4.4 Thermochemische Reststoffbehandlung und Wertstoffrückgewinnung
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Weltweit werden etwa 80–85 % aller abgebauten Rohphosphate für die Produktion von Düngemitteln verwendet. Bei noch steigendem Bedarf an Phosphor (P) geht man derzeit davon aus, dass die weltweiten P-Reserven noch über 200 Jahre ausreichen. Um den P-Vorrat langfristig abzusichern, sollte der in Reststoffen enthaltene Phosphor möglichst umfänglich genutzt werden. Dieser Forderung trägt das von der Bundesregierung 2012 erstmals beschlossene Deutsche Ressourceneffizienzprogramm ProgRess Rechnung. Rohphosphat wird auch seitens der Europäischen Kommission aufgrundseiner ökonomischen Bedeutung und des unsicheren Angebots als „kritischer Rohstoff“ eingestuft. Vor diesem Hintergrund hat die Bundesregierung in der Verordnung zur Neuordnung der Klärschlammverwertung vom 27. September 2017 in Deutschland eine verpflichtende technische Rückgewinnung von Phosphor für Abwasserbehandlungsanlagen ab einer Ausbaugröße von 100.000 Einwohnerwerten (12 Jahre nach Inkrafttreten der Verordnung) bzw. ab einer Ausbaugröße von über 50.000 Einwohnerwerten (15 Jahre nach Inkrafttreten der Verordnung) vorgeschrieben. Die Verordnung enthält keine Vorgaben hinsichtlich der anzuwendenden Technologie bei der Phosphorrückgewinnung. Ausgenommen von der Rückgewinnungspflicht sind Klärschlämme mit niedrigen Phosphorgehalten (weniger als 20 Gramm Phosphor je Kilogramm Klärschlamm-Trockenmasse). Auch die im Jahre 2017 verabschiedeten neuen Rechtsvorschriften für die Düngung verlangen zukünftig einen nachhaltigen und ressourceneffizienten Umgang mit Nährstoffen bei der landwirtschaftlichen Erzeugung und schränken die P-Zufuhr insbesondere auf hoch versorgten Böden ein (Düngeverordnung vom 26. Mai 2017). Dies wird zu einem mehr am Pflanzenbedarf orientierten und ggf. vermehrt überbetrieblichen Einsatz von wirtschaftseigenen Düngern führen. Um den politischen und gesetzlichen Anforderungen gerecht zu werden, müssen einerseits wirksame und kosteneffiziente technische Verfahren zum P-Recycling (weiter)entwickelt werden. Andererseits müssen die Recyclingprodukte die Anforderungen für eine direkte Verwendung in der Landwirtschaft oder als Rohstoff für die Herstellung von Düngemitteln erfüllen. In dem vorliegenden Standpunkt wird zunächst der potenzielle Beitrag von Reststoffen zur Deckung des P-Bedarfs in der deutschen Pflanzenproduktion geschätzt. Für die wichtigsten Reststoffe werden technische Verfahren zur P-Rückgewinnung bzw. Aufarbeitung skizziert. Auf Basis der Anforderungen der Landwirtschaft bzw. der Düngemittelindustrie
an die P-Recyclingprodukte werden deren Herstellungsverfahren bewertet. Schließlich wird der Regelungs- und Forschungsbedarf formuliert.
In order to protect natural gypsum deposits and to compensate for the decreasing amount of Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) gypsum it is necessary to develop and explore new sources of gypsum. For this purpose, the potentials of different gypsum wastes are investigated in the study “GipsRec 2.0”, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany).
On the one hand, the project worked on a new processing technology for gypsum fiberboards (GFB). While the recycling of gypsum plasterboards has already been carried out on an industrial scale for several years, the recycling of gypsum fiberboards (GFB) has proven to be challenging. Gypsum fiberboards from demolition sites and offcuts from GFB production were used for these investigations. The tests were conducted on a technical scale. Furthermore, various synthetic gypsums are being investigated with regard to their suitability for gypsum production. The analyses are carried out on production residues.
In this project, a promising process for gypsum fiberboard recycling could be developed, as well as other waste gypsums are investigated and evaluated with regard to their potential as secondary raw material. In addition, selected process routes are assessed for their environmental impact using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach.
Advantages of recycling gypsum plaster boards
During the last decades the material composition of buildings has become increasingly diverse. However, largely sorted material flows are needed for generating high quality secondary building materials. The use of secondary building materials can meet the requirements of sustainability in several ways: the extended time availability of primary raw materials and, thereby, the preservation of natural resources as well as the conservation of landfill sites.
Recycling of gypsum (calcium sulfate) can be a good example for the environmental benefits of closed-loop recycling. The content of sulfates in other secondary building materials, in particular in recycled concrete aggregates, should be minimized for quality reasons. In contrast, separated gypsum can also be used in gypsum production if the high quality requirements for the recycled gypsum are met. Since almost all processing steps in the recycling process are associated with environmental impacts, an environmental evaluation of the use of recycled gypsum as a substitute in gypsum production has to be carefully conducted.
This paper focusses on the techniques for generating recycled gypsum from gypsum plasterboards, the related quality requirements and a comprehensive environmental evaluation of the complete process.
During the last decades the material composition of buildings has become increasingly diverse. However, largely sorted material flows are needed for generating high quality secondary building materials. The use of secondary building materials can meet the requirements of sustainability in several ways: the extended time availability of primary raw materials and, thereby, the preservation of natural resources as well as the conservation of landfill sites.
Recycling of gypsum (calcium sulfate) can be a good example for the environmental benefits of closed-loop recycling. The content of sulfates in other secondary building materials, in particular in recycled concrete aggregates, should be minimized for quality reasons. In contrast, separated gypsum can also be used in gypsum production if the high quality requirements for the recycled gypsum are met. Since almost all processing steps in the recycling process are associated with environmental impacts, an environmental evaluation of the use of recycled gypsum as a substitute in gypsum production has to be carefully conducted.
This paper focusses on the techniques for generating recycled gypsum from gypsum plasterboards, the related quality requirements and a comprehensive environmental evaluation of the complete process.
The use of secondary building materials can meet the requirements of sustainability in several ways: the extended time availability of primary raw materials and, thereby, the protection of natural ressources as well as the conservation of landfill sites. Regarding the predicted decrease of gypsum supply in Germany, particularly the recycling of gypsum (calcium sulfate) is of growing importance. Currently, the gypsum demand is fulfilled (at least 60%) by gypsum as side product from coal-fired power plants (FGD Gypsum). Germany’s natural gypsum deposits fulfil the remaining gypsum demand. Due to national climate protection goals the gypsum supply from coal power plants will decrease significantly in the future.
In addition, the content of sulfates in other secondary building materials, in particular in recycled concrete aggregates, should be minimized for quality reasons. Separated gypsum can be used in gypsum production if the high quality requirements for recycled gypsum are met. Accordingly, there have been significant advancements in the processing of gypsum residues in the last years. Since almost all processing steps in the recycling process are associated with environmental impacts, an evironmental evaluation of the use of recycled gypsum as a substitute in gypsum production has to be carefully conducted.
The presentation focusses on the techniques for generating recycled gypsum from gypsum plaster boards, the related quality requirements and a comprehensive environmental evaluation of the complete process.
Gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) has excellent building material properties and has been widely used in constructions in the last decades in many countries. Accordingly, an increase of waste gypsum in C&D waste is expected in the upcoming years. On one hand, sulfates are unwanted in other secondary building materials (particularly in recycled concrete aggregates) and should be minimized for quality reasons. On the other hand, used gypsum from CDW can also be used in gypsum production if the high quality requirements for the recycled gypsum – especially regarding the sorting accuracy - are met.
