There is a scarcity of research and innovation initiatives regarding practical ways to mitigate the harmful presences of hazardous substances of sewage sludge for a circular economy. The project will explore this in the context of addressing United Nation's Sustainability Goal (SDG) 12, in combination to synergies and trade-offs to other SDGs.

By combining state-of-the-art knowledge and analysis of the presence of contaminants in sewage sludge and novel experiments on how to remove hazardous substances through pyrolysis at high temperature (>700 C), SLUDGEFFECT will provide more than a proof-of-concept that hazardous substances risks can be mitigated through high temperature pyrolysis while making useful raw materials.

For example, heat-treated sludge can be used as an agricultural fertilizer with much fewer contaminants, so to enhance safer farmlands and ensure that the nutrients in sewage sludge are properly recycled. Though these heat-treatments cost energy, they can be optimized for energy efficiency or even be carbon negative, such as by using biogas from the fermented sludge as a heat source, or alternatively the produced pyrolysis chars as fuel or biochar applied to agricultural soils or industrial uses.This novel research will be conducted in close collaboration with a user group from the national, regional and industrial sectors, grounding it firmly within the Norwegian regulatory and economic context.

Visit the project website for more information.