Title:
Torwash® Technology: Transforming Wet Waste Streams into Circular Products at Demonstration Scale
Author(s):
Nanou, P., Pels, J.R., van der Meijden, C.M.
Document(s):
Paper
Slide presentation
Abstract:
This paper presents the results of the RHEA project, in which the TORWASH® hydrothermal treatment technology was evaluated as a sludge processing method at the municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Land van Cuijk (NL). The objective was to demonstrate reliable operation at a scale approximately twenty times larger than the previous pilot installation tested at the municipal WWTP of Almere (2018–2019). The scale-up proved successful. Long-duration operation showed that TORWASH® can produce both biogas and solid biomass fuel from surplus sludge, by significantly improving sludge dewatering performance. Mechanical dewatering produces filter cakes with an average dry solids content of 53% without the use of polyelectrolyte (PE). The TORWASH® press cakes can be co-fired as a secondary fuel in a biomass power plant, with potential co-firing percentages of 10–20%. They are a commercially relevant fuel provided stable volumes and quality can be achieved. Anaerobic digestion of the filtrate yielded a medium-calorific biogas and a COD removal efficiency of 51-65% was achieved. Phosphate recovery via struvite precipitation was effective due to the high phosphate concentrations in the filtrate with 80% of the phosphate being converted. Further improvements that are currently in progress include optimisation of reject water treatment and of energy recovery, understanding the behaviour of micro-pollutants and better insight in capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) expenses towards the first full-scale TORWASH® plant.
Keywords:
biogas, thermochemical conversion, waste, sludge, wastewater treatment, solid biofuel
Topic:
Industry Track
Subtopic:
Sustainable management of waste streams and process residues for industrial applications
Event:
34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
IBO.3.2
Pages:
1085 - 1092
ISBN:
978-88-89407-27-1
Paper DOI:
10.5071/34thEUBCE2026-IBO.3.2
Price:
FREE