A large percentage of the gypsum from buildings was installed as gypsum plasterboards in interior fittings so far. Gypsum plasterboards are comparatively simple to remove and to separate during selective dismantling. Therefore, a high sorting purity can be achieved. In addition, techniques for the recycling of gypsum plasterboards already exist and high quality standards can be achieved. Also, the reuse in gypsum production has been improved in the last decade. Furthermore, an environmental evaluation of the whole process of gypsum plasterboard recycling and reuse showed that this approach can be environmentally advantageous. Therefore, a closed-loop recycling of gypsum plasterboards is feasible.
This poster will show the development of gypsum consumption in different countries as well as a prognosis for the upcoming of gypsum in CDW in the future decades in Germany. Furthermore, a simplified scheme of the recycling process and selected results from an environmental evaluation will be presented.
Gypsum is widely used in the construction sector, and its worldwide consumption has been increasing now for several decades. Currently, the gypsum demand is met up to 60% by FGD gypsum (a by-product from coal-fired power plants) in Germany. The natural gypsum deposits cover the remaining gypsum demand. Due to national climate protection goals and the related shutdown of coal-fired power plants, the FGD gypsum supply will decrease significantly in the coming years and, therefore, other gypsum sources must be found.
Depending on the lifetime of the used gypsum products in the construction sector, an increase of gypsum in construction and demolition waste is to be expected. With regard to an upcoming shortage of gypsum, several approaches are being tested to recover gypsum from construction and demolition waste. Gypsum plasterboard recycling is already implemented on an industrial scale. Furthermore, new processes to recycle different types of gypsum products from construction and demolition waste are being examined. Of particular interest are different types of gypsum boards because they are well suited for selective dismantling. Therefore, they can be recovered comparatively free of impurities which is most important for the gypsum recycling.
In the research project “GipsRec 2.0”, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, recycling methods for gypsum fiberboards are being investigated. Additionally, the suitability of different types of synthetic gypsum as substitutes for FGD gypsum is being considered. Currently, the quantities of recycled gypsum are not sufficient with regard to the reduction of FGD gypsum. An increase of gypsum recycling should be achieved to narrow the future gypsum gap that will occur in the near future.
Ausgehend von der aktuellen Situation in Deutschland werden die Themen Baustoffaufbereitung, Ressourceneffizienz vorgestellt und Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung der Baustoffqualität von Baurestmassen vorgestellt. Zielkonflikte und Beispiele dazu aus dem Baubereich (z.B. Mantelverordnung) werden benannt.
Gips gehört zu den nachgefragtesten Baustoffen und entsprechend steigt der Gipsverbrauch weltweit schon seit Jahrzehnten an. In Deutschland wird der Gipsbedarf seit vielen Jahren zu einem guten Teil durch REA-Gips, einem Nebenprodukt aus der Abgasreinigung von Kohlekraftwerken, gedeckt. Die weitere Gipsversorgung erfolgt größtenteils durch die Nutzung natürlicher Gipsvorkommen. Ein geringer, aber steigender Anteil an RC-Gips aus dem Baustoffrecycling und die Nutzung synthetischer Gipse aus Nebenprodukten anderer Industriezweige sind ebenfalls zu verzeichnen. Aufgrund der nationalen Klimaschutzziele und der damit verbundenen Abschaltung von Kohlekraftwerken wird das REA-Gipsangebot in den nächsten Jahren jedoch weiter deutlich zurückgehen, so dass andere Gipsquellen erschlossen werden müssen.
Abhängig von der Lebensdauer der verwendeten Gipsprodukte im Bausektor ist infolge des in den vergangenen Jahren erfolgten Anstiegs des Gipsverbrauchs auch mit einer Zunahme von Gipsresten in Bau- und Abbruchabfällen zu rechnen. Im Hinblick auf eine bevorstehende Verknappung von Gips wird die Rückgewinnung dieser Gipse aus Bau- und Abbruchabfällen immer wichtiger. Das Recycling von Gipskartonplatten ist mittlerweile eine etablierte Technik und wird bereits seit einigen Jahren in industriellem Maßstab durchgeführt. Außerdem werden neue Verfahren zur Wiederverwertung weiterer Gipsprodukte aus Rück- und Umbaumaßnahmen untersucht. Von besonderem Interesse sind verschiedene Arten von Gipsplatten, da sie gut für selektiven Rückbau geeignet sind. Daher können sie vergleichsweise frei von Verunreinigungen oder Störstoffen zurückgewonnen werden, was für das Gipsrecycling besonders wichtig ist.
In dem vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderten Forschungsprojekt "GipsRec 2.0" werden technische, wirtschaftliche und ökologische Aspekte des Recyclings von Gipsfaserplatten sowie von verschiedenen Synthesegipsen untersucht und bewertet. Die Aufbereitung von Gipsfaserplatten erfolgte im halbtechnischen Maßstab, an verschiedenen potentiellen Ausgangsstoffen für synthetische Gipse wurden Laborversuche durchgeführt. Erfolgversprechende Verfahrenswege werden ökobilanziell bewertet. Ziel dieser Arbeiten ist die Erschließung der Sekundärrohstoffpotenziale von weiteren Quellen für die RC-Gipsproduktion um mit einer Steigerung des Gipsrecyclings die in naher Zukunft durch die Reduktion der REA-Gips-Bereitstellung entstehende Lücke in der Rohstoffversorgung zu verringern.
In order to protect natural gypsum deposits and to compensate for the decreasing amount of Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) gypsum it is necessary to develop and explore new sources of gypsum. For this purpose, the potentials of different gypsum wastes are investigated in the study “GipsRec 2.0”, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany).
On the one hand, the project worked on a new processing technology for gypsum fiberboards (GFB). While the recycling of gypsum plasterboards has already been carried out on an industrial scale for several years, the recycling of gypsum fiberboards (GFB) has proven to be challenging. Gypsum fiberboards from demolition sites and offcuts from GFB production were used for these investigations. The tests were conducted on a technical scale. Furthermore, various synthetic gypsums are being investigated with regard to their suitability for gypsum production. The analyses are carried out on production residues.
In this project, a promising process for gypsum fiberboard recycling could be developed, as well as other waste gypsums are investigated and evaluated with regard to their potential as secondary raw material. In addition, selected process routes are assessed for their environmental impact using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach.
Atmospheric deposition of particulate matter is an important indicator of air pollution and a significant factor in material surface fouling. The elemental composition of this nutrient-containing dust depends largely on the exposure region and time as well as on climate. Therefore, in this paper we report an analysis of atmospheric pollutions with a self-made low-cost bulk deposition sampler directed at sampling deposition via air transport and rainfall. We used the device in diverse environments - thus comparing an urban region, an area surrounded by forest and an area mainly dominated by agriculture. The total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) amounts were selected as indicator parameters and analyzed in a biweekly rhythm for three and a half and two years, respectively. The TOC value responded to particulate matter in the urban area, especially significant were the influences of the New Year's firework in urban and pollen in the rural forest area. In contrast, the TN value was more under the influence of the nitrogen emissions in the agriculture-dominated area. However, the TN value did not correlate with the NOx values in the urban area because the atmospheric nitrogen emissions in the city might originate from various emission sources. Summarizing, the TOC and TN values of the self-made low-cost bulk deposition sampler were in good agreement with environmental events of their immediate surrounding. Moreover, the selected containers and sampling procedures are universally applicable to monitor and analyze organic as well as inorganic parameters (e.g. metal ions) of atmospheric deposition.
