Innovative solution for the treatment of industrial sludge

“AIK Njegoševo” d.o.o. is an agricultural enterprise that produces wheat, corn, sunflower, soybeans, barley, and oilseed rape on approximately 650 hectares of agricultural land. as part of the agro-industrial complex AIK “Bačka Topola”. It also operates a pig and cattle farm, producing about 5,000 fattened pigs and 500 cattle per year.
In 2023, with support from the UNDP “EU for Green Agenda in Serbia” project, the company AIK Bačka Topola and its working unit Žibel (IPPC rendering installation) upgraded its wastewater treatment plant, achieving compliance with EU requirements regarding emissions to water. Additionally, an analysis was conducted to explore the further utilization of waste sludge, which favoured composting over other options. The project envisions the purchase of necessary equipment and the construction of a 2,500 m² composting field with a leachate collection system on the pig and cattle farm “Njegoševo,” where by-products from animal breeding and wastewater treatment sludge will be processed into compost, a product with higher added value. In total, 2,000 tons of cattle manure, 182 tons of pig manure, and 600 tons of waste sludge will be used as co-substrates for composting. The produced compost is intended for use as organic fertilizer in crop production by the company.
By using compost as fertilizer, the company will reduce its use of chemicals (mineral fertilizers and soil conditioners) in agricultural production and lower the environmental impact of its agricultural activities through the reduction of N-P-K losses from nitrogen volatilization into the air and nitrogen/phosphorus leaching into soil and water. Land spreading of compost will also improve soil, water and air regime, humus content and its microbiological activity.
The proposed solution will enable the operator to efficiently close the loop to achieve a zero-waste goal and utilize waste sludge from an IPPC rendering installation in line with circular economy principles and requirements of new Industrial Emissions Directive.