Case studies of sewage treatment with recovery of energy from methane
In the Southeast, there are about 3,000 wastewater plants with a capacity of over one million gallons per day. Under this study, operating data and available financial information on a variety of technologies for large and small plans was documented for ten facilities. Studies were done on wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with design capacities ranging from 9.5--120 million gallons per day. All of these WWTPs recover the gas produced in their anaerobic digesters and use at least part of it as fuel for boilers and/or internal combustion engines. The engines power generators, blowers, or pumps, and most are equipped with heat recovery systems. Based on the historical data provided by the participants in this study and from the authors` own technical analysis, methane recovery and utilization systems appear to be cost effective, although the degree of cost effectiveness varies widely. The types of energy recovery systems are not uniform among all the participants so that the cases in this limited survey are not precisely comparable to each other. Also, reliance on historical data and cost information generated from portions of total plant operations and estimates makes it difficult to complete analysis of specific variables. The fact remains, however, that regardless of the individual type(s) of digester gas energy recovery system in use, data from seven of the ten participants reflected annual savings ranging from $67,200 to more than $700,000. Further, Wander Associates current analysis reflects that nine of the ten realized annual savings ranging from $5,000 to more than $600,000.
- Research Organization:
- Wander Associates (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AI01-93CE16078
- OSTI ID:
- 10190789
- Report Number(s):
- TVA/NFERC-93/8; Z-347; ON: DE95001719; TRN: AHC29427%%9
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 30 Jun 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
WATER TREATMENT PLANTS
ENERGY RECOVERY
METHANE
BIOSYNTHESIS
COMBUSTION
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
SEWAGE SLUDGE
HEAT RECOVERY EQUIPMENT
ON-SITE POWER GENERATION
COST ESTIMATION
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
COMPILED DATA
SURVEYS
090900
320604
092000
PROCESSING
MUNICIPAL WASTE MANAGEMENT