A wide range of methods are used to estimate the plant-availability of soil phosphorus (P). Published research has shown that the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique has a superior correlation to plant-available P in soils compared to standard chemical extraction tests. In order to identify the plant-available soil P species, we combined DGT with infrared and P K- and L-edge X-ray adsorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. This was achieved by spectroscopically investigating the dried binding layer of DGT devices after soil deployment. All three spectroscopic methods were able to distinguish between different kinds of phosphates (poly-, trimeta-, pyro- and orthophosphate) on the DGT binding layer. However, infrared spectroscopy was most sensitive to distinguish between different types of adsorbed inorganic and organic phosphates. Additionally, also intermediates of the time-resolved hydrolysis of trimetaphosphate in soil could be analyzed. Furthermore, infrared and XANES microspectroscopy make it also possible to analyze P compounds on the binding layer with a lateral resolution down to 1 µm2. Therefore, P species of a spatial soil segment (e.g. rhizosphere) can be mapped and analyzed.
Phosphorus (P) plays an essential role in the global food security. However, the global P reservoirs have a statistic lifetime of about 385 years only. Due to the scarcity of P and the increasing world population an efficient and sustainable recycling management is required. A few biogenic waste materials are high in P contents such as sewage sludge and meat and bone meal. Thus, they are suitable for P recycling and fertilizer production. But besides the high P content sewage sludge is often highly contaminated with organic pollutants and toxic heavy metals which have to be eliminated before agricultural field application. In this presentation we show the potential of sewage sludge as secondary resource for fertilizers. This includes our developments in thermochemical processes for the production of novel P-fertilizers from recycled materials. Furthermore, for these novel P-fertilizers common extraction tests to determine the plant-available P are often unusable. Therefore, we successfully applied the Diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) techniques to analyse the plant-availability of P-fertilizers from recycled materials.
Specific co-fertilization of nutrients can enhance their plant-availability and thus the yield of plants. To investigate this effect, we performed a pot experiment with three different P-fertilizers and ammonium nitrate sulfate as a co-fertilizer, without and with a nitrification inhibitor (NI), and analyzed the form of nitrogen (N) in the soil via novel X-ray spectroscopic method. The application of NI with the N fertilizer led to a higher dry matter yield of maize. Novel N K-edge micro-X-ray absorption near-edge structure (micro-XANES) spectroscopy identified that the application of a NI promotes the temporary formation of a non-exchangeable N in detectable hot-spots in the soil. The subsequent slow release and prolonged availability of N during plant growth leads to higher yield. It can be concluded that NIs lead to a temporary fixation of ammonium-N in a pool that can be accessed by plant roots. Those types of available nutrient pools meet the idea of so-called “next generation fertilizers” as plants have access to nutrients according to their current demand.
Recycling-Düngemittel auf Basis von sekundären Ressourcen (Gülle, Gärreste, Klärschlamm, Tiermehl etc.) gewinnen in den letzten Jahren zunehmend an Bedeutung in der Landwirtschaft. Die in den Recycling-Düngemitteln enthaltenen P-Spezies weichen oft stark von denen in konventionell hergestellten Düngemitteln aus Rohphosphat ab, zudem enthalten Recyclingdünger oft mehrere verschiedene P-Formen. Die Pflanzenverfügbarkeit des P in ist ganz wesentlich von der enthaltenen P-Form abhängig. Derzeit gibt es außer zeitaufwendigen und kostspieligen Gefäß- und Feldversuchen keine zufriedenstellende Testmethode zur Analyse der P-Pflanzenverfügbarkeit von unterschiedlichen Recycling P-Düngemitteln. Die im europäischen Düngemittelrecht normierten chemischen Extraktionsmethoden (Wasser, Zitronensäure, Ameisensäure, neutral Ammoniumcitrat etc.) zeigen oftmals keine oder nur sehr geringe Korrelation zu der P-Aufnahme von Pflanzen in Gefäßversuchen mit Recycling-Düngemitteln (Kratz et al. 2010, Steckenmesser et al. 2017, Vogel et al. 2017). Eine grundlegende Schwäche chemischer Extraktionsmethoden liegt darin, dass es sich dabei um statische Methoden handelt, die nicht in der Lage sind, die im System Boden/Düngemittel-Bodenlösung-Pflanze stattfindenden dynamischen Prozesse wie P-Freisetzung und Entzug durch die Pflanzenwurzeln abzubilden.
Einen Lösungsansatz bieten hier sog. P-Senken-Methoden. Bereits in den 1950er Jahren wurden erstmals P-Senken zur Analyse des Boden-P angewendet (Chardon et al. 1996). In den darauffolgenden Jahrzehnten wurden verschiedene P-Senken auf der Basis von Eisenoxid-Papier entwickelt (Chardon et al. 1996). Jedoch konnten diese Ansätze auch nur begrenzt zur Bestimmung der P-Pflanzenverfügbarkeit des Boden-P eingesetzt werden. Mitte der 1990er Jahre wurde die DGT (engl. diffusive gradients in thin films) Methode entwickelt (Zhang et al. 1998). Bei der DGT Methode diffundiert P aus der Bodenlösung des angefeuchteten Bodens durch einen Membranfilter und die Diffusionsschicht und wird anschließend an einer Bindungsschicht absorbiert. Durch den Diffusionsgradienten wird das Gleichgewicht in der Bodenlösung permanent gestört, wodurch auch labiles P im Boden gelöst wird. Die stetige Entnahme von P aus der Bodenlösung über die Diffusions-/Bindungsschicht simuliert dabei den Entzug von P durch die Pflanzenwurzel. Die an die Bindungsschicht adsorbierte Menge an P korreliert stark mit der P-Aufnahme von Pflanzen (u.a. Mason et al. 2005, 2013; Menzies et al. 2005, Six et al. 2012). Im Gegensatz zu chemischen Extraktionsmethoden werden bei der DGT Methode Mischungen an Düngemittel und Boden für mehrere Tage inkubiert (Vogel et al. 2017; Duboc et al. 2017), da ansonsten wasserlösliche P-Dünger den DGT Adsorber sättigen und wasserunlösliche P-Dünger unterschätzt werden. Ein bis zwei Wochen Inkubation sind ausreichend, damit sich pflanzenverfügbares P in die Mischungen bildet.
In letzter Zeit haben verschiedene Forschungsgruppen gezeigt, dass die DGT Methode auch eine sehr gute Korrelation mit der Pflanzenverfügbarkeit verschiedener Typen von (Recycling-)P-Düngemitteln aufweist (Vogel et al. 2017; Duboc et al. 2017; Foereid 2017; Haarstad and Bavor 2017; Lemming et al. 2017). Bei Gefäßversuchen mit verschiedenen Recycling P-Düngemitteln konnte die DGT Methode den Ertrag bzw. die P-Aufnahme von Mais deutlich besser vorhersagen als herkömmliche chemische Extraktionsmethoden (Vogel et al. 2017; Duboc et al. 2017).
Daher kann die DGT Methode im Vorfeld der Zulassung von neuen Düngermitteltypen als zuverlässige und robuste Methode zum Screening von Produktvarianten eines Düngemittelherstellers verwendet werden. Um dieses Messverfahren im Rahmen des Düngemittelrechts als Bewertungsinstrument für die Abschätzung der Pflanzenverfügbarkeit unterschiedlicher Düngemittel zu verwenden, muss es allerdings zunächst standardisiert werden. Zu diesem Zweck bietet sich der Einsatz eines „standardisierten“ Bodens bzw. Bodenrezepts an. Zur Kalibrierung der Methode im jeweiligen Labor könnten auch chemisch definierte P-Verbindungen mit bekannter Löslichkeit/Pflanzenverfügbarkeit als Referenz-substanzen verwendet werden.
