Features
December
2009, Vol.
21, No.12
Do Your Homework
There are many factors to consider when establishing a successful heat-dried biosolids program
Hari Santha, Jon Hay, Neil Massart, Robert Pepperman, and Robert Bates
Thermal drying has become a broadly accepted biosolids management practice in North America and Europe, and the product — heat-dried pellets — is suitable for use as a low-grade fertilizer or biofuel. However, the decision to produce heat-dried biosolids is only the beginning. Utility personnel must be familiar with their solids’ characteristics so they can establish appropriate control limits to produce heat-dried biosolids that best meet market needs. Read full article (login required)
Good for a Rainy Day
Changes in primary clarifier design and chemical dosing strategy optimize performance
Alan Cassel, Marija Peric, Dilli Neupane, Rumana Riffat, Sudhir Murthy, and Walter Bailey
Although primary clarification often receives little attention, it can be important for overall plant performance, especially for wastewater treatment plants with stringent effluent limits. Primary clarification can help downstream biological processes by removing much of the biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids from wastewater. If chemicals are added, the clarifier also can reduce phosphorus levels. In addition, capturing more primary solids can change the primary-to-secondary ratio in centrifuge feed, thereby improving dewatering performance and reducing the volume of recycled solids in liquid treatment processes. Increasing primary solids also can improve gas production rates during anaerobic digestion. Read full article (login required)
Fueling the Future
California utility reaps success with fuel cells
Tom Mossinger
Since it was established in 1950, the Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD; Perris, Calif.) has been a leader in renewable power usage in Southern California. EMWD has used renewable digester gas generated at its wastewater treatment facilities to generate electricity, power aeration blowers, and fuel boilers to heat anaerobic digesters.
Fuel cells, with their low emissions and electrical efficiencies of approximately 47%, have become a beneficial means of generating power at wastewater treatment facilities. So, when an opportunity arose to construct a renewable fuel-cell facility, EMWD jumped at it. Read full article (login required)
Operations Forum Features
TRA CReWSers Collect Another Division 1 Victory at Operations Challenge.09
Windy City Wizards Cast a Spell on Division 2 Competition
Steve Spicer and Britt Sheinbaum
The 2008 defending champions, TRA CReWSers from the Water Environment Association of Texas, took top honors at the Oct. 12–13 Operations Challenge.09 in Orlando, Fla. Coached by Raudel Juarez, the team of Jacob Burwell, Dale Burrow, Steve Price, and David Brown competed against 40 teams from the United States, Canada, and Argentina — taking home trophies in four of the five events as well as the Division 1 win.
The Windy City Wizards from the Illinois Water Environment Association (WEA) surged past the rest of the Division 2 teams to take home first place. This is only the third year that the Wizards — Paul Wysocki (captain), Jim Kaminski, Jim McNamara, Rich Stubing, Bob Jones, (assistant coach and alternate), and Ed Staudacher (coach) — have competed at the national competition. Read full article
Future Strides
Developing a roadmap to the wastewater treatment plant of tomorrow
Stacy Passaro, Lauren Fillmore, George Crawford, and Julian Sandino
Is it time to coin a new term to replace "wastewater"? Engineers, scientists and operators in our field manage a gold mine of resources, such as energy and nutrients, entrained in the water we convey and treat before ultimately discharging it to receiving waters under the Clean Water Act permit system. Researchers, practitioners, and, ultimately, the public are coming to realize that the sustainable wastewater treatment plant of the future must be optimized for resource recovery. Read full article (login required)
Biosolids by the Book
The advantages of a land application certification program
Jodi Jurgemeyer
Due to the importance of certification in the wastewater industry, several nongovernmental organizations have taken the lead in developing their own voluntary certification programs in the areas of wastewater collection and laboratory analysis. But until recently, in most states, one area of expertise related to wastewater treatment — biosolids land application — has not had the benefit of its own certification program.
Now, the Association of Boards of Certification (ABC; Ames, Iowa) has stepped in to help fill the void with its nationally validated voluntary biosolids land-applier certification program. Read full article (login required)