PA 14: Separation of food waste from residual waste ​

In Pilot Action 14 a new approach in waste treatment is developed and tested, in which organic compounds are solved out from residual waste and used as substrate in waste water treatment plants for biogas production. According to the carried out feasibility study the biogas potential of the organics is up to 4 Mio m3. In order to separate organics from residual waste an additional aggregate has to be defined (by a feasibility study) and installed in the running waste sorting plant in Innsbruck. 

Aim of this pilot action and demonstration

​The aim is to use organic / food waste that is wrongly disposed in residual waste for local biogas production in waste water treatment plants instead of incineration in distance. In the course of a carried out feasibility study a wet separation using pulpers and hydrocyclone (see picture below) has shown best results. 

​In the course of a pilot/demonstration phase a pilot plant (see picture below) was build and tested. For demonstration the low caloric fraction of residual waste was sieved at 12 mm. The material (< 12 mm) was then treated with the pilot plant and yielded good results. The substrate that can be used for biogas production (potential of 1 Mio m3) was enriched with organic content up to 85%. Therefore the new and innovative approach to use organic compounds in residual waste as substrate for biogas production at wastewater treatment plant has been tested/demonstrated successfully. 

Next steps

​After the demonstration trials a few further laboratory tests for verification are made and legal aspects clarified. Afterwards the full scale planning will be arranged and depending on funding the new system can be built at a waste water treatment plant in Tyrol/Austria. 

Stakeholders involved

• Abfallbehandlung Ahrental GmbH (AAG)
  
• Innsbrucker Kommunalbetriebe AG (IKB)
  
• ATM (part of STREFOWA)