Dear All, 
 
Kindly note that the date of the Uses of Sewage Sludge Derived Biochars Conference has been changed to 24th May to allow for a hybrid format and the programme has also now been released.
 
Full details can be found here  conferences.aquaenviro.co.uk/events/conf...ge-derived-biochars/
 
Many thanks and regards,
 
Chaiwe on behalf of Aquaenviro. 

Dear Ryan,

Thank you for taking the time to see what is possible and for providing feedback. I am now keenly following Biomass Controls and I have had a small engagement with Jeff (Biomass Controls) on the subject recently.  

On your point here:

It became clear early on that the most difficult hurdle to overcome for a successful biosolids/sewage sludge project is the drying of the material prior to pyrolysis.

I find that in my local context, the discussions with local utility companies who are already treating and drying sewage sludge is an easy one to have when it comes to supplying already dried sludge, as this supports their end-use possibilities.  However, this is a whole other discussion in rural communities where populations are low and treatment is done onsite.  However, as populations steadily rise, this is a conversation we cannot ignore. 

Chaiwe

Good morning, Chaiwe -

I checked with my colleagues and the consensus is that our report is an internal working document that will inform a future biosolids-to-biochar project here at our wastewater treatment facility.  That being said, here is the list of vendors identified by our research that we would likely engage:

1. Bioforcetech
2. Anaergia
3. Aquagreen
4. ARTi 
5. Biomass Controls

Biomass Controls has something more applicable to the community-scale you are looking for.   biomasscontrols.com/  

Also note that the Anaergia product is similar to Bioforcetech in that it is a Pyreg brand technology out of Germany.  Aquagreen is a Danish startup company, but their technology looks promising.  ARTi is a company out of the state of Iowa here in the USA, and they custom-build products to suit clients' needs.

It became clear early on that the most difficult hurdle to overcome for a successful biosolids/sewage sludge project is the drying of the material prior to pyrolysis.

I hope this information is helpful.  Feel free to reach out to me directly with additional questions.

Ryan

Hello Ryan,

Great to hear! I looked up the BioForceTech website here  Bioforcetech Corporation - Biomass Management Systems  for start. Particularly impressive is the scale and robustness of the technology . On the subject of technology, would be great to know what are the available options at the community level (in the case of developing countries). Of huge concern in the production of biochar at small scale are the emissions that result from the carbonisation process from low-tech technology. 

Are your assessment results shareable here on SuSanA? I am certain some sector experts would appreciate such a resource. We do not have so many helpful resources on this amazing subject within the SuSanA Library Resources • SuSanA  and not so much research has been conducted on the subject particulaly when if comes to faecal sludge reuse. 

Kind Regards,
Chaiwe

Greeting, Chaiwe!

This is a topic I am very passionate about, and I am sorry to be a little late to your postings.  BioForceTech has had great success in California, USA.  AquaGreen has a promising new technology in Denmark.  Please reach out to me for a biosolids-to-biochar assessment we recently completed in California.  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kind regards,

Ryan

Dear SuSanA Users,

I wonder whether this is the next best thing in the Valorisation of faecal sludge (FS) discussion.

The sanitation sector has been debating for years about how treated FS may not be the safest soil conditioner due to safety issues depending on treatment efficiency and treatment used. With the additional step of pyrolysis of treated FS, I strongly believe FS as a soil condition becomes safer for agriculture use on fresh edible crops.

What do others think? any proven examples and research out there?

Regards,
Chaiwe

Hello All,

AquaEnviro a U.K based organisation is calling for speakers to present their experiences on uses of sewage-sludge derived Biochars. A rather relevant topic in the sector's conversation about the valorisation of Faecal Sludge (FS) for agricultural use.

Abstract deadline: 3rd March

This one-day event will bring together practitioners, researchers and regulators to explore:

• Technologies for biochar production from sewage sludges
• Quality of sewage-sludge-derived biochars
• Potential uses for sewage-sludge-derived biochars
• Challenges associated with the use of sewage-sludge-derived biochars
• Experiences from early adopters

AquaEnviro is looking for new ideas, innovative approaches and current experiences with sewage-sludge-derived biochars. 

Get involved...  lnkd.in/eX_SYpfN