Previous research shows that analytical methods based on Diffusive Gradients in Thin films (DGT) provide very good correlations to the amount of bioavailable nutrients and pollutants in the environmental samples. However, these DGT results do not identify which compound of the specific element has the high bioavailability. Using various spectroscopic techniques (infrared, XANES and NMR spectroscopy) to analyze the dried DGT binding layers after deployment could allow us to determine the specific elements or compounds. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen are often, together with other elements, present as molecules in the environment. These ions are detectable and distinguishable by infrared and NMR spectroscopy, respectively. In addition, XANES spectroscopy allows for the specification of nutrients and pollutants (e.g. chromium) on the DGT binding layer. Furthermore, microspectroscopic techniques make it also possible to analyze compounds on the DGT binding layer with a lateral resolution down to 5 µm2. Therefore, species of elements and compounds of e.g. a spatial soil segment can be mapped and analyzed, providing valuable insight to understand the dynamics of nutrients and pollutants in the environment. Here we will present the advantages and limitations of this novel combination of techniques.
Phosphorus (P) fertilizers from secondary resources became increasingly important in the last years. However, these novel P-fertilizer can also contain toxic pollutants e.g. chromium (Cr) in the hexavalent state (Cr(VI)), which is regulated with low limit values in agricultural products (German fertilizer ordinance limit: 2 mg/kg Cr(VI)). The determination of Cr(VI) in these novel fertilizer matrices can be hampered by redox processes that lead to false results with the standard wet chemical extraction method (German norm DIN EN 15192). Therefore, we analyzed Cr(VI) in various P-fertilizers with the DGT technique. DGT devices equipped with a APA (polyacrylamide) diffusion layer and Cr(VI) selective N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) binding layer were used for the study. After a 24 h conditioning period of the fertilizer at 60% of the water holding capacity (WHC), the fertilizers were brought to 100% WHC, transferred onto the DGT devices and deployed for 24 h at 25°C. The extraction of Cr from the DGT binding layer was carried out with 1 M HNO3 for 24 h. The Cr-concentrations of the extract were determined by means of ICP-MS. We found a good correlation between the standard wet chemical extraction and the DGT method for the whole range of P-fertilizers. However, partly soluble Cr(VI) compounds cannot be detected in full extent by the DGT method that is best suited for mobile Cr(VI). Furthermore, Cr K-edge XANES spectroscopy showed that the Cr(VI)-selective DGT binding layer also adsorbs mobile Cr(III) compounds from acid treatment of phosphates which can therefore cause an overestimation of Cr(VI). The DGT method was very sensitive and in most cases selective for the analysis of Cr(VI) in P-fertilizers made from recycled materials. However, the results of certain types of P-fertilizers containing mobile Cr(III) or partly immobile Cr(VI) show that still some optimization of the method is required to avoid over- or underestimation of Cr(VI).
Phosphorus (P) resource availability is declining and the efficiency of applied nutrients in agricultural soils is becoming increasingly important. This is especially true for P-fertilizers from recycled materials which often have a lower plant-availability compared to commercial P-fertilizers but are expected to play an increasingly important role into the future (Kratz et al. 2019). One promising way to increase the plant-availability of the fertilizer P is a co-fertilization with specific nitrogen (N) forms which can enhance the P uptake and make P-fertilizers from recycled material more competitive to commercial phosphate rock-based P-fertilizers (Rahmatullah et al. 2006; Vogel et al. 2018). To investigate this effect, we performed a pot experiment with three different P-fertilizers (sewage sludge-based, phosphate rock and triple superphosphate) and ammonium nitrate sulfate as a co-fertilizer, without and with a nitrification inhibitor (NI), and analyzed the form of N and P in soil via a suite of chemical and novel X-ray spectroscopic methods. The application of NI with the P and N fertilizers led to a higher dry matter yield and a higher P uptake of maize. Novel N K-edge micro-X-ray absorption near-edge structure (micro-XANES) spectroscopy identified that the application of a NI promotes the temporary formation of a non-exchangeable N in detectable hot-spots in the soil. The subsequent slow release and prolonged availability of N during plant growth leads to higher yield and nutrient uptake. It can be concluded that NIs lead to a temporary fixation of ammonium-N in a pool that can be accessed by plant roots. Those types of available nutrient pools meet the idea of so-called “next generation fertilizers” as plants have access to nutrients according to their current demand.
Dust deposition is an important source of phosphorus (P) to many ecosystems. However, there is little evidence of dust-derived P-containing minerals in soils. Here we studied P forms along a well-described climatic gradient on Hawaii, which is also a dust deposition gradient. Soil mineralogy and soil P forms from six sites along the climatic gradient were analyzed with bulk (X-ray diffraction and P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure)
and microscale (X-ray fluorescence, P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure, and Raman) analysis methods. In the wettest soils, apatite grains ranging from 5 to 30 μm in size were co-located at the micro-scale with quartz, a known continental dust indicator suggesting recent atmospheric deposition. In addition to colocation with quartz, further evidence of dust-derived P included backward trajectory modeling indicating that dust particles could be brought to Hawaii from the major global dust-loading areas in central Asia and northern Africa. Although it is not certain whether the individual observed apatite grains were derived from long-distance transport of dust, or from local dust sources such as volcanic ash or windblown fertilizer, these observations offer direct evidence that P-containing minerals have reached surface layers of highly-weathered grassland soils
through atmospheric deposition.
The aim of this study was to investigate the passive sampler method Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) for ammonium and nitrate in amended soils. Therefore, we used soils from a pot experiment with maize where nitrogen (N) was supplied as ammonium sulfate nitrate (ASN), without and with a nitrification inhibitor (NI). The additional use of a NI can delay the nitrification in the soil and making the ammonium available for a longer period in the soil solution after its application. Homogenized soil samples were collected directly from each pot after one week of incubation before sowing and after harvesting the maize. Nitrate and ammonium in these soil samples were extracted using DGT devices equipped with a Putolite A520E (for nitrate) and Microlite PrCH (for ammonium) binding layer. Ammonium DGT which determined the mobile and labile ammonium forms based on diffusion and the resupplies from the solid soil phase, only showed a significantly higher amount of extractable ammonium with NI compared to that without NI for some samples. However, significantly lower values were found for nitrate of treatments with NI compared to without NI after harvest. Thus, the lower nitrate amounts for treatments with NI compared to the treatments without NI after harvest indicated the delay of the nitrification process by the NI. Furthermore, we compared also the ammonium and nitrate
DGT results to chemical extraction with KCl solutions. The results demonstrated that the trends of DGT results and chemical extraction were complimentary through all the treatments.
Phosphorus (P) fertilizers from secondary resources became increasingly important in the last years. However, these novel P-fertilizers can also contain toxic pollutants. Chromium in its hexavalent state (Cr(VI)) is regulated with low limit values for agricultural products due to its high toxicity, but the determination of Cr(VI) in these novel fertilizer matrices can be hampered by redox processes that lead to false results. Thus, we applied the passive sampler technique Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) for the determination of Cr(VI) in fertilizers and compared the results with the standard wet chemical extraction method (German norm DIN EN 15192) and Cr K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. We determined an overall good correlation between the wet chemical extraction and the DGT method. DGT was very sensitive and in most cases selective for the analysis of Cr(VI) in P-fertilizers. However, hardly soluble Cr(VI) compounds cannot be detected with the DGT method since only mobile Cr(VI) is analyzed. Furthermore, Cr K-edge XANES spectroscopy showed that the DGT binding layer also adsorbs small amounts of mobile Cr(III) compounds which leads to overestimated Cr(VI) values. The results of certain types of P-fertilizers containing mobile Cr(III) or partly immobile Cr(VI), showed that optimization of the DGT method is required to avoid over- or underestimation of Cr(VI).
