Energy conservation in the treatment of industrial waste streams

Conference · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6097250

Kremer, F V; Broomfield, B J

As the treatment of more complex organic compounds becomes critical for industry in meeting regulations and in reducing treatment and disposal costs, efficiency in treatment technologies and their energy consumption is essential. The anaerobic digestion process has the potential to provide treatment equivalent to or better than that obtainable using the conventional aerobic activated sludge process. Anaerobic treatment may produce only about 10% as much excess biological sludge as aerobic treatment. In the treatment of industrial waste-water, significant quantities of sludge that could potentially be classified as hazardous wastes, may be generated by aerobic processes. While the aerobic process consumes a significant amount of energy in the treatment process, the anaerobic process yields a potential net energy savings of about 20 million Btu per ton of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) destroyed. This study demonstrates the potential of the anaerobic technology to degrade complex organic industrial waste streams. The savings accrued by decreasing sludge disposal costs and by complying with the regulatory requirements, together with the fuel value of the methane derived from anaerobic degradation, can make the treatment process an energy-producing one rather than an energy-consuming one.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6097250
• Report Number(s): CONF-830566-3; ON: DE83014310
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320305* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Industrial Waste Management
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BIOCONVERSION
DIGESTION
ENERGY CONSERVATION
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRY
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER