J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2008) 10:110–115
DOI 10.1007/s10163-007-0206-9
SPECIAL FEATURE: ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Sławomir Stelmach · Ryszard Wasielewski
Co-combustion of dried sewage sludge and coal in a pulverized coal boiler
Received: March 2, 2007 / Accepted: December 13, 2007
Abstract More than 1.1 million tons of municipal and
industrial sewage sludge is produced annually in Poland.
Most of this sewage sludge is landfilled or used for recultiva-
tion and fertilization of soil. After accession of Poland to
the EU, large investments are planned for wastewater treat-
ment, so it is expected that the amount of sewage sludge
produced in Poland will grow in the near future. It is well
known that the combustion of sewage sludge is becoming a
more and more popular utilization method of such waste.
Unfortunately, the current situation in Poland makes it
impossible to incinerate the sewage sludge because of a lack
of incinerators. One possible solution for Poland is the co-
firing of dried sewage sludge in existing coal-fired utility
boilers. This article presents results of initial Polish indus-
trial trials of dried municipal sewage sludge and hard coal
co-combustion in an OP-230 pulverized coal boiler. Such a
solution was shown to be technically viable and not to
require changes to the existing technological system. Co-
combustion of sewage sludge with coal in power plants
seems to be the best solution for sludge utilization in the
near future in Poland.
Key words Sewage sludge · Coal · Co-combustion ·
Emission
Introduction
Sewage sludge management is one of the most important
environmental problems in Poland. Construction of new
biological municipal wastewater treatment plants has
resulted in a continuous increase in the volume of sewage
sludge generated. More than 480 000 Mg dry basis (d.b.) of
municipal sewage sludge was produced in Poland in 2005,
S. Stelmach (*) · R. Wasielewski
Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal, 1 Zamkowa St., 41-803
Zabrze, Poland
Tel. +48-32-271-00-41; Fax +48-32-271-08-09
e-mail: sstel@ichpw.zabrze.pl
© Springer 2008
4th I-CPEC, Part 2
and in 2010 this figure is expected to exceed 600 000 Mg per
year and will continue increasing up to 700 000 Mg in 2015.1
Simultaneously, about 640 000 Mg d.b. of industrial sewage
sludge was produced in Poland in 2005. Landfilling of this
biodegradable waste and the possibility of its agricultural
use are more and more limited by restrictive environmental
legislation.
In highly developed countries, the combustion and co-
combustion of municipal sewage sludge are increasingly
common methods of its management.2,3 At present co-
combustion of municipal sewage sludge with coal is realized
in many European power plants, mainly localized in
Germany, but also found in Belgium, Holland, and Austria.
Among German power plants, which realize co-combustion
of more than 10 000 Mg d.b. of municipal sewage sludge
annually, Duisburg H. Stadtwerke, Franken II Bayern-
werke, Heilbronn EnBW, Weiher II SaarEnergie, and
Zolling Bayernwerke are worthy of mention.4 In the above-
mentioned power plants, the amount of municipal sewage
sludge in the fuel blend usually does not exceed 10 wt%
(d.b.). Generally, there have been no significant changes in
operational parameters of the installations compared to
coal combustion alone in the same boiler. There are only
slight changes of emission factors and heavy metal content
in the fly ash. Although co-combustion of municipal sewage
sludge with coal seems to be a very interesting solution for
sludge utilization, there is relatively little research work
carried out on the subject. Since 2000, Elsevier, one of the
world’s leading publishers, has published only about 20 sci-
entific articles concerning co-combustion of sewage sludge
with coal.5
The situation in the field of thermal utilization of waste
in Poland (lack of waste incinerators) currently excludes
the possibility of utilization of large volumes of sludge by
incineration. In the current situation, the co-combustion of
sewage sludge in power boilers seems to be the best method
for sewage sludge utilization, allowing the use of already
existing plants and avoiding, or substantially reducing, the
investment expenditure. The co-combustion of dried sewage
sludge with coal in pulverized coal boilers may be one of
technological options for such a process.6