The amount of plant-available phosphorus (P) in soil strongly influences the yield of plants in agriculture. Therefore, various simple chemical extraction methods have been developed to estimate the plant-available P pools in soil. More recently, several experiments with the DGT technique have shown that it has a much better correlation to plant-available P in soils than standard chemical extraction methods (e.g. calcium-acetate-lactate (CAL), Colwell, Olsen, water) when soils with different characteristics are considered. However, the DGT technique cannot give information on the plant-available P species in the soil. Therefore, we combined DGT with solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This was achieved by using a modified DGT device in which the diffusive layer had a larger pore size, the binding layer incorporated an adsorption material with a higher capacity, and the device had a larger exposure area. The spectroscopic investigation was undertaken after elution of the deployed DGT binding layer in a NaOH solution. Adsorption tests using solutions of known organic P compounds showed that a sufficient amount of these compounds could be adsorbed on the binding layer in order for them to be analyzed by solution 31P NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, various intermediates of the hydrolysis of trimetaphosphate in soil could be also analyzed over time.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals which were developed to improve humanity’s quality of life. Due to their high chemical stability and resistance to degradation by heat or acids, PFAS were used in a variety of consumer products. The continuous use of PFAS in household products and the discharge of PFAS from industrial plants into the sewer system resulted in the contamination of effluents and sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) (Roesch et al. 2022). Since sewage sludge is often used as fertilizer, its application on agricultural soils has been observed as a significant entry path for PFAS into the environment, specifically in our food chain. In Germany the sewage sludge/biosolid application on agricultural land was banned with the amendment of the German Sewage Sludge Ordinance and by 2029 sewage sludge application will be totally prohibited. However, phosphorus (P) from sewage sludge should still be recycled in WWTPs of cities with a population larger than 50,000 residents. To produce high-quality P-fertilizers for a circular economy, PFAS and other pollutants (e.g. pesticides and pharmaceuticals) must be separated from sewage sludge. Due to the strong diversity of industrial PFAS usage it is not clear if a safe application of novel recycled P-fertilizers from WWTPs can be guaranteed. Therefore, we analyzed various sewage sludges and wastewater-based fertilizers. Sewage sludge (SL) samples from various WWTPs in Germany and Switzerland, six sewage sludge ashes (SSA) from Germany, six thermally treated SL and SSA samples with different additives (temperatures: 700-1050 °C), two pyrolyzed SL samples (temperature: 400 °C) and two struvite samples from Germany and Canada were analyzed. The goal was to quantify PFAS in sewage sludges and wastewater-based P-fertilizers with the sum parameter extractable organic fluorine (EOF) by combustion ion chromatography (CIC). The results were compared with data from classical LC-MS/MS target analysis as well as selected samples by HR-MS suspect screening. The EOF values of the SLs mainly range between 154 and 538 µg/kg except for one SL which showed an elevated EOF value of 7209 µg/kg due to high organofluorine contamination. For the SSA samples the EOF values were lower and values between LOQ (approx. 60 µg/kg) and 121 µg/kg could be detected. For the pyrolyzed SLs no EOF values above the LOQ were detected. Moreover, the two wastewater-based struvite fertilizers contain 96 and 112 µg/kg EOF, respectively. In contrast to the EOF values, the sum of PFAS target values were relatively low for all SLs. Additional applied PFAS HR-MS suspect screening aimed to tentatively identify PFAS that could contribute to the hitherto unknown part of the EOF value. The majority of the detected fluorinated compounds are legacy PFAS such as short- and long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCA), perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSA), polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs) and perfluorophosphonic acids (PFPA). Moreover, fluorinated pesticides, pharmaceutical as well as aromatic compounds were also identified, which are all included in the EOF parameter. Our research revealed that the current PFAS limit of 100 µg/kg for the sum of PFOS + PFOA in the German Fertilizer Ordinance is no longer up to date. Since the number of known PFAS already exceeds 10,000, the ordinance limit should be updated accordingly. Recent regulations and restrictions on using long-chain PFAS (≥C8) have resulted in a significant shift in the industry towards (ultra-)short-chain alternatives, and other, partly unknown, emerging PFAS. Ultimately, also fluorinated pesticides and pharmaceuticals, which end up as ultrashort PFAS in the WWTPs, have to be considered as possible pollutants in fertilizers from wastewater, too.
Lightweighting as a cross-cutting technology contributes significantly to achieve the European Green Deal goals. Based on, but not limited to, advanced materials and production technologies, the demand for natural resources and CO2 emmissions are reduced by lightweighting during production, as well as use phase. Therefore, lightweighting is a crucial transformation technology assisting in decoupling economic growth from resource consumption. In this manner, lightweighting contributes significantly as a key technology of relevance for many industrial sectors such as energy, mobility, and infrastructure, towards resource efficiency, climate action and economic strength, as well as a resilient Europe. To strengthen international partnerships, addressing global issues of today at the edge of science with high performance lightweight material based on carbon fibers, an overview about the BAM expertise in carbon fiber reinforced materials is given.
Advanced light weight applications like aircrafts and wind turbine blades are made of fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) with continuous fibre reinforcement and must withstand a high thermo-mechanical cyclic loading. The quality of the fibre matrix interface has a high impact on the fatigue life and was continuously improved over the years since the 50th. The fatigue life of glass fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP) used in aircraft industry is 10 to 100 times higher compared to glass fibre non crimp fabrics used for wind turbine blades.
To assure a constant and reliable high quality and strength of reinforcement fibres, synthetic fibre production is state of the art (CF, GF). There is a need for recycling GFRP and CFRP waste due to the upcoming use. Pyrolysis and solvolysis are more expensive than the mechanical route however enable a more sustainable recycling. Natural fibres and recycled synthetic fibres have a high scatter in quality and strength. Hence it is a challenge to optimize the production / recycling processes to get a reliable quality for any demanding (second life) application.
Chemical routes for using renewables resources and recycling, is going to be a good approach especially for polymer-matrix systems to get 100% quality (back) compared to the state of the art.
Finally, a proper design, life-time extension and repair is preferable to recycling to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible.
Gegenstand dieser Arbeit ist die Untersuchung eines bestehenden pyrometallurgischen Prozesses zur Rückgewinnung von Tantal und Niob aus metallurgischen Reststoffen mit vorwiegend niedriger Wertstoffkonzentration.
Zur näheren Erforschung der im vorliegenden Stoffsystem ablaufenden Reduktionsprozesse wurden in einem Elektrolichtbogenofen Schmelzversuche im Pilotmaßstab durchgeführt. Als Reduktionsmittel diente Koks, welcher mithilfe einer Argon-gespülten Eisenlanze in die flüssige mineralische Schmelze eingebracht wurde. Während der Reduktionsbehandlung werden Refraktärmetalle wie Tantal und Niob in ihre Carbide überführt und anschließend in der erschmolzenen eisenbasierten Metallphase am Boden des Reaktors angereichert. Neben Tantal und Niob gelangt auch ein Teil des im Einsatzmaterial enthaltenen Titans als unerwünschtes Begleitelement in die Metallphase.
