Name
ePyroPlus: electrified high temperature pyrolysis of sewage sludge to syngas and biochar
Description
The biosolids and bioresource sector is not approaching a pivotal moment; it is in one. With IED 2.0 (Directive 2024/1785) embedding PFAS/SVHC management into integrated permits, with Water UK's worst-case projecting 3.4 million wet tonnes of sludge potentially losing its primary land disposal route, and with the Environment Agency yet to publish a standard end-of-waste protocol for sewage sludge biochar, the sector urgently needs demonstrated technology. ePyroPlus, an electrified high-temperature pyrolysis technology developed by Hybrid Gasification Ltd, directly addresses these challenges.
ePyroPlus is the first system designed and validated from the ground up for the Severn Trent feedstock. A 10 kg/hr continuous ePyroPlus demonstrator, operating at up to 1,100°C, achieves >99% elimination of PFAS, microplastics, and pharmaceutical contamination, while producing biochar and syngas quality (CV ~20 MJ/m³) unattainable in generic biomass or waste pyrolysis systems. Biochar outputs were characterized against EBC/IBI standards, with phosphorus bioavailability and carbon sequestration metrics benchmarked against international comparators.
The presentation concludes with a technical analysis of ePyroPlus integrated with upstream dryer and downstream non-thermal plasma systems, transforming sewage sludge into sustainable aviation fuel, alongside biochar and high-purity carbon, positioning sewage sludge as a net zero, multiproduct feedstock.
Authors
Abdullah Malik and Azreen Hasnain, Hybrid Gasification Ltd, UK
Arsalan Ashraf, AtkinsRéalis, UK
Shahid Naveed, Global Energy and Engineering, Pakistan
Tony Roskilly, Durham University, UK
Arsalan Ashraf, AtkinsRéalis, UK
Shahid Naveed, Global Energy and Engineering, Pakistan
Tony Roskilly, Durham University, UK