Nutrient recycling from wastewater sludge.

Organisation: Kemira Oyj

Time: 8/27/2009 – 8/27/2014

Description:

Kemira plays a significant role in the removal of nutrients from waste effluents from the Baltic Rim countries. The company commits itself to returning phosphorus and nitrogen, nutrients in wastewater sludge, to the natural cycle by introducing solutions that facilitate the safe recycling of nutrients into crop farming in the Baltic Rim countries. It also commits itself to influencing regulations and attitudes in favor of nutrient recycling.

Finland’s requirements for fertilizer products used in land improvement are among the tightest in the EU. The baseline of these requirements is that any land improvement substances used must be safe and beneficial to plant production. Substances added to the land must not burden our fields with heavy metals, nor may their runoff from agricultural fields cause eutrophication. Efficient supervision and authorization procedures prevent poor practices.

Sludge disposal is a growing problem. Without their controlled return to nature, the nutrients in sludge can drift back and eutrophicate waterways, or accumulate in landfills. At present, artificial fertilizers are used in plant production, and their usage will continue in future. Forecasts indicate that, at current consumption levels, virgin phosphorus raw material will suffice for an estimated 70 years. Using BAT technology, the production of one kilogram of nitrogen requires 33-34 MJ/per one kg N. The ecological way to dispose of both nutrients, and the micronutrients contained in the sludge, lies in plant production.