The pilot plant at Testbed Ellinge handed over to VA SYD
During the spring and summer, we have been working on fine-tuning the pilot plant operation. On 15 July, the supplier Aquagreen handed over the plant to VA SYD.
The pilot plant at Ellinge wastewater treatment facility, a HECLA Setores 300 HTE, is Aquagreen’s first delivered pyrolysis installation. It also includes a steam dryer, gas burner, water scrubber, and other associated equipment.
In April 2022, VA SYD commissioned the plant from Aquagreen following an evaluation of three different proposals from various company constellations. The preliminary handover date was March 2023. However, due to the project’s complexity (greater than anticipated), high staff turnover at Aquagreen, and delayed delivery of certain components, the pilot project has been delayed by just over two years.
Complex operations
Despite intensive efforts and operational technicians on duty throughout the summer, the system has not performed as expected. The operation is complicated by the varying types of sludge. When new sludge is received, the dryer settings must be carefully adjusted—both to prevent the sludge from becoming too dry and starting to smoulder, and to avoid it being too wet and clogging the dryer outlet. Overly wet dried sludge in the pyrolysis process also causes blockages at the inlet of the pyrolysis furnace. Blockages in the pyrolysis gas pipe between the furnace and the gas burner are now prevented by cleaning these pipes every morning.
We have now produced 55 different types of biochar from sludge and have begun analysing the lab results from regular sampling. This autumn, we will present our first preliminary findings at NORDIWA 2025 in Oslo, 23–25 September, and at the European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference & Exhibition in Manchester, 11–12 November.
Many treatment plants are now waiting for their turn to process their sludge. We hope operations run smoothly this autumn and that your sludge will soon be processed through the facility.
