Energy-efficient sludge dryer
Sludge from wastewater treatment and industrial effluent is heavy, wet, and costly—but still holds significant untapped value. ExergyPSSD® turns sludge into a stable, valuable resource for clean energy or soil use, cutting disposal costs and reducing emissions.
Sludge is heavy, wet, and costly, but rich in untapped value. ExergyPSSD® transforms it into a stable resource for energy or soil use, reducing disposal costs.
What is wastewater and industrial sludge?
Wastewater sludge is the concentrated mixture of water, organic matter, fibers and minerals that remains after mechanical and biological treatment in municipal WWTPs and industrial plants. It often contains 75–80% water, which makes it bulky, unstable and expensive to store, transport and dispose of.
Industrial processes such as pulp and paper, food production, biogas and chemical industries generate similar types of sludge and wet residues. Without efficient treatment, these materials can cause odor, environmental risks and high operating costs.
Why sludge drying matters
Wet sludge is difficult to handle and often requires frequent transport to landfills, incineration or external treatment plants. This leads to high costs per tonne, increased CO2 emissions from transport and, in many regions, stricter regulations and limited disposal options.
By drying sludge close to the source, you can dramatically reduce volume and weight, stabilize the material and create new options for energy recovery or beneficial use. At the same time, you improve hygiene, reduce odours and simplify storage and handling.
Drying sludge with superheated steam provides complete sterilization and removes odors without direct contact between flue gases and product. The oxygen-free environment prevents oxidation and reduces the risk of corrosion, discoloration and secondary emissions.
The result is a dry, free-flowing sludge product that is easier and safer to store, handle and transport. In many cases, this opens up new possibilities to use the dried material as a renewable fuel or soil enhancer instead of treating it as waste.
Our sludge dryer technology is suitable for many types of municipal and industrial sludge and wet residues. Typical applications include:
- Sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants
- Industrial effluent sludge from pulp and paper mills
- Sludge and residues from food and beverage industries
- Sludge from biogas and biofuel production
- Other fibrous or organic sludges with high moisture content
Swedish Exergy has decades of experience in drying biomass, pulp, food residues, animal feed and sludge, and our systems are designed for long lifetime and reliable operation in demanding environments.
Drying sludge from around 20–25% dry solids to a much higher dryness reduces volume and weight, which lowers transport and disposal costs and allows longer, more stable storage with flexible logistics.
At the same time, the dried sludge can replace other fuels in boilers, be co-combusted with biomass or used as a stabilized material for soil improvement, cement kilns and other high-calorific applications, turning waste sludge into a valuable resource and supporting circular resource management and decarbonization strategies.
By recovering up to around 80–95% of the drying energy as steam or heat and reusing it in digesters, evaporation, district heating or other thermal processes, you cut both fuel use and operating costs while reducing the overall CO2 footprint of sludge treatment.
At the same time, integrating sludge drying into your energy system and operating in a closed, oxygen-free environment with no flue gas stacks or dust emissions gives you safer, cleaner sludge handling, simpler permitting and better working conditions for your team.
Drying sludge with superheated steam provides complete sterilization and removes odors without direct contact between flue gases and product. The oxygen-free environment prevents oxidation and reduces the risk of corrosion, discoloration and secondary emissions.
The result is a dry, free-flowing sludge product that is easier and safer to store, handle and transport. In many cases, this opens up new possibilities to use the dried material as a renewable fuel or soil enhancer instead of treating it as waste.
Our sludge dryer technology is suitable for many types of municipal and industrial sludge and wet residues. Typical applications include:
- Sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants
- Industrial effluent sludge from pulp and paper mills
- Sludge and residues from food and beverage industries
- Sludge from biogas and biofuel production
- Other fibrous or organic sludges with high moisture content
Swedish Exergy has decades of experience in drying biomass, pulp, food residues, animal feed and sludge, and our systems are designed for long lifetime and reliable operation in demanding environments.
Drying sludge from around 20–25% dry solids to a much higher dryness reduces volume and weight, which lowers transport and disposal costs and allows longer, more stable storage with flexible logistics.
At the same time, the dried sludge can replace other fuels in boilers, be co-combusted with biomass or used as a stabilized material for soil improvement, cement kilns and other high-calorific applications, turning waste sludge into a valuable resource and supporting circular resource management and decarbonization strategies.
By recovering up to around 80–95% of the drying energy as steam or heat and reusing it in digesters, evaporation, district heating or other thermal processes, you cut both fuel use and operating costs while reducing the overall CO2 footprint of sludge treatment.
At the same time, integrating sludge drying into your energy system and operating in a closed, oxygen-free environment with no flue gas stacks or dust emissions gives you safer, cleaner sludge handling, simpler permitting and better working conditions for your team.