Outotec Partners With Thermo-System To Deliver Thermal Processing Solutions For Nutrient Recycling

Outotec partners with Thermo-System to deliver thermal processing solutions for nutrient recycling

Outotec has partnered with Thermo-System GmbH, a German based global leader in low-energy drying technology, to complement its waste-to-energy and sludge incineration technologies. In this partnership Outotec will get exclusive rights to market Thermo-System's low-energy drying method in connection with Outotec's thermal processing solutions in Scandinavia, the Baltic and the CIS countries. Outotec has a portfolio of comprehensive sludge treatment solutions for energy production and nutrient recycling.

Municipal energy and sewage treatment companies will benefit from Outotec's thermal processing solutions, because instead of composting the sludge, they can recover valuable nutrients and sell it to fertilizer producers. Low-energy drying technology is used mainly for pre-drying the sewage sludge or wet peat before incineration, using waste heat from district heating as an energy source. Part of the pre-dried sludge will be mixed with the incineration ashes to produce valuable raw material rich in phosphor, nitrogen and potassium for the fertilizer industry.

Phosphor recovered in thermal processing combined with low-energy drying is in slow-soluble format and thus particularly well suited for forest fertilizers. Outotec is cooperating with the leading Finnish forest and organic fertilizer producer Ecolan Oy to develop a thermal treatment plant for sewage sludge for the town of Nokia in Finland. The project is currently in the construction phase and expected to be operational in the first quarter in 2017.

"The partnership with Thermo-System fits perfectly with our circular economy approach: We use our expertise to recover and recycle the valuable nutrients and thus help to solve challenges relating to resource scarcity. In addition, our thermal processing combined with low-energy drying is a safe way to manage organic micro pollutants in sewage sludges", says Kari Knuutila, CTO of Outotec.

Outotec is also using other pre-drying methods than low-energy drying in its waste-to-energy solutions and markets them globally.