Dr. Sunil Kumar, Principal Scientist and Head, Head of WtERT India had a meeting with Dipl.-Ing. Werner Bauer and Dipl.-Ing. Hedwig Vielreicher in Munich, Bavaria.

Electrochemical characterization of a stack consisting of two identical membrane-less microbial fuel cells units, was investigated when operated in series and in parallel electrical configurations. Food Residue Biomass (FORBI) (FORBI; 0.8 g COD/L) was used as the electrode donor in the anode chamber. Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) was carried out for the construction of polarization curves which revealed that the highest power output (3.88 mW) was obtained under parallel connection as in series connection was found lower due to voltage drop phenomena. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy measurements (EIS) gave an insight in the electrochemical processes occurring within the stack under both electrical connections. The contribution of the individual resistances to the overall internal resistance was defined, designating the significant role of the solution resistance (Rs) and the charge transfer resistance (RCT) under closed circuit conditions.

Iran is the fourth biggest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world. Meanwhile, this country is the largest CO2 emitter among the Middle East countries and 99% of energy in this country is produced from nonrenewable-based resources.

Although anaerobic digestion is a well‐established technology, the treatment and disposal of the digestate still presents a challenge due to lack of viable methods for processing. The residual organic matter in digestates also creates a significant residual biogas potential. This fact indicates that the digestates need further processing not only to reduce their organic content for disposal, but also to capture the biogas associated with this residual organic content.

This annual report summarizes WtERT-Germany's activities, like the outcome of the website's relaunch, our consultancy projects in Croatia and Tunisia as well as hosting/delegation of guests in 2018. In addition, it gives a glimpse of what we are about to do in 2019.

The pyrolysis of the walnut shell was carried out in a lab-scale continuous fluidized bed reactor at a temperature range of 400 to 600 °C.

The generic model can serve as transparent and fair option to compare anaerobic digestion to alternative treatment or disposal options of specific food side-flows for the purpose of a learning tool. The model can be adapted to other side-flows of the food industry if necessary.

Nowadays, waste-to-energy has become a type of renewable energy utilization that can provide environmental and economic benefits in the world. In this paper, we evaluated the quality of twelve biodegradable waste samples from Myanmar by binder laboratory heating and drying oven at 105 °C. The calculation methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) were used for the greenhouse gas emission estimation from waste disposal at the open dumpsites, anaerobic digestion, and waste transportation in the current situation of Myanmar.

It is worth disputing if high values and/or interest are at stake? The waste sector is a sector very prone to being affected by such disputes, as the aforementioned criteria are fully met.

China remained the most largest energy consumer of the world since overtaking the United States for the first time in 2007, which is due to the rapid development of national economy in recent years. Figure 1 shows the changes of the primary energy consumption of China, the US and the world in the last ten years. It is found that the primary energy consumption of China increased by 38.8 % from 2,361.4 to 3,278.2 million tonnes oil equivalent during 2008-2017. In 2017, China accounted for 24.3 % of global energy consumption. It is a consensus that energy is absolutely the lifeblood of national economy. Fossil fuels not only provides essential power for industrial development but also bring serious environmental pollution. Nowadays, there are two major contradictions concerning energy and environment as shown in Figure 2.

The regional differences in the amount of sewage sludge produced, and the processes used for recycling vary greatly in Europe. There is a current decline in the acceptance of sewage sludge as fertiliser for agriculture in Central and Northern Europe, and due to the legal requirements specific to each country, this practice is expected to be phased out extensively in the shorter or medium term. The co-incineration of sewage sludge in waste incineration plants, coal-fired power plants and cement works can only be regarded as a temporary solution since phosphorus, an important resource for the future, is lost in the process. Mono-incineration of sewage sludge with the option of recovering phosphorus from the ash therefore presents the most appropriate solution in Central and Northern Europe, both from the technical and the ecological aspect.

Sewage sludge treatment routes are mostly well established in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. While there are different approaches, the problem or task of processing and handling sewage sludge is widely considered solved. So why is this a trending topic?

The recovery of phosphorus brings a significant contribution to the saving of resources. In recent years, a variety of methods have been developed for this purpose. Some of these processes have already been successfully implemented and are in industrial use. The technologies start at different points in the material cycle of the phosphorus. A very good possibility is offered by using accumulating phosphorus compounds in wastewater treatment plants. In municipal wastewater, phosphorus loads occur on a significant scale. Here phosphorus is enriched and can be used again after its preparation. The use of the resulting phosphorus as a secondary raw material can make an important contribution to the protection of global resources.

Sewage sludge is the residue respectively waste product from waste-water treatment and consists of water and a mixture of separated solids. Municipal sewage sludge from municipal waste-water treatment plants usually contains plant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. In addition, sewage sludge is contaminated with heavy metals from the waste-water and may additionally contain pollutants such as poorly degradable organic substances, microplastics, hormones, endocrine disruptors, pathogenic germs, drug residues, synthetically produced nanomaterials etc.