Municipal sewage sludge – in the light of new bind
ing Polish environmental legislation – is treated as a non-
hazardous waste. Co-combustion of stabilized municipal
sewage sludge with hard coal is a process of thermal
processing of a nonhazardous waste, and the industrial
installation where the process is carried out is a waste co-
combustion installation. The most important technical
requirements that must be met by a sewage sludge co-
combustion installation are as follows:
– The temperature of gases generated during combustion
must be maintained at a level above 850°C for at least 2 s
(for waste containing not more than 1 wt% of haloge-
nated organic compounds converted into chlorine).
– The total organic carbon (TOC) in incineration slag and
ashes shall not exceed 3 wt% or the share of inflammable
matter in incineration slag and ashes shall not exceed
5 wt%.
– Co-combustion installations must be equipped with an
automatic system of waste feeding.
– For co-combustion with coal of up to 1 wt% of waste, an
installation shall be equipped with a system of continuous
monitoring of dust, NOx (converted into NO2), CO, SO2,
and O2 emissions, in addition to the monitoring of rela-
tive flue gas humidity and its temperature and pressure.
– For co-combustion with coal exceeding 1 wt% of waste
in the fuel blend, expanded emission monitoring is
required, i.e., continuous measurements of: dust, SO2,
NOx (converted into NO2), CO, TOC, O2, HCl, HF, the
flue gas flow rate or its dynamic pressure, and the flue gas
temperature, static pressure, and humidity. In addition,
periodic measurements are required for Hg, Cd, and Tl;
total heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, As, Sb, V, Co,
Sn); and dioxins and furans.
As can be seen from the above information, waste co-
combustion is a special case in Polish law. It is possible in
Poland to co-combust nonhazardous waste with fossil fuel
without changes in the current emission standards estab-
lished for a particular installation. This situation applies
when up to 1 wt% of nonhazardous waste is co-combusted
with fossil fuel. Figure 1 presents a graphical explanation of
standard for fossil fuel
emission standard
standard for fuel blend
standard for waste
1 97 98 99 100
share of waste in fuel blend [% m/m]
Fig. 1. Principles of emission standards determination for nonhazard-
ous waste co-combustion in Poland
111
the situation concerning the determination of emission
standards for co-combustion of nonhazardous waste in
Poland. It should be stated that the case existing in Polish
law – which is very relevant for Polish plants which intend
to use a waste material as an additional fuel – has no equiva-
lent in European environmental law, principally the 2000/76/
EC Directive,7 and it is hard to judge how long this special
case will exist in Polish law. However, at present it is still
valid, and power plants are very interested in co-
combustion of waste with its share in the fuel blend being
up to 1 wt% because they can avoid additional expenditure
for expanded monitoring of emissions.
The first industrial power-emission tests of dried munici-
pal sewage sludge co-combustion in an OP-230 pulverized
coal boiler were carried out in Poland in October 2005. The
Institute for Chemical Processing of Coal in Zabrze super-
vised the tests and was the main contractor. The tests were
aimed at determining the technical and engineering possi-
bilities of processing 1 wt% of waste in the fuel stream, as
well as at meeting the national legislation requirements for
tested boiler.
Experimental
Tests of municipal sewage sludge co-combustion with coal
in an OP-230 pulverized coal boiler were carried out in a
domestic combined heat and power plant. The schematic of
the tested boiler is presented in Fig. 2. This boiler has three
rows of pulverized fuel burners fed by four ring-ball mills,
of which one is a standby. Each mill feeds two pulverized
fuel burners. Above the burners, on the front and back wall
of the boiler, three over-fire air nozzles (OFA) are installed,
fed from the hot air collector. Flue gas cleaning in the test
boiler was carried out with an electrostatic precipitator
only.
Municipal sewage sludge originating from a municipal
wastewater treatment plant situated in the same city as the
combined heat and power plant was hot-air predried in a
mobile installation equipped with a fluidized bed reactor. A
view of the drying system, a dried sewage sludge sample,
and a schematic of the installation are presented in Fig. 3.
Dried sewage sludge (approximately 26 Mg) was delivered
to the combined heat and power plant by motor transport
(a tanker). Sludge was batched to the boiler’s coal-feeding
system using a specially designed and constructed installa-
tion equipped with a buffer tank, a rotary pocket feeder,
and a feeding screw. Sludge from the tanker was reloaded
to the buffer tank of the sludge batching installation by
means of pneumatic transport. Sludge was batched together
with the coal for one coal mill. The other two coal mills were
fed with coal only. From the mill holding sewage sludge and
coal, the fuel blend was fed to two burners situated in the
middle and upper zones of boiler firing. Directing the fuel
blend to these burners was intended to ensure complete
burning of the sludge before it was likely to enter the slag-
draining zone. Coal and sludge feeders were calibrated
before starting the tests. The coal feeders’ capacities were
defined from their characteristics based on readings of the
112

