BioBoS

Forecasts show that the number of treatment stations and the quantity of sludge treated will increase in the coming years due to growing industrialisation and urbanisation. The treatment of sludge and its elimination will undoubtedly present environmental challenges. An alternative to the elimination methods currently used (incineration, landfill, agricultural spreading) is to use the lipids present in the sludge as a raw material for the production of biodiesel. The conversion of lipids present in biodiesel sludge requires a specific conversion process. This strategy has several benefits: reduction of the volume of sludge, waste recovery, source of cheap lipids and no competition with agriculture. In addition, the recovery of waste after extraction is evaluated via different channels to optimise the profitability of the process as much as possible. European directive 2009/28/EC sets an objective for a 20% reduction in greenhouse gases and the replacement of 20% of traditional fuels with renewable energy in total energy consumption in the EU by 2020. In terms of biofuels, the European Commission requires them to represent 10% of use by 2020. This project has two objectives: reducing the volume of sludge with waste recovery and producing biodiesel.