Sludge & Biosolids Processing Resources
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Defining High Quality Biosolids: Exploring Options To Create A Market For Biosolid Products
7/18/2019
Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) are already aware of the idea that biosolids can be a valuable commodity. Consequently, there is opportunity to grow this market. The use of biosolids can create products that have value and generate a customer demand that ultimately leads to an economic incentive for WRRFs. There are several factors that contribute to the success of biosolid products, like the quality of biosolids and information available about how and where to use high quality biosolids.
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Combining Biosolids Waste Streams? Not So Fast…
7/12/2019
The idea of combining two systems into one sounds like a common-sense solution to simplifying operations. Wastewater treatment plant operators have been experimenting with this concept by combining waste activated sludge with primary and septage waste streams with the goal of lowering system complexity. The reality of these efforts is proving, in many cases, to be problematic.
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Sludge Thickeners: The Good, The Bad, And The Smelly
7/11/2019
Management of wastewater sludge is a core responsibility of treatment plant operators. With this responsibility comes common challenges that must be overcome. These include controlling odors so as to have a minimal impact on the surrounding community and minimizing hauling costs for its disposal. Getting a handle on both of these responsibilities and more can be much easier with the proper sludge-thickening equipment.
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Sludge Sampling For Polymer Selection — Critical For Project Success
7/10/2019
Polymers — the chemicals used in wastewater to thicken sludges and facilitate the removal of water — are critical to the operational efficiency of sludge-thickening equipment. Unfortunately, it’s common practice at treatment facilities to order and install equipment before even considering what the ideal polymer might be for the sludge produced at the specific plant. This flawed process is time consuming, disruptive to plant operations, and can become very costly.
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How To Boost Wastewater Treatment Capacity Within An Existing Footprint
7/9/2019
Municipalities can find themselves in a real bind when wastewater treatment operations are strained by population growth. That’s because facilities are either landlocked and can’t expand at their current location, or the prospect of building an addition isn’t in the budget. When the bottleneck is at the digesters — the tanks where microorganisms break down waste — there are some commonsense strategies treatment plants can employ to address those growing pains.
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Can We Turn Sewage 'Sludge' Into Something Valuable?
4/30/2019
Over the past few years I have become an academic expert in “sewage sludge” — the residual, semi-solid mix of excrement packed with microorganisms that is left behind within wastewater treatment plants. Every year the UK alone produces approximately 1.4 million tons of the stuff. About 80 percent of it is spread on fields as manure, but this still leaves us with a headache — what do we do with the rest?
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When To Consider An Alternative To Thermal Dispersion Meters
4/17/2019
Maintaining a firm grip on blower output within digesters at wastewater treatment plants is the key to stable dissolved oxygen levels that support an optimal biological cycle. However, the most common type of device used to measure aeration in the activated sludge process — thermal dispersion flow meters — is not always the best fit. The good news is that wastewater plant operators have multiple alternatives.
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Water Runs Through The Circular Economy
3/26/2019
Circular economy approaches can add value to a vast range of processes and product sectors, but water is the ‘blue thread’ that flows through it all, Nick Jeffries tells Paul O’Callaghan, chief executive, BlueTech Research.
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Wastewater Is An Asset — It Contains Nutrients, Energy And Precious Metals, And Scientists Are Learning How To Recover Them
3/21/2019
Most people think as little as possible about the wastewater that is produced daily from their showers, bathtubs, sinks, dishwashers and toilets. But with the right techniques, it can become a valuable resource.
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Resource Recovery: Monetizing The Hidden Assets Within Wastewater Plants
3/11/2019
A growing number of wastewater treatment plant leaders are banking on newer technology to tap into previously unclaimed resources at their sites while addressing pressing needs such as increasing capacity and meeting more stringent treatment requirements. By looking at the process through a different lens and raising the bar when it comes to overall objectives, it is possible to shift facilities from being a cost center toward a revenue generator.