Planning, construction and service of solar-thermal drying plants for sewage sludge and other substrates
THERMO-SYSTEM Industrie- & Trocknungstechnik GmbH
Esslingen (DE) · Brixen (IT)New on Amplifa
About THERMO-SYSTEM
THERMO-SYSTEM develops and implements solar and solar-thermal drying plants for sewage sludge, digestate and a wide variety of other substrates. Founded in 1997 in close cooperation with the University of Hohenheim, the company is based in Esslingen (DE) and Brixen (IT) and offers three drying concepts: SolarBatch (batch), SolarFlow (continuous) and StorageDryer (semi-continuous). The plants use solar energy and optionally low-temperature heat sources such as biogas waste heat; plant sizes range from 200 m² to over 40,000 m² of drying area. The technology includes fully automatic turning machines such as the Elektrisches Schwein® (turning robot in stainless steel), the SchlammManager and the SchlammTiller. With more than 200 plants in operation and over 500,000 m² of realized drying area, THERMO-SYSTEM serves municipalities, wastewater disposal operators, agriculture, industry, water treatment, mining and construction — including the world's largest solar-thermal drying plant in Bottrop (43,000 m²). As part of the Wierer Holding (South Tyrol), the company works closely with its sister company Rabensteiner, which plans and implements the drying halls.
- Site
- Esslingen
- Processes
- Solar drying of sewage sludge (SolarBatch, SolarFlow, StorageDryer), SolarBatch – batch drying process, SolarFlow – continuous drying process, SpeicherTrockner (StorageDryer) – semi-continuous drying process, Digestate drying (solar/solar-thermal, biogas waste heat utilization), Solar-thermal drying (with external heat supply, e.g. 10-20 MW, 400 kW, 4 MW), Solar and solar-thermal sludge drying (SolarBatch, SolarFlow, StorageDryer), Digestate drying
- Materials
- Sewage sludge, Digestate, Slurry, Crop residues, Industrial sludges, Sludges from drinking water treatment, Algae, Fly larvae
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001, ISO 14001
- Founded
- 1997
- Industries
- Municipal wastewater disposal, Industry (industrial sludges), Agriculture (slurry, digestate/biogas), Drinking water treatment, Food and animal feed production, Mining
- 01
Consulting and drying trials in the test laboratory
- 02
Planning of the customized drying concept (with Rabensteiner: hall construction)
- 03
Manufacture of the turning equipment and plant technology
- 04
Assembly and commissioning of the plant
- 05
Customer service and on-site service
Processes and Materials
SolarBatch (batch process)
Batch operation with the turning robot Elektrisches Schwein®, ideal for plants with high flexibility requirements.
SolarFlow (continuous process)
Continuous operation for uniform material flows, optionally fully automated, with the SchlammManager as turning device.
StorageDryer (semi-continuous process)
Semi-continuous process, especially for smaller plants, suitable for SolarBatch and StorageDryer concepts.
Elektrisches Schwein® (turning robot)
Fully automatic turning robot in stainless steel that moves freely through the drying hall; optionally with 3D LiDAR system.
SchlammManager (turning device)
Bridge construction for hall widths of 10–20 m, processes 2,500–3,000 m² of drying area per unit, with automatic height mapping AHC®.
SchlammTiller (turning device)
Fully automatic turning device with rotating drum for hall widths up to 12.2 m, in galvanized steel or stainless steel.
Stainless steel
Material of the turning robots and turning devices for robust, durable plant technology.
Galvanized steel
Alternative material version for the frame, turning drum and turning tools of the SchlammTiller.
Locations
Esslingen
DEHeadquarters
- Fully automatic turning robot (Elektrisches Schwein®)
- Fully automatic turning device (SchlammManager)
- Fully automatic turning device (SchlammTiller)
Brixen
ITLocation
Plant Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar drying of sewage sludge (SolarBatch, SolarFlow, StorageDryer)Engineering | – | – | – | Plants from 200 m² of drying area – > 40 000 m² of drying area | Sewage sludge |
| SolarBatch – batch drying processEngineering | – | – | – | – | Sewage sludge, Digestate, Industrial sludges, Slurry, Crop residues, Sludges from drinking water treatment, Algae, Fly larvae, Mining residues, Slags, Clay |
| SolarFlow – continuous drying processEngineering | – | – | – | – | Sewage sludge, Digestate, Industrial sludges, Slurry, Crop residues, Sludges from drinking water treatment, Algae, Fly larvae, Mining residues, Slags, Clay |
| SpeicherTrockner (StorageDryer) – semi-continuous drying processEngineering | – | – | – | – | Sewage sludge, Digestate, Industrial sludges, Slurry, Crop residues, Sludges from drinking water treatment, Algae, Fly larvae, Mining residues, Slags, Clay |
| Digestate drying (solar/solar-thermal, biogas waste heat utilization)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Digestate |
| Solar-thermal drying (with external heat supply, e.g. 10-20 MW, 400 kW, 4 MW)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Sewage sludge |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully automatic turning robot (Elektrisches Schwein®) | THERMO-SYSTEM Elektrisches Schwein® | – | free movement in the drying hall, flexible hall dimensions | – | – |
| Fully automatic turning device (SchlammManager) | THERMO-SYSTEM SchlammManager | – | hall widths 10-20 m, 2 500-3 000 m² of drying area per unit | – | – |
| Fully automatic turning device (SchlammTiller) | THERMO-SYSTEM SchlammTiller | – | hall widths up to 12.2 m | – | – |
| Solar/solar-thermal drying plant (drying hall) | THERMO-SYSTEM | 200+ | 200 m² to > 40 000 m² of drying area | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certification
THERMO-SYSTEM is certified according to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015. Drying trials of various materials are carried out in-house in the company's own test laboratory.
| Evidence | Esslingen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 |
Company History
- 1997
Founded in close cooperation with the University of Hohenheim
Part of the Wierer Holding (South Tyrol) with the sister companies Rabensteiner and Bauexpert
Over 200 plants in operation, over 500,000 m² of realized drying area, world's largest solar-thermal drying plant in Bottrop (43,000 m²)