Sein Großteil verbleibt jedoch als Oxid in der Schlacke und wird dort hauptsächlich im Mineral Perowskit (CaTiO3) gebunden. Die erstarrten Schlackeproben wurden mit verschiedenen Methoden wie Röntgenfluoreszensanalyse, Röntgenbeugung und Rasterelektronenmikroskopie mit gekoppelter energiedispersiver Röntgenanalyse untersucht, um die Bildung tantalhaltiger Mineralphasen zu verschiedenen Stadien des Reduktionsprozesses zu verfolgen.
Die hier gewonnenen Erkenntnisse zeigen, dass weniger die durch das Einblasen von Koks verursachte Reduktionsreaktion, sondern das Absinken der tantalreichen Eisentröpfchen in der flüssigen mineralischen Schmelze, gefolgt von ihrer Anreicherung in die Metallphase, für die Kinetik ausschlaggebend ist.
Tantalum and niobium are essential for the development of electronics towards a more and more compact design, but without reducing their performance today. Especially in smart phones and tablets, tantalum and niobium capacitors with high charge densities have already become almost indispensable. However, tantalum as a critical raw material is still a problem for the sustainable production of electronics. Due to this fact, the existence of efficient recycling processes especially in Europe is becoming even more important nowadays.
The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) is currently working on the optimisation of an existing pyrometallurgical tantalum recycling process. Optimisation of this industrial process is carried out in a small-scale electric arc furnace (480 kVA, capacity approx. 150 kg/h) at BAM using a new and innovative equipment for on-line analysis of high temperature processes.
The aim of this project is to identify the best timing for an optimum slag tapping, when the slag is lower than minimum targeted tantalum concentration. Hence, LIBS (Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy) is used to identify the chemical composition of the slag layer and during slag tapping. The on-line-LIBS prototype of BAM enables an in-situ measurement of the element distribution in the melt after calibration on the slag system.
First results of this joint research project will be presented including LIBS-measurements and thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the process.
Da das Recycling von tantalhaltigen Post-Consumer-Abfällen praktisch nicht existiert, stellen metallurgische Reststoffe eine äußerst wichtige Rohstoffquelle für das Tantalrecycling dar. Die meisten Zinnerze enthalten von Natur aus erhebliche Mengen an Refraktärmetallen. Diese Elemente werden in den Schlacken der pyrometallurgischen Primärzinngewinnung angereichert. Aufgrund ihrer vergleichsweise hohen Wertstoffkonzentration und ihrer Funktion als zusätzlicher Schlackenbildner stellen diese Schlacken einen wertvollen Rohstoff für die Verhüttung tantalhaltiger Reststoffe dar. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein existierendes Verfahren zur Tantalrückgewinnung diskutiert, dem hauptsächlich pyrometallurgische Rückstände geringer Wertstoffkonzentration als Einsatzstoff dienen. Mit Hilfe des Verfahrens sollte dasoxidisch vorliegende Tantal vollständig reduziert und in der Metallphase angereichert werden. Weiterhin sollte vermieden werden, dass unerwünschte Elemente wie Titan in die Metallphase überführt werden. Ziel der Untersuchung war es, die ablaufenden Reduktionsprozesse besser zu verstehen, um so Ansätze für die Prozessoptimierung identifizieren zu können.
Since the recycling of tantalum bearing post-consumer waste is practically not existent, metallurgical residues are the most important feed for the tantalum recycling. Most tin ores naturally contain significant quantities of refractory metals. During the smelting process in primary tin production these elements are enriched in the slag phase. This slag is a highly valuable raw material for tantalum production due to its considerable concentration of tantalum and its functioning as an additional slag former in further pyrometallurgical treatment.
In this paper the first process stage of an existing pyrometallurgical process for tantalum recovery, mainly from low grade pyrometallurgical residues, is discussed. Smelting trials were carried out in a pilot-scale electric arc furnace to analyse the effect of feeding on the activity of carbon as a reducing agent. Therefore, blowing petroleum coke through an iron lance and the manual adding of coke into the melting bath were tested. During the pyrometallurgical treatment elements with a high affinity to carbon were reduced to their carbide form and enriched in the molten iron-based metal phase. The objective of the process was to reduce the oxidic tantalum completely and to enrich it into the metal phase. Furthermore, the transfer of unwanted elements such as titanium into the metal phase was aimed to be avoided.
Spoon test specimens were taken from the liquid mineral melt to follow the evolution of the reduction process. The cooled down solidified melting bath was investigated by using the XRD and EDX method to characterise the slag system and to identify relevant mineral phases.
An existing pyrometallurgical process for tantalum and niobium recovery, mainly from low grade pyrometallurgical residues, was investigated. Series of melting experiments were carried out in a pilot-scale electric arc furnace to study how the amount, the grain size and the way of feeding affect the activity of carbon as a reducing agent. During the pyrometallurgical treatment refractory metals such as tantalum and niobium are reduced to their carbide form and enriched in the molten iron-based metal phase. The cooled down slag and metal phase were analysed to investigate thermodynamic and kinetic conditions of the carbide formation. FACT Sage simulations were also used to investigate the material system in state of thermodynamic equilibrium. Results show that mass transfer and kinetics may play an important role if compared to equilibrium analyses using FACT Sage.
Since the recycling of tantalum bearing post-consumer waste is practically not existent, metallurgical residues are the most important feed for the tantalum recycling. Most tin ores naturally contain significant quantities of refractory metals. During the smelting process in primary tin production these elements are enriched in the slag phase. This slag is a highly valuable raw material for tantalum production due to its considerable concentration of tantalum and its functioning as an additional slag former in further pyrometallurgical treatment.
In this paper the first process stage of an existing pyrometallurgical process for tantalum recovery, mainly from low grade pyrometallurgical residues, is discussed. Smelting trials were carried out in a pilot-scale electric arc furnace to analyse the effect of feeding on the activity of carbon as a reducing agent. Therefore, blowing petroleum coke through an iron lance and the manual adding of coke into the melting bath were tested. During the pyrometallurgical treatment elements with a high affinity to carbon were reduced to their carbide form and enriched in the molten iron-based metal phase. The objective of the process was to reduce the oxidic tantalum completely and to enrich it into the metal phase. Furthermore, the transfer of unwanted elements such as titanium into the metal phase was aimed to be avoided.
Spoon test specimens were taken from the liquid mineral melt to follow the evolution of the reduction process. The cooled down solidified melting bath was investigated by using the XRD and EDX method to characterise the slag system and to identify relevant mineral phases.
An existing pyrometallurgical process for tantalum and niobium recovery, mainly from low grade pyrometallurgical residues, was investigated. Series of melting experiments were carried out in a pilot-scale electric arc furnace to study how the amount, the grain size and the way of feeding affect the activity of carbon as a reducing agent. During the pyrometallurgical treatment refractory metals such as tantalum and niobium are reduced to their carbide form and enriched in the molten iron-based metal phase. The cooled down slag and metal phase were analysed to investigate thermodynamic and kinetic conditions of the carbide formation. FACT Sage simulations were also used to investigate the material system in state of thermodynamic equilibrium. Results show that mass transfer and kinetics may play an important role if compared to equilibrium analyses using FACT Sage.
Optimierung eines pyrometallurgischen Tantal- und Niob- Recyclingprozesses mithilfe von On-Line LIBS
(2018)
Die Entwicklung von Hochleistungselektronik zu immer kleineren Bauformen ohne Leistungseinbußen ist ohne den Einsatz von Technologiemetallen wie Niob und Tantal heute praktisch nicht mehr realisierbar. Besonders in technischen Geräten wie Smartphones und Tablets sind Tantal- und Niobkondensatoren aufgrund ihrer hohen Leistungsdichten bereits unverzichtbar geworden. Für die nachhaltige Produktion von Elektronik stellt jedoch vor allem das Tantalerz Coltan als sogenanntes „conflict mineral” ein großes Problem dar.
