Methane from partially digested sewage sludge using a steam injection rapid thermal reactor: Final report
The partially digested water (PDS) from New York City's wastewater treatment plants alone, if completely digested, represents a potential energy resource equivalent to about 1,600 standard cubic feet of methane gas per minute. Recognizing this potential, several authorities sponsored a research program to test processes which recover additional energy from PDS and reduce the quantity of sludge for disposal. In this project, PDS was subjected to elevated temperatures and pressures followed by anaerobic digestion. A range of exposure times was tested using lab-scale batch and continuous flow thermal reactors. In some cases, alkali or acid compounds and air were simultaneously added to the PDS prior to heating. Processing in this manner was found, in other research with cellulosic material, to cause the hydrolytic or hydrolytic-oxidative breakdown of cellulose to simple sugars. Similar effects were expected for PDS. By systematically varying single parameters, i.e., temperature, residence time, pressure, pH, and oxygen, conditions were sought to enhance conversion of PDS volatile solids to low-molecular-weight dissolved solids and/or increase the anaerobic biodegradability of the PDS. A summary of test conditions is as follows: temperatures in the thermal reactor of 140/degree/C to 250/degree/C; pressures in the reactor of 250 psia to 300 psia and residence times of 1 to 30 seconds up to one hour; the addition of sodium hydroxide, or sulfuric, hydrochloric, and phosphoric acids to change the pH of the PDS from 6.8 to 7.9 to a pH of 1.5 to 12.2; and the addition of air prior to pressurizing the reactor vessel.
- Research Organization:
- New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New York (USA); Brooklyn Union Gas Co., NY (USA); Dynatech Scientific, Inc., Cambridge, MA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6421884
- Report Number(s):
- NYSERDA-89-1; ON: TI89008780
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
METHANE
PRODUCTION
SEWAGE SLUDGE
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
NEW JERSEY
NEW YORK
PROGRESS REPORT
WASTE WATER
ALKANES
BIOCONVERSION
DIGESTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
FEDERAL REGION II
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
SEWAGE
SLUDGES
USA
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
WATER
090122* - Hydrocarbon Fuels- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass- (1976-1989)
320604 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Municipalities & Community Systems- Municipal Waste Management- (1980-)