Informatietype:
Project
Unit:
High Tech Industry

Torwash: waste sludge from cost item to source of revenue

The sewage treatment plants in our country generate about one and a half million tonnes of sludge per year that ends up in the furnaces of waste incineration plants. Cost: approximately one hundred million euros. The Torwash processing method, developed within TNO, reduces the quantity of sludge by as much as 85%, which results in enormous savings. In addition, the treatment leaves a substance that is much drier and can serve as fuel. Revenue instead of costs.

Learn more about Torwash

Method optimised

Torwash has been developed to the extent that TNO wants to work with market parties to make the application a commercial product. The processing method was optimised at laboratory scale and subsequently proved itself in practice in a test with a reactor. The pilot was carried out in cooperation with the Zuiderzeeland water board in Almere. Scaling up to semi-production level is next on the programme.

Torwash

Savings and revenues

The crux of the Torwash method is to initiate a chemical reaction under high pressure and temperature without additives, which almost completely squeezes the water out of the sludge and removes salt. Dewatering waste sludge in this way works much better than existing techniques such as centrifugation and decantation. What remains is a largely dry substance that is suitable for making fuel pellets. The remaining aqueous material can be efficiently fermented into biogas. Thus, in addition to savings, the method generates two derived products and thus revenues.

Global market

Water treatment is the most important market for Torwash application. For water boards, for example, reducing the volume of sludge to around 15% is financially attractive. A second potential customer is evident in companies that have their own water treatment plant and currently spend a lot of money on disposing the sludge. Thirdly, Torwash is perfectly suitable for manure processing. Meanwhile, foreign parties have also registered interest. Torwash is applicable worldwide.

Future

In collaboration with several water boards and STOWA, the TNO spin-off TORWASH BV is now scaling up to a capacity of 1 ton of sludge per hour at the RWZI Land van Cuijk. After a final scale-up to 20 tons per hour, TORWASH hopes to bring the technology to the market within three years

More information?

Get inspired

15 resultaten, getoond 1 t/m 5

CO2 reduction and green carbon in industry

Informatietype:
Webinar
13 July 2023
1 aflevering

This is the time to reduce CO2 emissions and create new opportunities for a sustainable, circular industry. TNO experts present three innovative technologies that convert carbon and CO2 into sustainable products such as plastics, fuels and food.

From #plasticfree to future-proof plastics

Informatietype:
Webinar
15 June 2023
1 aflevering

On June 5th, we co-hosted a webinar with Fraunhofer UMSICHT, 'From plastic-free to future-proof plastics', where we shared insights from our whitepaper 'How a future-proof, circular and sustainable plastics economy should look like'.

Personalised Health: From science to market

Informatietype:
Webinar
14 April 2023
0 afleveringen

Are you interested in developing personalised health in order to contribute to a healthier society? Get inspired by the experience of companies that already innovate with us. Watch this interactive webinar for the latest insights in personalised health: from science to market.

Switch to the hybrid energy system

Informatietype:
Webinar
17 February 2023
1 aflevering

How will our future electricity grid remain stable and affordable? Watch the webinar from 1 February 2023 and get an insight into the technological and societal solutions for our future energy system.

Offshore wind under pressure

Informatietype:
Webinar
31 December 2022
1 aflevering

Offshore wind energy is growing enormously, but this growth comes with challenges. To maximize the value of large volumes of wind energy in the future energy system, we need to ensure feasible business cases for developers.