Um den Wirtschaftsstandort Europa unabhängiger von Primärrohstoffimporten aus Krisenregionen zu machen, ist die Entwicklung von effizienten Recyclingverfahren heute wichtiger denn je. An der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) findet daher zurzeit die Optimierung eines pyrometallurgischen Industrieprozesses zur Niob- und Tantalrückgewinnung statt, welchem hauptsächlich niedrigkonzentrierte metallurgische Rückstände aus der Tantal- und Niob- bzw. der Zinngewinnung als Einsatzstoffe dienen.
Zu diesem Zweck werden im kleintechnischen Lichtbogenofen der BAM (480 kVA, max. Materialdurchsatz ca. 150 kg/h) Versuche mit einem neuen innovativen Messgerät durchgeführt, welches eine On-Line Analyse von Hochtemperaturprozessen ermöglicht. Der eingesetzte Prototyp nutzt das Verfahren der laserinduzierten Plasmaspektroskopie (LIBS), um die chemische Zusammensetzung der Schlackephase noch im Schmelzbad und während eines Schlackeabgusses zu bestimmen. Nach einer Kalibrierung auf das vorliegende Stoffsystem ermöglicht dieser On-Line-LIBS Prototyp der BAM daher eine in-situ Bestimmung der Elementverteilung in der Schmelze. Die hier gewonnenen Daten sollen helfen, die aktuelle Prozessführung zu verbessern und die Tantal- und Niobausbeute noch weiter zu erhöhen.
Tantalum and niobium are essential for the development of electronics towards a more and more compact design, but without reducing their performance today. Especially in smart phones and tablets, tantalum and niobium capacitors with high charge densities have already become almost indispensable. However, tantalum as a critical raw material is still a problem for the sustainable production of electronics. Due to this fact, the existence of efficient recycling processes especially in Europe is becoming even more important nowadays.
The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) is currently working on the optimisation of an existing pyrometallurgical tantalum recycling process. Optimisation of this industrial process is carried out in a small-scale electric arc furnace (480 kVA, capacity approx. 150 kg/h) at BAM using a new and innovative equipment for on-line analysis of high temperature processes.
The aim of this project is to identify the best timing for an optimum slag tapping, when the slag is lower than minimum targeted tantalum concentration. Hence, LIBS (Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy) is used to identify the chemical composition of the slag layer and during slag tapping. The on-line-LIBS prototype of BAM enables an in-situ measurement of the element distribution in the melt after calibration on the slag system.
First results of this joint research project will be presented including on-line-LIBS-measurements and thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the process.
Calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CaSO4ᐧ0.5H2O), also known as bassanite, has been used as a precursor to produce gypsum (dihydrate, CaSO4ᐧ2H2O) for various construction and decorative purposes since prehistoric times. The main route to obtain hemihydrate is a thermal treatment of gypsum at temperatures typically between 150 °C and 200 °C to remove some of the structural water.
In this contribution, we introduce (Fig. 1) a more efficient and sustainable method (T < 100 °C) that enables the direct, rapid, and reversibly conversion of gypsum to bassanite using reusable high salinity aqueous solutions (brines with c[NaCl] > 4 M). The optimum conditions for the efficientproduction of bassanite in a short time (< 5 min) involve the use of brines with c(NaCl) > 4 M and maintaining a temperature, T > 80 °C. When the solution containing bassanite crystals is cooled down to around room temperature, eventually gypsum is formed. When the temperature is raised again to T > 80 °C, bassanite is rapidly re-precipitated. This contrasts with the typical behaviour of the bassanite phase in low salt environments.
Traditionally, hemihydrate is obtained through a solid state thermal treatment because bassanite is considered to be metastable with respect to gypsum and anhydrite in aqueous solutions, and therefore gypsum-to-bassanite conversion should not occur in water. Its very occurrence actually contradicts numerical thermodynamic predictions regarding solubility of calcium sulfate phases. By following the evolution of crystalline phases with in situ and time-resolved X-ray diffraction/scattering and Raman spectroscopy, we demonstrated that the phase stability in brines at elevated temperatures is inaccurately represented in the thermodynamic databases. Most notably for c(NaCl) > 4 M, and T > 80 °C gypsum becomes readily more soluble than bassanite, which induces the direct precipitation of the latter from gypsum. The fact that these transformations are controlled by the solution provides extensive opportunities for precise manipulation of crystal formation. Our experiments confirmed that bassanite remained the sole crystalline structure for many hours before reverting into gypsum. This property is extremely advantageous for practical processing and efficient crystal extraction in industrial scenarios.
Jährlich entstehen in Brasilien ca. 2 bis 10 Millionen Tonnen Aschen aus der Verbrennung von Zuckerrohrbagasse. Die Aschen enthalten schwankende Zusammensetzungen an mineralischen Nährelementen und könnten daher zu Düngezwecken verwendet werden.
Allerdings ist (i) die Nährstoffverfügbarkeit gering, (ii), die entsprechende Nährstoffzusammensetzung nicht optimal für die Nutzung der Aschen als Düngemittel für die Hauptanbaukulturen in Brasilien und (iii) weisen die Aschen aufgrund häufig schlechter Verbrennungsqualitäten hohe organische Kohlenstoffgehalte auf. Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts ASHES („Rückführung von Nährstoffen aus Aschen von thermochemischen Prozessen mit Bagasse bzw. Zuckerrohrstroh“), arbeiten 7 deutsche und 4 brasilianische Partner an der Optimierung der thermochemischen Verwertung von Rückständen aus der Zuckerproduktion in Brasilien, inklusive der Formulierung von optimierten Düngemischungen auf Basis der generierten Aschen. In dieser Veröffentlichung wird die Verarbeitung dieser optimierten Mischungen zu Pellets und Granulaten unter Verwendung verfügbarer regionaler Reststoffe wie Filterkuchen (Vinasse-Presskuchen) sowie Hühnertrockenkot beschrieben. Zur Untersuchung der Handlingeigenschaften wurden die produzierten Pellets und Granulate hinsichtlich ihrer mechanischen Stabilität und des Wasseraufnahmevermögens untersucht. Dafür wurden geeignete Prüfverfahren angepasst und entsprechende Versuche durchgeführt.
The challenge of the project ASHES is focused on the recycling of nutrients from residues of thermochemical processing of by-products of sugar cane industry (bagasse/straw) in Brazil to increase the energy efficiency of thermal conversion and to enable the recycling of process ashes as fertilisers. Dry lignocellulosic biomass (straw, bagasse) are combusted, gasified and subsequently combined with post-thermochemical treatment in the AshDec process to increase the plant availability of phosphorus. Different fertilizer formulations are granulated/pelletized and tested regarding their storage/handling characteristics.
Hydrogen plasma treatment of iron ores or iron oxide containing wastes can be an efficient option to produce green iron e.g. for steel production. This way iron oxide is reduced to metallic iron in the liquid form by the highly reactive species that are formed in a hydrogen plasma. Hydrogen plasma can be used at the same time to remove undesired gangue elements. The presentation shows the experimental setup, shows first results of iron ore reduction by hydrogen plasma and gives an outlook for industrial application of the technology.
