[USCC] Energy from wet sludge - look to St Paul Minn

[The Rubins]

Maureen:

A good set of comments for advocating thermal processes for biosolids 
management.  However, again you are silent on the issue of CO2 production 
from biosolids incineration at the St Paul wastewater treatment plant and 
eventual CO2 production from the combustion of methane obtained by 
gasification type technologies ("Kyoto friendly"???).  In addition, again 
you are silent of the issue of managing potentially toxic/hazardous 
ash/residue generated from thermal processes (your earlier position in your 
blogs).  You have made that point repeatedly in the past before you started 
advocating thermal processes for biosolids management.  I urge you to 
address these issues now to make your advocacy more credible.

Just trying to help and Cheers

Alan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Maureen Reilly" <maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca>
To: <compost at compostingcouncil.org>
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2006 2:46 PM
Subject: [USCC] Energy from wet sludge - look to St Paul Minn


> U.S. COMPOSTING COUNCIL 15th ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND TRADESHOW
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>
> Dear Compost Companions,
>
> Sludge can be used for energy...and the economics of doing so can be
> attractive.
> I used to say, "aint nothing cheaper than haul and dump" but with
> higher fuel prices this is no longer true.
>
> The fact is that sewage sludge is being utilized as fuel very successfully 
> in a number of places.
> For instance:  St Paul's Minnesota has found that the least expensive
> method to manage their sludge is the AEE Von Roll CH2MHill award winning 
> technology they
> have now installed.
>
> This is cheaper than land application.  They use the digested sludge to
> fire the plant and use turbines to generate energy and have the capacity
> to distribute heat as energy (should there be a use for it locally).  The
> fuel bill has been reduced substancially  ($2 million per year) at the
> plant.
>
> Trucking costs and fuel prices are spiralling. Using this dewatered sludge
> (cake) as a fuel is working so well that they won an award. I understand
> that in addition to the energy benefit (which isn't even fully optimized
> at the St Paul plant) there is a capture of over 99 % of the mercury and
> 99% of the dioxins from the sludge...so those contaminants are not
> released on farmlands. All those nasty pathogens,  the heavy metals and
> hormone disruptors are not smeared on farm fields.
>
> Also the methane that would be released by sludge (about 34lb/ton of
> sludge) is not released as a greenhouse gas.
> So this is Kyoto friendly.
>
> To read about how they save $2million per year in energy costs:
> http://www.metrocouncil.org/Directions/water/water2004/incinerators.htm
>
> To read and about the Engineering Awards go to:
> http://www.acecmn.org/Current%20Year%20Awards/Awards2006.htm
>
> about how the plant saves money and the environment:
> http://www.ema-inc.com/communicators/com_fall02.htm#FORESIGHT
>
> Now...the latest news is that two American cities are getting a treatment
> for their sludges that involves putting undigested sludge through a filter
> that separates the water and the solids fraction.
> The water will be used for watering lawns, parks or industrial uses, while
> the solids fraction will go to a gassifier for energy.  When I have
> permission to release the info I will provide the details to this forum.
>
>
> Rufus can rant about zealots if he cares to...but he is the one who can't
> seem to understand the science and finances of sludge and energy.  He 
> apparently doesn't have
> the last word with Mother Nature, either.
>
> Me?  I still want to see waterless composting toilets come into greater
> use. Combining industrial and toilet waste is the heart of the problem.
> We should keep our toilet waste and our liquid industrial wastes
> separate....Then our human manure, if properly managed...could take its
> proper place on the soil without soil contamination.
>
> Composting toilets - go to it!!
>
>
> Maureen Reilly
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