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