One of the key elements in the transformation towards a circular economy (CE) is providing more sustainable practices for resources and waste management. Improvement actions focused on transformation towards a CE should be targeted at all groups of materials and waste. As water is essential for human survival and well-being and plays a significant role in sustainable development (SD), the actions related to the reuse of water and the recovery of raw materials from wastewater and other water-based waste should be taken. The paper presents a proposition for a new CE model framework in the water and wastewater sector, which includes the six following actions: reduction—prevent wastewater generation in the first place by the reduction of water usage and pollution reduction at source; reclamation (removal)—an application of effective Technologies for the removal of pollutants from water and wastewater; reuse—reuse of wastewater as an alternative source of water supply (non-potable usage), recycling—recovery of water from wastewater for potable usage; recovery—recovery of resources such as nutrients and energy from water-based waste, and rethink—rethinking how to use resources to create a sustainable economy, which is `free` of waste and emissions. The novelty of the proposed CE model framework is that it presents possible ways of implementing CE principles in the water and wastewater sector, with a strong emphasis not only technological but also organisational and societal changes. Application of the proposed model may help to further transform the European economy to the CE model. Moreover, the indicated model can be significant tool supporting an assessment of local or regional progress towards CE in the water and wastewater sector and further environmental management and planning.
In the transition to the Circular Economy (CE) model, where the added value of products is kept as long as possible and waste is eliminated, the sustainable management of raw materials plays a key role. In above CE model, especial attention is paid to CRMs which are economically and strategically important for the European economy, but have a high-risk associated with their supply.
One of the most important element which can not be replaced and is an essential element for human nutrition, yet limited resource is phosphorus (P). An importance of issues related to sustainable P management results from EU legislation, which indicated P as a Critical Raw Material (CRM).
The sustainable management of P-resources is especially important for the Baltic region. A consequence of waterborne loads passing into the sea, mainly as wastewater with a high P content is the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea environment. Due to the largest inputs of P (37%) into the Baltic Sea originate from Poland, the development of sustainable solutions aimed at more rational P management for this country is externally important.
Due to the vital importance of phosphorus (P) and its increasing scarcity as a natural resource, phosphorus recovery has recently gained significant scientific and technical interest. An interesting sources of phosphorus are sewage sludge (SS) and sewage sludge ash (SSA) due to the major part of the phosphate from P rich wastewater is transferred to the sludge (approx. 90%). Despite the fact that the raw materials base is large (PURE report indicates that in 2020 the amount of sewage sludge generated in Poland will reach 180% of the dry matter of sewage sludge produced in 2010), at present recycling of phosphorus is not a commonly used practice in Poland.
Ab 2029 gilt für alle Kläranlagen in Deutschland eine Pflicht zur Rückgewinnung von Phosphor (P) aus Klärschlamm. Ausgenommen sind nur Anlagen mit Schlämmen mit weniger als 20 g P/kg bezogen auf die Trockenmasse (TM). Für eine Überprüfung der Phosphorschwankungen im Klärschlamm wurden neun verschiedene Kläranlagen ausgewählt mit Phosphorgehalten nahe der "Rückgewinnungsgrenze" von 20 g/kg TM. Der entwässerte Klärschlamm dieser Anlagen wurde monatlich beprobt und auf seinen Phosphorgehalt geprüft. Die Phosphorschwankungen betrugen je nach Anlage zwischen 4 % und 13 % (relative Standardabweichung), im Mittel rund 7 %.
Die landwirtschaftliche Klärschlammverwertung ist in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland seit Jahren rückläufig, hatte im Jahr 2017 jedoch noch einen Anteil von rund 18 % [20]. Diese Art der Verwertung wird kontrovers diskutiert, da der Klärschlamm im Rahmen der Abwasserreinigung eine Schadstoffsenke darstellt. In vergangenen Jahrzehnten wurden insbesondere die hohen Gehalte an Schwermetallen im Klärschlamm als kritisch für eine landwirtschaftliche Verwertung eingestuft. Diese Belastung konnte allerdings durch Absenkung der Einträge von Schmermetallen in das Abwasser signifikant gesenkt werden. Neben Schwermetallen kamen jedoch auch organische Schadstoffe wie Pharmazeutika, Kosmetika und Haushaltschemikalien in den Fokus der Diskussion über den Einsatz von Klärschlamm auf Agrarflächen. Heute geraten zunehmend weitere Inhaltsstoffe in den Fokus, deren Auswirkungen noch nicht abschließend geklärt sind, weshalb eine einheitliche Bewertung über Grenzwerte nicht darstellbar ist. Beispiele für diese neuen Stoffgruppen sind Mikroplastik, Nanopartikel, Antibiotikaresistenzen und persistente organische Spurenstoffe. Neben den angesprochenen Risiken gibt es in Deutschland Regionen mit einem stark erhöhten Nährstoffüberschuss. In der Kritik steht vor allem eine nicht ordnungsgemäße Düngung mit Stickstoff, welche mit Nitratauswaschungen in das Grundwasser einhergeht. Um diese Grundwasserbelastung zu verhindern wurde u.a. das Düngerecht erneut verschärft, was die Flächenkonkurrenz zwischen Klärschlamm und Wirtschaftsdünger weiter vergrößern wird. Auf Druck der EU-Kommission stehen zudem weitere Anpassungen im Düngerecht bevor, da die beschlossenen Änderungen aus Kommissionssicht nicht ausreichen, um die Nitratrichtlinie einzuhalten. Vor dem Hintergrund der angeführten Probleme wurde im Koalitionsvertrag der 18. Legislaturperiode (2013) festgeschrieben, „die Klärschlammausbringung zu Düngezwecken [zu] beenden und Phosphor und andere Nährstoffe zurück[zu]gewinnen“ [5]. Die novellierte AbfKlärV beinhaltet allerdings kein grundsätzliches Aufbringungsverbot und eine Rückgewinnungspflicht besteht lediglich für den Nährstoff Phosphor. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass sich die neuen Regelungen im Düngerecht und der Klärschlammverordnung massiv auf die landwirtschaftliche Verwertung von Klärschlamm und damit auf die Kreislaufwirtschaft verschiedener Nährstoffe auswirken werden. Zur Ermittlung dieser Auswirkungen wird seit Oktober 2018 im Auftrag des Umweltbundesamtes das REFOPLAN-Projekt „extraWERT“ (FKZ 3718 26 330 0) von der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) in Kooperation mit dem Institut für Siedlungswasserwirtschaft (ISA) der RWTH Aachen durchgeführt. In diesem Beitrag werden erste Ergebnisse dieses Projekts vorgestellt.
Agricultural sewage sludge utilization becomes less important in Germany. In 2017, new fertilizer and waste laws caused the agricultural sewage sludge utilization to collapse by more than a quarter. From 2029, in German wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) phosphorus (P) must be recovered from sewage sludge ifit contains more than 2 wt % P. Agricultural utilization will be prohibited for large WWTPs > 100,000 population equivalents (pe) from 2029 and > 50,000 pe from 2032. In Germany, each federal state must annually report amounts and quality of agriculturally utilized sewage sludge which was 17 % of the total disposal in 2019. The reports of 10 States were evaluated for 2016 and 2017 representing approx. 60 % ofthe total agriculturally used sludge volume. Whereas phosphorus recovery is mandatory this does not apply to other nutrients. However, many P recovery processes recover other nutrients, too.
Considering three differentscenariosfor future German sewage sludge disposal Shows that 70 - 77 % ofthe P load in sewage sludge will probably be recovered in the future.
At the same time, this applies for about 0 - 16 % of nitrogen, 36 - 52 % of calcium, 31-53 % of potassium, and 40 - 52 % of magnesium. However, these recovered nutrient loads can substitute only 1 % or less ofthe commercial fertilizer demand except from phosphorus which is about 45 % ofthe demand.