Böblingen is planning expensive sewage sludge incineration: are environmental demands coming?

Böblingen is planning expensive sewage sludge incineration: are environmental demands coming?

From 2028, a modern plant for incinerating sewage sludge will be built in Böblingen near the residual waste cogeneration plant. This is part of an ambitious project estimated to cost 220 million euros. The aim of burning sewage sludge, a by-product of wastewater treatment, is to provide additional district heating and at the same time reduce the burden on the environment. The district council committee has already approved the project, but there is still disagreement in the Böblingen district council about the detailed implementation of the project krzbb.de reported.

Sewage sludge is created during wastewater treatment in sewage treatment plants and is composed of water, organic and mineral substances as well as residues of microplastics and medications. Sewage sludge is currently often used as fertilizer, but this is problematic because heavy metals and other pollutants can enter the environment. The new state-of-the-art sewage sludge utilization plant is intended to advance the thermal utilization of sewage sludge in order to promote environmental protection, generate energy and conserve valuable resources, according to the information on zvkbb.de.

Advantages of the new system

The planned facility in Böblingen is not only a costly investment, but will also bring significant benefits:

• Geringere Schadstoffbelastung für Boden und Luft
• Reduzierte CO₂-Emissionen
• Gewinnung umweltfreundlicher Energie für Wärme und Strom
• Rückgewinnung des Rohstoffs Phosphor aus Klärschlamm

The soil-related utilization of sewage sludge will be banned in many cases in the future in order to avoid the introduction of pollutants into the food chain. Phosphorus mined from limited deposits must be recovered to meet the requirements of the sewage sludge regulation.

The founding phase of the municipal association for sewage sludge utilization has now been completed. The economic viability and environmental benefits of the project have been proven. At the international level, there are already examples of successful projects in Copenhagen and Zurich that have implemented similar concepts for sewage sludge utilization and thus created more efficient cost structures. Such comparisons illustrate the potential of the planned facility in Böblingen and its contribution to sustainable waste management.