Ravinteet kiertoon – vesistöt kuntoon | Kiertotalouden kärkihankkeen lähtölaukaus | Recycle nutrients for clear waters | Forum for Action 19.– 20.4.2016

1. New policy measures for phosphorus recycling in
Switzerland
An applied researcher’s perspective
Anders Nättorp
Institute for Ecopreneurship, School of Life Sciences, FHNW

2. Outline
Switzerland
• Sludge treatment
• Phosphorus flows
Swiss legislation
• Decree on solid waste
• Fertilizer legislation
Perspectives
Institut für Ecopreneurship - Unternehmen für die Umwelt

3. Countrywise sewage sludge disposal in the EU
0
250000
500000
750000
1000000
1250000
1500000
1750000
2000000
AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK CH
other
landfill
application to land
incineration
Institut für Ecopreneurship - Unternehmen für die Umwelt
Source: Environmental, economic and social impacts of the use of sewage sludge on land, part I:
Overview report, milieu Ltd, WRc, RPA, 2010, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/sludge/index.htm
Drymatter(to/year)
Agriculture 42%
Incineration 27%

4. Switzerland
8 Million inhabitants
Landfill of organic materials forbidden since 2000
Sewage sludge not used in agriculture since 2006
->100% incineration
Institut für Ecopreneurship - Unternehmen für die Umwelt
Picture:
Marcel Wiesweg,
creative commons

5. WWTP
Mono-
incineration
Landfill
MSWI
Drying Cement works 27%
18%
55%
Landfill
Current sewage sludge treatment

6. 5’900 t P
29’000 t P
30’000 t P
3’000 t P
6’100 t P
Phosphorus cycle in Switzerland

7. Swiss legislation on waste
Landfill of organic materials forbidden since 2000
Sewage sludge not used in agriculture since 2006
Phosphorus recycling
–New decree on solid waste since January 2016
–Sewage sludge and meat and bone meal
–10 year transition period
Institut für Ecopreneurship - Unternehmen für die Umwelt

8. Swiss legislation on Fertilizer
Sewage sludge classified as recycling fertilizer (DüV)
Recycling fertilizer (ChemRRV)
 No direct use of sewage sludge allowed
 Low limits for heavy metals
Today no commercial process for recovery possible
Introduction of mineral recycled fertilizer category planned for 2018
 Min P2O5, plant availibility,…(DüV), contaminant limits (Chem RRV)
 Potential materials are sewage sludge ash, meat and bonemeal ash, wood ash
The goal is to reduce the heavy metal input to the soil!
Samuel Vogel, FOAG, September 2014
Andrea Ulrich, FOAG, personal communication

9. Perspectives
Development in Canton Zürich
RRB 572/2007: future disposal of sewage sludge must ensure
phosphorus recovery and good energy use
Preevaluation in 2008 of monoincineration for all 1.3 Million
inhabitants
Negociation of common sludge disposal for the entire canton
Project for monoincineration plant -> accepted with 97% in 2013
Start of plant in 2015
Institut für Ecopreneurship - Unternehmen für die Umwelt
Leo Morf, AWEL,
September 2014
Picture: ERZ

10. Perspectives
Development in Canton Zürich
RRB 572/2007: future disposal of sewage sludge must ensure phosphorus
recovery and good energy use
Phosphorus recovery technology
evaluation by FHNW in 2009
Institut für Ecopreneurship - Unternehmen für die Umwelt
WWTP Digestion Dewatering Drying Mineralization Landfill
Conform
effluent
. .
Waste
water
Phosphorus
1
Phosphorus
2
Phosphorus
3
System boundary
Picture:Lüscher& Nättorp, 2009
Development of sewage sludge ash leaching
process 2012-2015
Piloting of phosphoric acid production process
with purification by solvent extraction in 2016
Leo Morf, AWEL, personal communication
http://www.awel.zh.ch -> Phosphor
Picture: AWEL, 2016, translated

11. Technical development
Approximately five ash based processes ready to be implemented
Can the incineration in cementworks and MSWI be combined with recovery?
Upcoming implementation aid
BAT/ yield
plant availability of fertilizers
Cost and cooperation
Cost increase of 1- 45 Mio EUR/a and investment cost of 90- 380 Mio. EUR estimated
How should stakeholders share responsibility for recovery and recycling?
How to distribute the cost?
Perspectives
Switzerland
Technical data sheets P-REX, www.p-rex.eu
Nättorp & Hukari, Aqua &Gas 1/2016

12. Thank you for your time and your attention!
 Contact:
Anders Nättorp
FHNW, Institute for Ecopreneurship
anders.naettorp@fhnw.ch +41 61 467 4442
Do you have
questions?
Institut für Ecopreneurship - Unternehmen für die Umwelt