Author(s): Juan J. De La Torre-Bayo; Jaime Martin-Pascual; Juan C. Torres-Rojo; Montserrat Zamorano

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Keywords: Biorefineries; Circular Economy; Screenings waste; Wastewater; Zero waste

Abstract: The foundations of the circular economy are increasingly being laid in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Thus, there is a new approach in the operation of these plants, redefining them as biorefineries in order to produce energy and move towards "zero waste". In this direction, an analysis of the screenings produced in the pretreatment of Biofactoría Sur (Granada, Spain), which are currently disposed of in landfills, was carried out. A one-year sampling campaign was carried out, in which 28 samples were collected for subsequent characterization. The first step of the analysis was to classify the fractions present in the waste, which turned out to be mainly composed of sanitary textiles (52.1%) with very little variation among the different samples. The other fractions present, which did vary, were paper and cardboard, vegetables, plastics and others/fine fraction. In order to study possible alternatives to landfill disposal, the most relevant physical and chemical properties of the waste were measured in a second phase. The tests showed that the slurry has a high lower calorific value (24.29 MJ/kg for the dry sample), which, however, is reduced by the moisture content of the waste (77.3%). The composition of this residue could be compared to that of the rejects from the mechanical biological treatment of municipal solid waste, which could open up new possibilities for energy recovery.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC2521711920221925

Year: 2022