Fig. 2. Schematic of the OP-230

pulverized coal boiler. Numbers
1–7 indicate measurement points
steam superheater
(steam parameters)

boiler drum
(water parameters)

combustion chamber
(temperatures)

flue
(flue gases parameters)

(fly ash parameters)

fuel blend duct deslagging system

(fuel blend parameters) (slag parameters)

water
(~10m3/h)
Tw2 =21oC Tw1 = 41oC

air + vapours COOLER

Tp2 = 96oC
DEDUSTING
FLUID BED
DRIER

dust condensate
Tk = 39oC

flue gases
air FAN
SCREW Tp1 = 135oC
PUMP

dried sewage
sludge COMBUSTION
CHAMBER
heating oil (~40 dm3/h)
AND HEAT
mechanically EXCHANGER air
dewatered
sewage sludge
(~0,4 m3/h)

Fig. 3. View and schematic of the mobile installation for sewage sludge drying and a view of a dried sludge sample
 113

control settings in the control room. The appropriate setting
for the sewage sludge batcher was selected according to the
determined total volume of coal so as to ensure the required
amount in the fuel blend. Sludge was co-combusted for
about 18 h. Power-emission tests of the boiler during sewage
sludge co-combustion were carried out on a comparative
basis for cases of coal combustion (one test) and fuel blends
containing about 1 wt% of dried sewage sludge (three tests)
at the same boiler rating.
Boiler tests and calculations were carried out according
to Polish standard PN-72/M-34128 Steam Boilers: Accep-
tance Requirement and Tests and the procedures of the
accredited Combustion Laboratory of the Institute for
Chemical Processing of Coal. In each test, measurements
were carried out for 6 h during stable operating conditions
of the boiler. The scope of measurements comprised:
– determination of temperature distribution in various
zones of the boiler’s combustion chamber,
– studies on physicochemical properties of coal, dried
sewage sludge, and combustion/co-combustion by-
products,
– determination of pollutant emissions as for waste co-
combustion (except dioxins and furans).
Basic measurements were carried out as follows:
– The temperature in the combustion chamber was mea-
sured at three levels: 11.4, 18.4, and 24 m (Fig. 2) by
means of S-type PtRh90/10%Pt and K-type NiCr–NiAl
thermocouples as well as a TES 1314 temperature
meter. (INTROL Sp. zo.o., Katowice, Poland)
– The dynamic pressure field was measured in flue cross-
sections before the electrostatic precipitator by means of
a Prandtl probe with a pressure meter CMP-10, ZAM
Ke˛ty (ZAM, Ke˛ty, Poland).
– The temperature and static pressure of flue gas in the flue
were measured by means of a digital temperature meter
with a NiCr–NiAl sensor (CZAKI, Raszyn-Rybie,
Poland) and a Prandtl probe.
– The flue gas moisture content was measured by means of
a digital CMZG-10 (ZAM, Ke˛ty, Poland) gas moisture
meter.
– The flue gas composition (CO, CO2, NO, SO2, O2) was
measured using a mobile set of flue gas composition ana-
lyzers (SIEMENS, Berlin and Munich, Germany).
– To determine HCl, HF, and Hg vapors, a special sam-
pling system was used, consisting of a pump, washer with
an absorber, heated filter, and a gas meter.
– TOC emission was determined using a separate sampling
