Acting in the role of general contractor, BURKHARDT started work in November 2021 to expand the existing sludge dryer at Aichaberg in southern Germany, which had been in operation since 2008. The new plant uses the DRYLINE® two-belt dryer developed in-house by BURKHARDT GmbH, based in Mühlhausen/Bavaria. Following successful completion of the project in 2022, Aichaberg 2 is now rated as a showcase sludge drying plant. Interested visitors can view the plant by appointment.

Complete project realisation

In addition to overall planning of the heating unit and dryer, BURKHARDT was responsible for planning and project management of the erection of building and infrastructure. The DRYLINE® scope of supply comprised the entire dryer system including ventilation, exhaust air cleaning, dry material handling, as well as all electrical and heating lines. A woodchip biomass boiler was used to provide renewable heat generation.

Double the capacity

BURKHARDT also took steps to increase the efficiency of the original Aichaberg dryer. Currently, a maximum of 50 tonnes of sewage sludge are dried and converted into fuel in each of the two independent dryers every day. The new dryer is designed for more than 8,000 operating hours per year.

At present, 25 municipalities in northern Bavaria supply their sewage sludge to the two dryers. One reason for the increased demand is that the recycled product is rated as CO2 neutral when incinerated.

Flexible drying

As a two-belt dryer with four drying levels, the BURKHARDT Dryline® is a proven winner. Operators benefit from the option of modular expansion of the drying belt and of the unit as a whole, thus increasing overall drying capacity. In a just-in-time process, dewatered sludge is fed to the belt drying system via a feed hopper. In the new Aichaberg 2 dryer, two mobile silos act as intermediate buffers providing greater flexibility of sludge feed.

Show plant welcomes visitors

Interested parties can arrange to visit the Aichaberg 2 show plant, developed and built by BURKHARDT, by sending an e-mail to energy@burkhardt-gmbh.de. The BURKHARDT technical staff will be pleased to give a guided tour of the plant.