It’s incredible how quickly time flies when you’re learning so much in such a stimulating and welcoming environment. During my time at Nijhuis, I had the opportunity to meet researchers, process and commissioning engineers, expand my professional network, and engage with industrial partners. These interactions allowed me to explore the topic from new perspectives, consider critical aspects I hadn’t previously examined, and gain a broader understanding of the future of sludge processing in the European Union.
Together with Tiago, I deepened into the process details of wastewater treatment and its impact on the quality of the final sludge. He also introduced me to the current developments in electrowinning technology for heavy metal removal— the technology he is passionately and hardly working on. Through this collaboration, I gained valuable insights into the challenges and potential of this innovative approach, as well as the work that still needs to be done.
Interacting with professionals at Nijhuis also gave me a deeper understanding of sludge management practices in The Netherlands, including land use needs and regulatory constraints specific to the region. I came to appreciate the numerous factors that influence the choice of one sludge treatment method over another, and get to know lots of other promising innovative technologies for nutrients’ recovery. This experience provided inspiration and guidance on what a multi-criteria decision-making tool needs to account for such complex considerations.
Thanks to input and hints from data engineers, I was able to enhance my sludge data collection work, refining it to better capture properties and variability of sludge and sludge-based products. This included integrating and harmonizing available data and identifying key research gaps and limitations of the database itself. Additionally, by applying advanced statistical techniques, I improved my understanding of the key parameters involved in various sludge treatments. This analysis help to highlight the most impactful parameters and to identify the main drivers for specific types of sludge-based fertilizers according to their agronomic properties, something of essential importance for the tool development.
Looking ahead, we plan to incorporate Tiago’s sludge characterization data into the final model and develop techniques to better understand the fate of heavy metals during the electrowinning process, along with its potential implications for soil application. Moreover, we plan to look into differences according to sludge of different origin. It has been a highly rewarding experience to work closely with Tiago on this project. And beyond the research, it was a pleasure to share time and experiences together, strengthening our link as colleagues and friends.. as well as exploring The Netherlands and experiencing life in another country!
I’m excited to see the outcomes of INCLUE research and how it will contribute to a more sustainable future.