system consisting of a heated filter, a steam separator, a
set of containers with activated carbon and XAD-2 adsor-
bent, a membrane pump, and a gas meter with a glass
thermometer.
Results and discussion
During the tests of sewage sludge co-combustion with coal
in an OP-230 boiler, no basic technical problems were found
Table 1. Physicochemical properties of the fuel blend components
Property Coal Sewage sludge
Proximate analysis
Moisture (%) 9.80 7.40
Ash (%) 17.90 36.80
Volatile matter (%) 34.36 52.03
Fixed carbon (%) 47.74 11.17
LHV (MJ/kg) 22.96 11.86
Ultimate analysis
C (%) 67.05 33.58
H (%) 4.73 4.82
O (%) 8.28 18.45
N (%) 1.46 4.82
S (%) 0.47 1.34
Cl (%) 0.047 0.095
All percentages except for moisture are dry base
in the operation of the sludge batching system or of the
boiler. Table 1 contains the basic physicochemical para-
meters of the coal and sewage sludge used in the co-
combustion tests.
The chemical compositions of the tested sewage sludge
did not differ from sludge compositions presented in the
literature.2,3 It is worth noting the relatively high nitrogen
content of sewage sludge, which is atypical of fossil fuels.
The ash content in the tested sludge – although around
twice as high as that for coal – was relatively low; much
higher values of this parameter are encountered in practice,
exceeding even 60 wt%. The tested sludge had high levels
of volatile matter, typical of sewage sludge. The calorific
value of the dried sludge in the working conditions, around
11.9 MJ/kg, was relatively high for such a material. The
chlorine content of the sludge, although higher than that of
coal, is not likely to result in major operational complica-
tions in the boiler because of the small amount of sludge in
the blend cocombusted with coal. The sulfur content in the
sludge samples tested was relatively low (there are hard
coals with sulfur contents higher than that in the sludge
samples); however, it was almost three times that of the coal
combusted in these tests.
Figure 4 presents the temperature distribution of the flue
gas along the combustion chamber at heights from 11.4 to
26 m, taking into account the distance from the screen sur-
faces. It can be seen that the required minimum tempera-
ture of flue gas, i.e., 850°C, was easily exceeded during the
entire considered volume of the combustion chamber
(between the second level of burners and the end of the
combustion chamber).
Unfortunately, based on calculations performed (some
relevant data are presented in Table 2), the average resi-
dence time of flue gas in the zone after the last air supply
(from OFA nozzles) was found not to comply with the leg-
islative requirement of flue gas residence (i.e., 2 s) in the
temperature zone above 850°C. The obtained values were
practically half of the required figure and resulted from the
section of flue gas flow being too short (H = 5.1 m). Increas-
ing the time of flue gas residence in the temperature zone
above 850°C would require reducing its volume, which
would result in a decline in boiler capacity. Another
114

