ABOUT PROJECT
The AdSorB (Advanced Wastewater Treatment by Repurposing Sewage Sludge Derived Biochar) project addresses one of today’s key environmental challenges: how to effectively remove pollutants from wastewater while simultaneously reducing waste and promoting sustainable resource use.
Increasingly strict environmental regulations and the expansion of wastewater treatment plants have led to a rapid growth in sewage sludge production. At the same time, conventional treatment technologies are often insufficient for removing micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and heavy metals, or nutrients.
AdSorB proposes an innovative solution based on the circular economy concept. Instead of treating sewage sludge as waste, the project transforms it into a valuable material – biochar, produced through an advanced gasification process. This carbon-rich, porous material has strong adsorption properties, making it highly effective for removing a wide range of pollutants from wastewater.
The project combines expertise from civil, environmental, and chemical engineering to develop and optimize: biochar production from sewage sludge, advanced adsorption processes for pollutant removal, flow-through filtration systems suitable for real-world application, and the safe reuse of spent biochar (with exhausted adsorption capacity) in construction materials.
A key innovation of the project is its holistic approach: not only does it improve wastewater treatment efficiency, but it also ensures that used materials are safely reintegrated into the environment. After being used for pollutant removal, biochar will be incorporated into cement-based materials, where the adsorbed pollutants are permanently immobilized within the cement matrix.
By linking wastewater treatment with sustainable material reuse, AdSorB contributes to improved water quality and environmental protection, reduced waste and landfill use, lower treatment costs for municipalities, and the transition towards a circular, resource-efficient economy.
The project is aligned with European environmental policies and supports global SDGs, particularly those related to clean water, sustainable industry, and responsible resource management.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
1.
Derivation of biochar through the gasification of sewage sludge collected from local wastewater treatment plants, followed by its characterization.
2.
Investigation of the efficiency of removing various pollutants (nutrients, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals,
pesticides) from synthetic and real wastewater in batch tests using the obtained biochar as an adsorbent, with optimization of process parameters.
3.
Development of a flow-through column filter filled with biochar and evaluation of its efficiency in removing various pollutants from synthetic and real wastewater, with process parameter optimization and process modeling.
4.
Evaluation of the potential for secondary wastewater pollution arising from pollutant leaching from biochar, produced via sludge gasification, during its use as an adsorbent.
5.
Investigation of the technical and environmental properties of cement composites incorporating biochar, previously used for pollutant adsorption from wastewater, as a partial replacement for raw materials.
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