CASE STUDY
1. BACKGROUND
Purification of Waters of the Mediterranean,
S.L. (DAM) has over twenty years of experience in the operation of wastewater
treatment plants and sewage sludge treatment plants. In the Vintena sewage
treatment plant, in Carcaixent (Valencia), composting of the sludge derived
from the treatment of wastewater and vegetable waste is carried out, obtaining
a compost of high agronomic value.
DAM and FICOSTERRA have carried out a pilot
test to analyze the effectiveness of the ficoswaste product as a deodorizer and
accelerator of the composting processes, obtaining very positive results.
2.- THE PROCESS
The production process consists of the
formation of piles that mix sludge with pruning remains and weekly flips for
4-5 months, until the compost is ripe and ready for use in agriculture.
In the test carried out during the months of
October to January 2017 at the Vintena plant, a pile treated with ficoswaste
was mounted and carried in parallel with another pile to which the product was
not applied.
3.- THE RESULTS
In the pilot stack treated with ficoswaste, an
important improvement was quantified, around 30%, in the amount of treated
sludge compared to the control one. This difference is the result of increased
digestion of the material, produced by the microorganisms of ficoswaste. There
was also a reduction in bad odors, an effect also common in those environments
in which the product intervenes.
As a result of this pilot test, DAM has
decided to extend the use of ficoswaste to its composting process by applying
it on a larger scale in order to corroborate the results of the first test and
to know in more detail the benefits that this technology can bring them in the
future.
4.- ABOUT THE PRODUCT
Ficoswaste® is a liquid solution that contains
extracts of algae and regenerating microorganisms to accelerate the degradation
of organic matter and the reduction of odors coming from the decomposition of
it.