Making the Most of the Sludge Market: a water company perspective - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Making the Most of the Sludge Market: a water company perspective

Simon Black

Head of Recycling & Environmental Services - Anglian Water Director – Assured Biosolids

Northampton P E T E R B O R O U G H R U T L A N D N O R T H A M P T O N S H I R E L E I C S B E D F O R D S H I R E M I L T O N K E Y N E S E S S E X S U F F O L K B U C K S O X O N THURROCK SOUTHEND L I N C O L N S H I R E N L I N C O L N S H I R E N E L I N C S N O T T S Chelmsford Scunthorpe Lincoln Peterborough Corby Huntingdon Bedford Milton Keynes Luton Stevenage Basildon Colchester Ipswich Bury St Edmunds Norwich King’s Lynn Cambridge Grimsby Thetford N O R F O L K

Boston Bedford Basildon Broadholme Cambridge Rochford Canwick Chelmsford Cliff Quay Colchester Cottonvalley Dunstable Flag Fen Great Billing Harwich & Dovercourt Haverhill Hitchin King’s Lynn Letchworth Lowestoft Market Harborough Pyewipe Whitlingham Clacton Jaywick Ingoldmells Spalding Canvey Tilbury

Gt.Yarmouth Lowestoft Skegness Kettering Wellingborough

Rayleigh West Newton Marsh

B T T

Grantham

B B

Caister Thetford Leighton Linslade

St Neots

B

CHP CHP CHP CHP CHP

B B

CHP CHP CHP

Marston

B

Ely Tydd

CHP

Chalton

CHP Co-combustion plant

Pre-pasteurisation + Digestion + Dewatering

KEY

Raw Dewatering only Biological Hydrolysis+ Digestion + Dewatering Thermal Hydrolysis + Digestion + Dewatering

T B

Co-composting Raw Cake Export (primary destination) Raw Cake Export (secondary destination) Cake Reception Facility CHP Installed

CHP

156,000tds production forecast 2020/21, with treatment capacity of 175,300tds across 10 sites (157,770tds @ 90% availability)

Over 70% of AW’s sludge is transferred by road to 10 STC’s!

c.2.0m tonnes of liquid sludge is transferred from 1,091 WRC’s and a further 290k tonnes of dewatered sludge to 10 STC’s c.22% of bioresources cost can be attributed to the collection and transfer of raw sludge to STCs

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

CHP Power (GWh)

Power generation

Conventional AD& CHP Advanced AD Gt Billing HpH O&M brought in-house

Treatment capacity

Revenue forecast 2020…….

AD plants – sewage sludge/OOW

Anglian Water STCs Other Organic Waste AD plants

Current situation

Biosolids Sewage sludge produced at 8,500 sites Treated at 174 STCs producing 3.6 million wet tonnes/annum Source segregated AD 473 operational plants in the UK – 329 are farm fed and 144 waste fed – capacity of 12.3 Mt WRAP state 10.2 Mt of food-waste per annum, including 4.7 Mt from households Vast majority goes to agricultural land

Water Industry data - 2016 Data adapted from NNFCC and ADBA

Sludge trading – an opportunity?

• Potential for sludge trading with 3 neighbouring water companies is limited:

▪ Cost of hauling liquid sludge (94-97% water) is high ▪ c.160,000m3 of liquid sludge (7.4%) could travel across the AW boundary

• Opportunity with third party AD sites is much greater:

▪ 32 commercial AD sites, accepting food & other wastes, ▪ 25 industrial AD sites, ▪ 90 agricultural AD sites, all within the AW region

• A significant reduction in haulage cost could be delivered in future

▪ Carbon/ vehicle emissions/congestion reduction

• Market is likely to develop gradually, as additional capacity is required, if

materials remain separate

• Mandatory food-waste collections has the potential to significantly increase the

quantity of food-waste available

Environmental legislation – a trading barrier?

• Sludge trading between water companies -

– No barriers, as Sludge Use in Agriculture Regulations (SUAR) apply – Limited potential (c.7.4% for AW) as haulage costs are high

• Co-treatment including sewage sludge -

– materials immediately deemed a waste, regardless of whether they are wastes in isolation – materials don’t meet any of the existing QPs /EOW standards & SUARs don’t apply – Co-treated materials require Standard Rules 2010 No. 4 and associated deployment for each 50 ha block of land – adds significant admin/permit costs, delays & associated operational cost – The opportunity is significant, but the associated legislation blocks acceptance – co-treatment in the water industry is currently falling – from 5% to < 1% – AW operated two sites and closed/is closing operations

A clear need for change – reducing cost and environmental impact!

Biosolids Assurance Scheme - BAS

Water Industry initiative to provide reassurance to the food chain and consumers delivered by Assured Biosolids Ltd (ABL) a not-for-profit industry owned company Brings together regulations and best practice into a single transparent Standard Sets a minimum Standard – which protects the environment & creates a level playing field for all operators and contractors Stakeholder input and support are essential to maintain validity and credibility Third party audit by NSF Certification NSF Certification have achieved UKAS Accreditation for the BAS Standard Currently c.96% of UK output to

• agric. land is Certified

https://assuredbiosolids.co.uk

BAS Scheme Scope

SLUDGE TREATMENT

FIELD STORAGE

Wastewater sludges and all other input materials are subject to Source Material Risk Assessments Controls on size, duration, location

• etc. to protect the environment

and receptors Extensive controls to protect soil, environment and receptors Scope ends on satisfactory application to land Including transport and long term storage sites Excludes material for e.g. industrial use & incineration

• Food waste already allowed (through SMRA), but Members still required

to comply with relevant regulations

• Could add additional controls as required

A way forward

• The EPR is a framework; the EA apply appropriate

controls dependent on the risk:

• A ‘new point’ e.g. hybrid permit
• An existing control e.g. exemption
• Using additional controls (perhaps BAS plus any amendments) as required,

to reduce the risk, should allow a reduction in regulatory effort

• Therefore reducing the cost and oversight required
• Depends on demonstrating the controls already in place and potentially

adding additional controls - further engagement with the EA (and others)

Conclusions

• SUAR supported by the Biosolids Assurance Scheme (BAS) currently provides robust

controls & assurance for biosolids recycling to agricultural land – biosolids is perceived as “a valuable resource, not as a waste”

• Using additional controls (e.g. BAS plus any amendments as required) to reduce

the risk, should allow reduced regulatory effort when materials are co-treated -

• Allowing market development & ensuring efficient future investment.
• Enabling sludge trading whilst protecting customer bills, the environment and the

associated benefits the material provides.

Thank you for listening