Sewage treatment plant cost saving figures
Total suspended solids
When sewage water gets directed to a waste water treatment plant, it comes with a lot of particles that are undisolved. The dry weight of those, found in a sample of water after filtration, is called TSS or total suspended solids. Those are usually comprised of different substances. For example, fine sand, hairs or used toilet paper. High concentrations of solids can cause problems for marine life, water streams and the environment in general. Taking care of those solids is one of the primary goals and costs for sewage treatment plants.
Cellvation® technology affects the primary sewage treatment. We install our equipment in the pretreatment stage, after the water has passed through the bar screen of the sewage treatment plant. We filter out most of the toilet paper that comes with the sewage water. This results in a great reduction of the total suspended solids - up to 40% less!
The next benefit that Cellvation® brings to waste water treatment plants is related to the energy consumption of the aeration tanks. Those are used to stimulate microbial growth in the wastewater and are part of the activated sludge process. The organic material found in sewage water serves as a feedstock for the microbes, which as a consequence build a biological flock (a.k.a a sludge blanket) that settles at the bottom of the clarifiers. In order for this to happen, however, the aeration blowers of the tanks, require a significant amount of electricity.
After Cellvation® removes the toilet paper in the beginning of the water treatment process, the result in less solids for the aeration tanks. The aeration process usualy represents 15% to 50% of the total operating costs of running a sewage treatment plant. When Celllvation is applied, the energy consumption by aeration tanks decreases significantly - up to 15%!
Sludge volume reduction
Sewage sludge is generated mainly during the primary and the secondary stages of the water treatment process. It is the remaining , semi-solid material that comes as a by-product during the treatment of industrial or municipal wastewater. Sludge is formed through the settling of solids found in sewage water. This happens at the bottom of circular tanks, while large scrappers constantly move the sludge towards the center, where pumps transport the substance for additional treatment.
When Cellvation®, filters out the toilet paper in the beginning of the sewage treatment process, the solids that have to settle become significantly less. This is interesting because sludge only represents two percent of the volume of the treated wastewater, however, it usually results in 20% to 60% of the total operating costs of an STP. Treatment usually costs on between 200 and 400 euros per ton of dry solids. Cellvation at the sewage treatement plant means up to 20% less sludge!
Hydraulic capacity increase
Hydraulic capacity of a sewage treatment plant is the amount of water that can be treated by the facility. On average, high income countries are able to treat 70% of the sewage water. The capacity is usually predetermined by the size of the STP, the technology used, and the amount of TSS. Those factors make it challenging to improve on the capacity of sewage treatment plants.
Cellvation® takes on this challenge. When integrated, our process leads to an overal increase of hydrolic capacity of up to 10%! In global terms this could make a substantial impact - more sewage treated by the same water treatment infrastructure.
STP with Cellvation®
Carbon dioxide reduction
When a sewage treatment plant makes use of Cellvation®, it reduces its carbon footprint directly and indirectly. The direct reduction is due to the lower amount of sludge, the decreased energy consumption and the increased STP capacity. Cellvation® at the sewage treatment plant means up to 20% direct reduction of CO2 emissions!
The indirect carbon print reduction comes from the fact that Cellvation upcycles the toilet paper into a cellulose product - Recell®, which is returned back to the market, thus reducing the demand for virgin cellulose. Every ton of cellulose that we upcycle from the sewage saves about one tree and prevents up to 2 tons CO2 emissions!
The recovered product
Our Cellvation® process produces a cellulose product that is widely applicable. Recell®, as the end-product is branded, is a high-quality fibre suitable for various industries like construction, paper and board, coatings and sustainable chemicals. Depending on your needs, we supply fluff fibres, pellets and polymer granulates for which we mix Recell® with a specified (bio)polyester, for example, PHA and PLA. From sewage to Recell®, Cellvation® demonstrates a real-life example of a circular economy.
CALCULATE YOUR BENEFITS!
We contribute to the circular economy and provide great advantages to STPs: total suspended solids reduction, lower energy costs for aeration basins, less sludge, increased STP capacity and a lower carbon footprint. Are you interested in being part of a circular economy? Contact us and we will calculate how much sewage water we can treat for you!