News | May 25, 2023

Centrisys/CNP Secures Contract For PONDUS Thermal Hydrolysis Process Installation In The United States

Upgrade to include Centrisys/CNP CS18-4 skid mounted centrifuge system and PONDUS Thermal Hydrolysis Process for the Salem, Ohio – Columbiana County Wastewater Treatment Plant Phase 3 Improvements.

Centrisys/CNP, a leading North American manufacturer of decanter centrifuges and advanced biosolids treatment technologies, announced it has been awarded the contract to upgrade the Salem, Ohio – Columbiana County Wastewater Treatment Plant. This project forms a critical element of the Phase 3 improvements aimed at enhancing the plant's operational efficiency and compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit parameters. The upgrade will include a Centrisys/CNP CS18-4 skid-mounted centrifuge system and PONDUS Sludge Hydrolysis Process (THP), designed to improve digestion capacity and significantly reduce disposal costs.

“PONDUS is a simple Thermal Hydrolysis Process (THP) for plants of all sizes, which increases solids loading rates to a digester, improves thermal energy balance, produces renewable energy, and reduces disposal costs – using no polymer for sludge thickening before hydrolyzation,” said Gerhard Forstner, president of CNP. “The anaerobically digested sludge will achieve a flow rate of 50 gpm, and a 95 percent capture rate with 25 percent dry solids. Delivery of Salem’s new system will be complete in 2024.”

Additional attributes of PONDUS THP are that no steam and no pressure are required with this digester pre-treatment process. Plant operators can operate, maintain and repair PONDUS without additional training and certifications.

The City of Salem's Wastewater Treatment Plant serves 12,000 residents, with a design capacity of 4.0 million gallons per day. The planned upgrade will help modernize the aged infrastructure and improve compliance with the plant's NPDES permit, thus ensuring reliable wastewater treatment services for the Salem area residents.

The scope of upgrades will include:

  • A new sludge conditioning building.
  • One sludge thermo-chemical hydrolysis process (including sodium hydroxide storage and feed system, reactor tank, heat exchanger, boiler, sludge blend tank, and progressive cavity pumps).
  • A new dewatering building with one new decanter centrifuge skid system.

Forstner added, “Working closely with our manufacturer representative, Fred Monago of FCM Equipment, we conducted an exhaustive evaluation to ensure Salem's Wastewater Treatment Plant gets the best technologies to meet its goals. We understood the Salem team’s desire to expand digester capacity, increase organic loading rate, and get better cake dewaterability to reduce disposal costs. They needed system simplicity, installation efficiency, low CAPEX and OPEX, and high operational efficiency, which is why our systems stood out. We are proud to have our solutions chosen for this critical infrastructure upgrade.”

To help wastewater treatment professionals better understand the benefits of PONDUS, a 30-minute discussion will be offered on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 12:00 pm CST, conducted by CNP President Gerhard Forstner. To attend, register at Digester Intensification Discussion.

For more information about Centrisys/CNP decanter centrifuges and sludge hydrolysis treatment, or to view recent installations and company announcements, visit https://www.centrisys-cnp.com.

About Centrisys/CNP
Centrisys is a USA manufacturer of dewatering centrifuges, sludge thickeners and provides global centrifuge service, repair, and parts for all decanter centrifuge brands. CNP, a subsidiary of Centrisys, supplies nutrient recovery and advanced biosolids treatment systems for phosphorus recovery and thermal hydrolysis processes.

Source: Centrisys/CNP