BIOPLASTICS AND BIOFUELS FROM URBAN ORGANIC WASTE

The aim of this paper is to give a point of view on the integration of organic waste management and wastewater treatment supported by new experimental data from full-scale plant and last literature reviews. Historically the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge was implemented in the wastewater treatment plants in order to stabilize this organic matter, but the reactors were often oversized that means large reactor volume are now day available. The co digestion of sludge with the organic wastes, such as the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, is a simple way to fully utilise these volumes and capital investment, to increase biogas production, to recover energy from waste, to balance the nutrient, to reduce greenhouse gas emission and, when applicable, to increase the performance of the wastewater treatment. In other words, a smart application of circular economy concepts focused on secondary carbon streams valorisation. A smart wastewater treatment plant must represent a service for the city and territory, where citizen and environment are the beneficiaries. With this vision, the WWTP treats both wastewater and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) from separate collection.