First Insights into Sewage Sludge Handling in Germany
As part of the Exportinitiative Umweltschutz (Exportinitiative Environmental Protection) project by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) on sewage sludge management, AHK Sri Lanka hosted an online session together with EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG.
Mr. Michael Kübel (Technical Project Management) and Mr. Florian Hennies (Financial Project Management) introduced our delegates from the Seethawaka Board of Investment Zone and two corporate representatives to the sewage sludge combined heat and power plant in Walheim, Germany.
Key facts from the Walheim plant with projected start-up phase in Q3 2027:
- Around 180,000 metric tons of local sewage sludge are sustainably disposed of or recycled each year.
- The plant fulfills requirements for recovering phosphorus—an essential raw material for agriculture—from sewage sludge.
- Environmentally friendly district heating extracted from the process supplies up to 300 households sustainably.
The concept presentation was complemented by a trip briefing from AHK Sri Lanka to prepare the six delegates from Sri Lanka for their upcoming capacity-building business trip to Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, taking place from 6–10 October.
AHK Sri Lanka is part of the German Chamber Network, supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). With 150 locations in 93 countries worldwide, the members of the German Chamber Network (AHKs) share their expertise, connections, and services with German and local companies in the respective partner countries. The AHKs are present in all countries of particular importance to German businesses and are closely linked with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IHKs) in Germany.