Biological Treatments

Key issues
in choosing appropriate technologies

Boris Efremenko – VEOLIA Environmental Services

Athens - March 2007

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Which waste can be treated with

Biological Treatments ?

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Types of wastes

) Household Waste

) Biowaste or kitchen waste(separative collection)

) Green waste or garden waste

) Sewage sludge

) BioDIV®

) Agriculture waste

) Others organic waste

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007
Different solutions to treat the

Organic Matter

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Different solutions for different aims:
) Agronomical valorization of the Organic Matter
ƒ Production of organic soil improvement

ƒ Stabilization of the Organic Matter

) Thermical valorization of the Organic Matter

ƒ Production of biogas for energy production

ƒ Stabilization of the Organic Matter

) Stabilization of the Organic Matter

ƒ Reduction of the volume

ƒ Stabilization of the Organic Matter

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

 What are the process

for a biological treatment?

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Biological Treatment
) Composting
ƒ Aerobic degradation
ƒ Natural or forced Aeration

) Methanisation or Anaerobic Digestion

ƒ Anaerobic Fermentation

) MBT
ƒ Pre-treatment which recovers
maximum value from waste with the
residue being used either as a fuel,
a compost or going to landfill

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Composting

ƒ Production of compost: Organic soil conditioner

ƒ High product quality with strict regulation

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Composting phases
1. Reception, Possible Manual Sorting
- Visual quality control of input waste

2. Preparation
- Mixing if needed (ligneous and non ligneous waste)
3. Active phase
- Optimising the moisture (50 - 60 %) and the air flow.
- Windrow watering and turning are necessary.
4. Maturation or curing phase
- Turning the pile if necessary
5. Screening
- Refining the compost if presence of physical contaminants

6. Storage
- Storage before selling.

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Composting
6 main composting process families

) family 1 : Trapezoidal windrows, (regular compost line)

) family 2 : Silos (table windrows /corridors),

) family 3 : Boxes or racks

) family 4 : Containers

) family 5 : In-vessel

) family 6 : Rotary drums with or without forced

ventilation for the composting pre-treatments or
preparation process for MSW

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Residual MSW Composting
Depending on the country, regulation imposes compost quality
thresholds or treatment requirements.

) Possible but not evident everytime and everywhere

) Separative Collection of Toxic Wastes in Spreaded

Quantity (batteries),

) Separate Collection for household hazardous waste

(Paint, White Spirit…)

) No shredding (refining of inerts impossible)

) Good management of different composting phases

) Thresholds for high compost quality are needed

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

In France: different processes
2 main types of composting process :
) Bioreactor or BRS (MSW) - Mechanical
pre-treatment

) Siloda

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

In Egypt : Alexandria
Organic Matter :

) Sorting,

) Windrow watering and turning every 4 to 6

days with a turner,

) Active (fermentation) and maturation phases

Sieving depending the compost client (14, 20 or 40mm)

Recyclables

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

In Brasil:Vila Leopoldina (Sao Paulo) 290.000 t/y - 1000t/d

Recycling
Plastics (2600 t/y),
Organic Matter :
Metals (2300t/y),
Glass (675 t/y), • Sorting & overband
Paper (4200 t/y) and • Bio-digestion
Aluminium(105 t/y)
• Windrow Turning

• Active and maturation phases

• Production of compost

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Anaerobic Digestion

) Production of biogas for: electricity generation

or heat production or cogeneration.

) Production of Soil amendment - compost

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

 Anaerobic Organic
waste

Digestion Sorting + Pre- Residus

treatment
3 by-products:
) Methan Methanization Biogas
reactor
Possible ways for biogas
recovery : Purifying
Raw Treatment
Biogas
^ vehicle fuel digester’s of
sludge contaminated

heat
^ injection into town network air
Dehydration Recycling
^ electricity generation
^ heat production Dehydrated Energy
Water from
digester’s sludge
process
) Liquid effluent
Composting Residus
) Compost
Effluent to Compost
be disposed

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Anaerobic Digestion
Methanisation : Available technologies

Dry process Wet process

15 - 40% DM 3 - 8% DM

) Low water consumption, ) Easier pre-treatment,

) High DM content of digestate, ) Less wear,
) Easier dehydration, ) Easy process control (watertightness),
) Low solid sedimentation , ) Better flexibility.
) Smaller digester volume.

) More difficult pre-treatment, ) High water consumption,

) Difficult mixing, ) Bigger digester volume,
) High DCO content in water from ) Necessary moistening of solid waste.
dehydration unit.

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Anaerobic digestion : Main manufacturers

KOMPOGAS VALORGA LINDE OWS DRANCO

Kompogas process : Valorga process : Linde process OWS process

• dry digestion (30- • dry digestion (25- 2 technologies : • thermophilic

45 % DM) 35 % DM) process
• wet mesophilic
• at thermophilic • mesophilic (35 °C) process, in vertical • high concentration
temperature or thermophilic reactor of DM: 30 - 40 %
(55°C). (55°C) process. • digestate
• dry process in
cross section progresses in plug-
horizontal reactor flow from the top to
the bottom

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

M.B.T.: Mechanical Biological Treatment

MECHANICAL SECTION aims

• reducing waste size (shredding)

• separating recyclables
• separating dry/wet fractions (sieving)

BIOLOGICAL SECTION aims

• stabilising of the waste organic matter (bio-stabilisation)

• drying of the waste (bio-drying)

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

 Residual Waste
M.B.T.
2 Streams Scheme Shredding-Sieving

High Caloric Fraction Low Calorific Fraction

Biological
BiologicalTreatment
Treatment
Refinement
Refinement Landfill
Stabilised fraction
Fuel
Metals
Inerts Inerts
Refinement
Refinement

Material Recovery Combustion Restoration Compost

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

M.B.T.
Residual Waste

1 Stream Scheme Shredding-Sieving

Biological
BiologicalTreatment
Treatment

Bio-Stabilised Fraction
or
Bio-Dried Fraction
Landfill
Refinement
Refinement
Undersieve
Metals
Fuel fraction

Material Recovery Combustion Landfill

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007
MBT NeuwiedBio-Mechanical Waste-Treatment

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

 BIOCUBI PROCESS

Simplified Cycle

MANAGEMENT OF BIOLOGICAL PROCESS

One stream
(biological treatment on the whole waste)

• some dozens of plants in Europe

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Lorient Plant by LINDE KCA
Cap l’Orient B.T. Unit – 81 000 t/y

Residual MSW Encombrants Biowaste

57 000 t/y 8 000 t/y 16 000 t/y

Stabilisation Shredding Composting

Stabilised MSW Encombrants Compost

35 000 t/y 8 000 t/y 6 400 t/y
Biological Treatment Plant
Council : Cap l’Orient
Constructor : LINDE KCA
City : Caudan
Investment : 23 M€
Operator : VEOLIA Environmental Services

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

 Whatever you want to do,
don’t forget to think:
about the context, the different waste, the
biological processes, the composting techniques...

… about the material and their maintenance…

... about the management of gas and liquid

effluents, the environmental risk,
the occupational safety...

... about the agronomic assets, marketing...

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007

Thanks for your Attention

Boris Efremenko – Athens - March 2007