Conditions of sewage sludge management in Poland and Germany

W Polsce dominującym sposobem zagospodarowania osadów ściekowych jest ich składowanie oraz przyrodnicze wykorzystanie. Zgodnie z przepisami prawa taki sposób zagospodarowania musi ulec zmianie, gdyż od 2016 r. będzie obowiązywał zakaz składowania osadów ściekowych. W Niemczech w latach 80. XX w. około 50% osadów ściekowych było składowanych, ale po wprowadzeniu zakazu składowania nieprzetworzonych osadów ściekowych od 2005 r. ilość ta znacznie spadła. Obecnie ponad 50% osadów ściekowych jest spalanych, około 30% jest suszonych i stosowanych w rolnictwie czy do kształtowania terenów, a pozostałe są kompostowane i znajdują różne zastosowania w gospodarce. W artykule porównano sposoby gospodarowania osadami ściekowymi w Polsce i Niemczech, uwzględniając uwarunkowania technologiczne, prawne i ekonomiczne. Zwrócono szczególną uwagę na możliwości zastosowania przetworzonych osadów ściekowych, w tym pozyskiwania cennych surowców, np. fosforu, z popiołów powstałych po ich spaleniu.In Poland, annually there is produced about 535 000 Mg of dry matter of municipal sewage sludge, and according to forecasts, this amount in 2022 can reach 746 000 Mg of dry matter. In Germany, for several years the annual amount of the sludge produced is at a level about 2 000 000 Mg of dry matter. The produced sludge should be disposed in an environmentally safe manner. In the case of sewage sludge disposal mainly three basic methods are used: agricultural and biological utilization, landfilling and combustion. In Poland, the dominant methods of sewage sludge management is landfilling and agro-biological utilization. According to the current law, this method of management must be changed, because from 2016 the landfilling of sewage sludge will be restricted. In Germany, in the 80s of the 20th century, about 50% of sewage sludge was landfilled, but after the ban for landfilling of unprocessed sewage sludge since 2005, this number dropped significantly. Currently over 50% of sewage sludge is incinerated, about 30% is dried and used in agriculture or for forming land areas, and the rest is composted and used for different purposes in the economy. The article compares methods of sewage sludge management in Poland and Germany, taking into account the conditions of technological, legal and economic issues. Particular attention was paid to the possibility of using processed sewage sludge, including the acquisition of valuable raw materials such as phosphorus from the ash formed after thermal treatment of these sludge. Deadline for introduction in Poland and Germany restriction for landfilling of unprocessed sewage sludge results in the advancement of both the sludge management method in accordance with the requirements of environmental protection and technological advancement and amount of installations for treatment. In an ongoing study in recent years, new methods of obtaining phosphorus are analysed. Such an alternative source can be sewage sludge or ash after its combustion. Initiatives that are aimed directly at the efficient use of phosphorus and its recovery remain scattered and are rarely taken into account in creating policies. Available form of financing research programs are funded by the national resources of individual countries or EU funds