Find solutions to dilution, pollution and content diversity challenges to turn mixed urban bio-waste into sustainable feedstock for the bio-based industry (IA-DA)

Specific challenge: In 2016, an estimated 54 % of the world’s population lived in urban areas. That figure is projected to exceed 60 % in 203024. Cities, and the people living within them, produce an immense amount of solid waste and wastewater. Despite the widespread availability of sorting practices, mixed waste streams going to landfill or for incineration still contain a large volume of biodegradable organic matter (for example, 60 % in the UK) that could well be used as feedstock for the bio-based industry. Furthermore, such a large amount of organic matter going to landfill falls short of the aim in Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste of limiting the share of landfilled biodegradable waste to 35 % by 2020.
Wastewater contains several valuable components, including cellulose and nutrients, especially phosphorus. The content of municipal wastewater and the derived sewage sludge could cover around 15 % of the world’s phosphorus demand. Every year the average citizen sends 10 kg of toilet paper into the sewage system. This would provide an enormous source of cellulose for further upgrade to chemical precursors and/or polymers.
High dilution and the wide variety of exploitable components in urban wastewater streams make it difficult to recover usable components at higher scale efficiently. As a result, urban wastewater treatment tends to focus on producing energy or biogas. Even though their contaminant levels and diversity present challenges for valorisation, organic urban waste streams can provide a significant volume of feedstock for the bio-based industry all year round without any conflict with land use and food production. The specific challenge of this topic is to utilise mixed waste streams, separately collected organic waste and the organic fraction of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment – all coming from urban sources – as sustainable feedstock for the bio-based industry, overcoming their high dilution level, pollution and disparity of content.

Identifier:BBI 2018.SO1.D2

Deadline:  06.09.2018