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Techno-Economic Analysis of Scenarios on Energy and Phosphorus Recovery from Mono- and Co-Combustion of Municipal Sewage Sludge

Author

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  • Marzieh Bagheri

    (Division of Energy Science, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden)

  • Marcus Öhman

    (Division of Energy Science, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden)

  • Elisabeth Wetterlund

    (Division of Energy Science, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden)

Abstract

This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of energy and phosphorus (P) fertilizer (PF) recovery from municipal sewage sludge (MSS) through incineration in new combustion plants. We evaluated the economic impact of five critical process design choices: (1) boiler type, (2) fuel (MSS mono-combustion/co-combustion with wheat straw), (3) production scale (10/100 MW), (4) products (heat, electricity, PF), and (5) ash destination. Aspen Plus modeling provided mass and energy balances of each technology scenario. The economic feasibility was evaluated by calculating the minimum selling price of the products, as well as the MSS gate fees required to reach profitability. The dependency on key boundary conditions (operating time, market prices, policy support) was also evaluated. The results showed a significant dependency on both energy and fertilizer market prices and on financial support in the form of an MSS gate fee. Heat was preferred over combined heat and power (CHP), which was feasible only on the largest scale (100 MW) at maximum annual operating time (8000 h/y). Co-combustion showed lower heat recovery cost (19–30 €/MWh) than mono-combustion (29–66 €/MWh) due to 25–35% lower energy demand and 17–25% higher fuel heating value. Co-combustion also showed promising performance for P recovery, as PF could be recovered without ash post-treatment and sold at a competitive price, and co-combustion could be applicable also in smaller cities. When implementing ash post-treatment, the final cost of ash-based PF was more than four times the price of commercial PF. In conclusion, investment in a new combustion plant for MSS treatment appears conditional to gate fees unless the boundary conditions would change significantly.

Suggested Citation

  • Marzieh Bagheri & Marcus Öhman & Elisabeth Wetterlund, 2022. "Techno-Economic Analysis of Scenarios on Energy and Phosphorus Recovery from Mono- and Co-Combustion of Municipal Sewage Sludge," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-25, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:5:p:2603-:d:757014
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hossein Beidaghy Dizaji & Thomas Zeng & Volker Lenz & Dirk Enke, 2022. "Valorization of Residues from Energy Conversion of Biomass for Advanced and Sustainable Material Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-5, April.

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