With waste-to-value recycling, shredding and energy solutions, waste and by-product streams from production are converted into valuable secondary raw materials as well as into sustainable resources for energy generation. State-of-the-art IIoT technologies as part of Metris digitalization solutions complete the comprehensive product offering.

RBB KSVA VERMÖGENSGESELLSCHAFT MBH & CO. KG
The background to the sewage sludge utilization plant project is the German Sewage Sludge Ordinance of 2017. This revised legislation prohibits the use sewage sludge on agricultural land, for example in the form of fertilizer, as a precautionary measure. The goal is to prevent soil, and in turn the food chain, becoming contaminated by toxic and/or harmful organic substances and microplastics in the long-term. It also requires phosphorus, an essential raw material, to be recovered and made reusable. The planned sewage sludge utilization plant will enable high-quality ecological utilization and represents the most sustainable solution to achieve both objectives. The plant will be constructed on the site of the residual waste-to-energy plant in Böblinger Wald. Around 90 people work on this site, ensuring the environmentally sound thermal utilization of residual waste that can no longer be used materially. The energy produced in the incineration process supplies the neighboring towns of Böblingen and Sindelfingen with electricity and district heating. Around half of this energy is produced from biogenic sources, and is therefore “green.”

Further information about RBB’s work can be found on https://www.zvrbb.de/.

Details about the sewage sludge utilization plant project are available at https://www.zvkbb.de/.