Table 2. Selected data used for calculation of average flue gas residence times in the zone with a temperature above 850°C, after the last air
supply
Parameter Unit Fuel

Coal Coal + sewage sludge

Mean flue gas temperature in combustion chamber °C 1 052.50 981.50

Flue gas flow (normal conditions) mn3/h 201 701.76 204 960.34
Flue gas flow (real conditions) m3/h 979 324.85 941 841.56
Mean flue gas velocity m/s 4.90 4.71
Length of combustion chamber section with temperature above 850°C m 5.10 5.10
Flue gas residence time in the zone with temperature above 850°C s 1.04 1.08

Table 3. Results of power measurements for the tested boiler

Parameter Unit Fuel

Coal Coal + sewage sludge

Steaming rate of the boiler ton/h 202.00 201.40

Thermal power MW 142.12 142.10
Heat load % 87.83 87.57
Mean stream of the fuel ton/h 24.22 24.34
Chemical energy of the fuel MW 153.68 154.45
Energy of steam stream MW 187.57 187.52
MW 11.56 12.35
Sum of heat losses % 7.53 8.00
Boiler efficiency % 92.48 92.00

1500 Table 4. Results of emission measurements for the tested boiler

Parameter Unit Emission Fuel
1300 standard for
tested boiler Coal Coal + sewage
Flue gas temperature, ºC

sludge
1100
O2 % v/v – 6.00 6.00
NOx mg/m3n 500 476.68 471.79
900 The lowest permissible temperature SO2 mg/m3n 1550 1305.49 1144.60
CO mg/m3n 225 14.90 13.63
Dust mg/m3n 350 31.99 36.40
700 HCl mg/m3n n.s. <0.22 0.57
HF mg/m3n n.s. <0.35 <0.35
TOC mg/m3n n.s. 7.55 27.55
500
Hg mg/m3n n.s. 0.0062 0.0064
TOC, total organic carbon; n.s, not specified
300
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26
Measurements point height, m Table 5. Inflammable matter in combustion/co-combustion by-
products
5 cm 10 cm 30 cm 50 cm
Parameter Unit Sludge share in the
fuel
Fig. 4. Flue gas temperature distribution along the height of the com-
bustion chamber and for different distances from the screen surfaces 0 wt% 1 wt%

Inflammable matter in ash wt% 4.9 5.2

potential solution of this issue could consist of lowering the
level of the OFA nozzles; however, the calculated height of
their installation to comply with the required time of flue
gas residence in the temperature zone above 850°C would
amount to around 14 m, so it is unrealistic on account of the
level of the upper burners in the tested boiler.
Tables 3 and 4 present results of power-emission mea-
surements for the combustion of coal and sewage sludge
co-combustion with coal. It can be seen from the Table 3
that differences in the power parameters and especially the
Inflammable matter in slag wt% 5.2 3.2
decline in boiler efficiency during sewage sludge co-
combustion were barely noticeable. From the figures pre-
sented in Table 4, it is clear that the tested boiler complied
with current emission standards for pollutants for both coal
combustion and 1 wt% of sewage sludge in the fuel blend.
Table 5 shows the inflammable matter content in samples
of combustion/co-combustion by-products. Taking into

account domestic requirements on slag and ash from waste
co-combustion, which specifies the maximum permissible
inflammable matter content in incineration slag and ashes
at 5 wt%, for slag from sewage sludge co-combustion in an
OP-230 boiler this condition was found to be met. However,
a slight excess of inflammable matter content in the ash
from sludge co-combustion was found. As this parameter
was already exceeded for slag from coal combustion, it may
be concluded that the lack of compliance with the required
inflammable matter content was not caused by the addition
of sewage sludge to coal but resulted only from the process
conditions of combustion.
Conclusions
Industrial tests of dried municipal sludge co-combustion
with hard coal carried out in an OP-230 pulverized coal
boiler have shown that:
1. The influence of dried municipal sludge co-combustion
on the boiler’s efficiency is minimal at 1 wt% sludge in
the fuel blend.
2. The design of the boiler tested does not allow compli-
ance with the formal requirement on flue gas residence
time of 2 s.
3. The obtained results of inflammable matter content
and total organic carbon in some cases exceeded the
maximum permissible values; however, compliance with
these parameters is possible once combustion conditions
are optimized.
115
4. Compliance with current emission standards is
possible for the tested boiler if it starts sewage sludge
co-combustion at a share of 1 wt% in the fuel blend.
Summarizing, the process of dried sludge co-combustion in
pulverized hard coal boilers at an amount in the fuel of up
to 1 wt% does not create any technical or engineering prob-
lems. The process does not create excessive environmental
hazards resulting from increased pollutant emissions. Given
the current situation in Poland, the processing of sewage
sludge by co-combustion with coal in existing power boilers
seems the most promising way of municipal sewage sludge
utilization in the immediate future.
References
1. www.stat.gov.pl/gus/rolnic_lesnict_srodowi_PLK_HTML.htm
(Environmental Protection 2006; 14.04.2006) (in Polish)
2. Disposal and recycling routes for sewage sludge. European
Commission, October 23, 2001, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/
waste/sludge/sludge_disposal.htm
3. Werther J, Ogada T (1999) Sewage sludge combustion. Prog Energy
Combust Sci 25:55–116
4. Richers U, Scheurer W, Seifert H, Hein KRG (2002) Present status
and perspectives of co-combustion in German power plants.
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
5. http://www.sciencedirect.com (19.01.2007) www.elsevier.com
6. Stelmach S, Wasielewski R, Zuwała J (2006) Co-combustion of
sewage sludge with hard coals as a chance of real environmental
problem solution in Poland (in Polish). Karbo 4:234–240
7. Directive 2000/76/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 4 December 2000 on the incineration of waste. (Official
Journal L 332, 28/12/2000 p. 0091–0111)