Methane from partially digested sewage sludge using a steam-injection rapid thermal reactor. Final report
Each day, a fleet of barges hauls 300,000 cubic feet of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment facilities in New York City, to an ocean dumping site 106 miles offshore. On January 1, 1992, this ocean dumping site will be officially closed by federal mandate, forcing the city to find alternative disposal methods for its sewage sludge. Researchers at Dynatech and the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College have explored an innovative method for enhancing the anaerobic digestion sludge treatment system. Results from an extensive series of laboratory tests indicate that using a thermal reactor, an additional 70% of the organic material in the sludge can be converted to biogas by anaerobic digestion. More importantly, 85% of the total organic material is removed from the sludge. The remaining sludge was dewatered and found to be two to four times drier than normally dewatered sludge. Applying these results to NYC, the volume of sludge requiring disposal might be reduced from 300,000 cubic feet per day to about 13,000 cubic feet per day through a three-step process employing thermal reactors, anaerobic digestion and dewatering.
- Research Organization:
- Dynatech Scientific, Inc., Cambridge, MA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6301668
- Report Number(s):
- PB-91-121483/XAB
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: See also PB--89-165377
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
BIOGAS PROCESS
OPTIMIZATION
CHEMICAL REACTORS
DESIGN
METHANE
PRODUCTION
SEWAGE SLUDGE
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
HEAT TREATMENTS
CONSTRAINTS
MARINE DISPOSAL
MINIMIZATION
NEW YORK CITY
ORGANIC MATTER
PROGRESS REPORT
SLUDGES
STEAM INJECTION
WATER REMOVAL
WATER TREATMENT PLANTS
ALKANES
BIOCONVERSION
DIGESTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
FEDERAL REGION II
FLUID INJECTION
HYDROCARBONS
MANAGEMENT
NEW YORK
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
REMOVAL
SEWAGE
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
090900* - Biomass Fuels- Processing- (1990-)
320604 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Municipalities & Community Systems- Municipal Waste Management- (1980-)