sewage – BioEnergy Consult Blog
Meeting sanitation and energy needs with Biogas
September 2, 2013 October 10, 2013 by Salman Zafar, posted in Biogas, Biomass Energy	
So is it possible to feed a biogas digester with human waste? Yes it is. The problem however is getting enough of it into the digester. The traditional answer to this has been to build latrine stances which feed, by gravity, directly into the digester
So we’ve been doing some investigation into installing biogas into schools which are using huge amounts of firewood for their cooking needs. These are BIG institutions! We’re talking upwards of 1500 boarding students!
There are a lot of challenges with biogas even at a small scale. Most notably for me the pure amount of unsavoury work it takes to feed the beast! The calculations say that about 60% of fuel needs can be met by Biogas…best case.
These schools happen to have a huge problem with sanitation as well. With no water borne sewage they rely on pit latrines. The maintenance of these systems (either digging new ones, or emptying them) imparts another financial cost of the schools. Not to mention the possible damage to the ground water system! In the area we are working there is no ‘honey sucker’ truck to dispose of human waste…it’s dumped on site, in…
Tagged Biogas, Energy, Sanitation, sewage, Waste Management, WastesLeave a comment	
An Energy Source Few People Know About
June 6, 2013 October 10, 2013 by Salman Zafar, posted in Biogas, Biomass Energy	
One source of energy that has been around for a long time is the methane gas generated by the wastewater treatment process. Twenty years ago some WWTP’s explored the idea of cogeneration to offset their high energy costs. At the time, the cost of converting the methane gas to energy was more expensive than buying it off the grid. Now that has all changed.
As the United States moves toward energy independence, it has been exciting to see the many new sources of energy that are available to this country. On the renewable energy side of the equation, there are hundreds of projects in the wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, tidal, and biofuels sectors. Many of these are good sources of renewable energy, although currently some are either not practical or readily available.
Private and public wastewater treatment and landfill facilities have jumped on board this cogeneration movement in order to…
Tagged Biogas, electricity, Energy, Human Excreta, Human Wastes, Municipal Wastewater, sewage, WWTPLeave a comment	
Sewage-powered Hydrogen Fuel Station
April 3, 2012 April 4, 2012 by Salman Zafar, posted in Anaerobic Digestion, Biomass Energy, Clean Energy, Energy-from-Waste, Waste Management, Waste-to-energy	
Tagged Anaerobic digestion, Biogas, biohydrogen, California, fuel stations, hydrogen, sewage, STP, ultrasoundLeave a comment	
Role of Waste-to-Energy in Waste Management
March 2, 2011 by Salman Zafar, posted in Biogas, Cleantech, Solid Waste Management, Waste Management, Waste-to-energy	
Waste-to-energy provides the fourth “R” in a comprehensive solid waste management program: reduction, reuse, recycling, and energy recovery. The benefits of full-scale implementation of energy recovery as a final step in waste management are evident:
conservation of natural resources and fossil fuels
drastic landfill reduction
The need for an integrated solid waste management strategy in a city, state, or country becomes more evident as that region’s economy grows and the standard of living improves. With increases in consumption, the amount of waste generated also increases. This creates stresses on the land used for disposal, can lead to environmental pollution, and can be detrimental to public health if the waste is not disposed properly.
Tagged Bioenergy, Biomass Energy, CHP, emissions, environment, organic wastes, sewage, Waste Management, Waste-to-energy, Waste-to-energy | Anaerobic digestionLeave a comment	
Use of Ultrasound in Anaerobic Digestion – Industrial Examples
November 14, 2008 by Salman Zafar, posted in Biogas, Biomass Energy, Biomass Utilization, Waste-to-energy	
Ultrasound activated sludge disintegration could positively affect sludge anaerobic digestion. Due to sludge disintegration, organic compounds are transferred from the sludge solids into the aqueous phase resulting in an enhanced biodegradability. Therefore disintegration of sewage sludge is a promising method to enhance anaerobic digestion rates and lead to reduce the volume of sludge digesters.
STP Bad Bramstedt, Germany (85,000 PE or 4.49 MGD) First fundamental study on pilot scale by Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, 3 years, 1997 – 1999 • reduction in digestion time from 20 to 4 days without losses in degradation efficiency • increase in biogas production by a factor of 4 (renewable energy!) • reduction of digested sludge mass of 25%
STP Ahrensburg, Germany (50,000 PE or 2.64 MGD) Preliminary test on pilot-scale by Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, 6 months, 1999 • increase in VS destruction of 20% • increase in biogas production of 20%
STP Bamberg, Germany (230,000 PE or 12.15 MGD) 1) Preliminary full-scale test, 4 months, 2002 2) Full-scale installation since June 2004 • increase in VS destruction of 30% • increase in biogas production of 30% • avoided the construction of a new anaerobic digester (3,000 m?? vol.)
STP Freising, Germany (130,000 PE or 6.87 MGD) Fundamental full-scale study by University of Armed Forces, Munich, 4 months, 2003 • increase in biogas production of 15% • improved sludge dewatering of 10%
STP Meldorf, Germany (20,000 PE or 1.06 MGD) ( BNR Oxidation Ditch plant ) 1) Preliminary full-scale test, 3 months, 2004 2) Full-scale installation since December 2004 • increase in VS destruction of 25% • increase in biogas production of 25% • no foam or filamentous organisms present in the anaerobic sludge digester
STP Ergolz 2, Switzerland (65,000 PE or 3.43 MGD) Full-scale test, 3 months, 2004 • increase in VS destruction of 15% • increase in biogas production of 25%
STP Beverungen, Germany (50,000 PE or 2.64 MGD) Full-scale test, 3 months, 2004/2005 • increase in VS destruction of 25% • increase in biogas production of 25%
STP Au, Illertissen/Ulm, Germany (70,000 PE or 3.70 MGD) Full-scale test, 3 months, 2004/2005 • increase in VS destruction of 15% • increase in biogas production of 25%
STP Zeist, Netherlands (75,000 PE or 3.96 MGD) Full-scale installation since May 2005 • increase in VS destruction of 25% • increase in biogas production of 25%
STP Kleinsteinbach, Germany (40,000 PE or 2.11 MGD) Full-scale installation since July 2006 • increase in VS destruction of 25% • increase in biogas production of 25%
Tagged Anaerobic digestion, Bioenergy, Biogas, Biomass Energy, clean energy, digester, energy-from-waste, environment, industrial examples, organic wastes, sewage, sludge, sludge disintegration, sonication, ultrasound, Waste Management, wastewater treatmentLeave a comment	