Czech Republic sludge and waste regulation

The Czech Republic has adopted a new sewage sludge regulation 437/2016 requiring that by 2020 sludge has to be hygienised to demanding levels before land application. Low temperature drying or pyrolysis, for smaller wastewater treatment plants, and drying then combustion or gasification, for larger WWTPs, seem likely options.

A new waste law is also under preparation which is expected to push towards resource recovery from sewage sludges. Some 60 million € of EU regional development Operational Program funds has been allocated this year and next to development in these areas. The Environment Ministry press statement mentions use of phosphorus recovery as an innovation to develop to reduce landfill (see press release 1/8/17) and the call specifies amongst eligible projects “construction / modernisation of heat treatment plants for sewage sludge … including phosphorus recovery”.