anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis feasibility studies to support … · anaerobic digestion and...

Anaerobic Digestion and Pyrolysis Feasibility Studies to

Support the GLWA Biosolids Master Plan

Steven Saffermana*, Umesh Adhikaria, Christopher Saffrona,

Wendy Barrottb, Andrea Buschb, Xavier Fonoll Almansab, John Nortonb

a Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State UniversityB Great Lakes Water Authority, Detroit, Michigan

*[email protected]; 517-432-0812

mailto:*[email protected]

Specific Activities

1. Anaerobic Digestion Feedstock Development

2. Anaerobic Digestion Laboratory Screening

3. Design, Construction, and Installation of a Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Digester

4. Anaerobic Digestion Pilot-Scale Evaluations

5. Pyrolysis Laboratory Screening

6. Process Energy Estimations

Objective

Investigate new energy generation from biosolids to support the

GLWA’s Energy Master Plan

http://detroitwaterbrigade.org/detroit-water-department-lays-off-all-building-maintenance-workers/

Capacity: average 675 MGD, up to 930 MGD

Wet weather capacity: 1.7 Billion gall/day

Detroit Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility

http://detroitwaterbrigade.org/detroit-water-department-lays-off-all-building-maintenance-workers/

Detroit Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility

https://www.cccnetwork.com/portfolio/dwsd-pc774-incinerator/

https://www.wadetrim.com/portfolio-items/biosolids-

dryer-facility/#.XwzXABOSmUk

Dryer and Pelletizer: ~315 dry tons/day

Incinerator: ~135 dry tons/day

Primary sludge:

350 dry tons/day

(~8.4 MGD of slurry)

Secondary sludge:

100 dry tons/day

(~2.4 MGD of slurry)

Sludge Management: generally~50% of operational budget

Can we turn this around?

https://www.cccnetwork.com/portfolio/dwsd-pc774-incinerator/

https://www.wadetrim.com/portfolio-items/biosolids-dryer-facility/#.XwzXABOSmUk

• Biosolids contain a relatively low amount of biodegradable carbon but high amount of nutrients.

• Food processing and food service waste are rich in biodegradable carbon but contain low level of nutrients.

• Co-digestion of food processing and food service waste with biosolids has the potential to increase biogas production without the routine addition of amendments.

1.Anaerobic Digestion Feedstock Development

https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/fabe-6611

https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/fabe-6611

1. Anaerobic Digestion

Feedstock Development

Michigan Biomass Inventory

(http://mibiomass.rsgis.msu.edu/)

Estimation of Theoretical Energy Potential

ADDIT (Anaerobic Digestion Development Iterative Tool)

(https://www.egr.msu.edu/~steves/Renewable%20Energy.html)



Sources Considered• School• Food Processors• Hospitals• Wastewater treatment

Distant from Detroit Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility• 2 miles• 5 miles• 10 miles

Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) Assay


• Identify most suitable feedstock source for co-digestion • Synergistic v. antagonistic effects

• Toxicity

• Pretreatment

• Respirometry• Batch assays at mesophilic condition

• Continuous recording of biogas yield

• Intermittent sampling for biogas

analysis

• Methane

• Carbon dioxide• Hydrogen sulfide Respirometer

Identify the optimum blend of

primary/secondary biosolids

Identify the most suitable

feedstock for co-digestion

Evaluate maximum amount of

feedstock to be co-digested

Evaluate pre-treatment methods


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Cumulative Biogas Production

Co-Digestion with Food Waste


Delhi Township, MI


Select Wastes for Co-Digestion

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Co-Digestion with Food Processing

Biogas Production Rate Cumulative Biogas Production


Waste Management CORe®: advanced organics recycling process that turns food

waste into EBS®, an engineered bioslurry for co-

digestion with biosolids to enhance energy production.


https://www.biocycle.net/los-angeles-county-wrrf-embraces-codigestion/

Co-Digestion with EBS®, an Engineered Bioslurry From Processed Food Waste

https://www.biocycle.net/los-angeles-county-wrrf-embraces-codigestion/


Cumulative Biogas Production

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Note: % of biosolids, by volume (50% ~ equal VS from biosolids and EBS)


R² = 0.96

R² = 0.96

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Normalized Biogas and Methane Yield with Different Blends of Biosolids/EBS®



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Thermal Hydrolysis

• Reactor: hydrothermal Autoclave Reactor (HappybuyAutoclave Reactor) with PTFE Lined Vessel

• Operation: placed in oven at 165°C for one hour

• Pressure: ~7 bar

Evaluation of Pre-treatment Techniques

Sonication

• Unit: Qsonica Sonicaotrs (Newton, CT) Q700,

20kHz, 700 watt programmable sonicator

• Energy input: 1,500 KJ/kg of total solids

• Operation: 50% power, with 2 s on and 2 s offhttps://www.sonicator.com/collections/sonicators

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y2F8B4T/ref=crt_ew

c_title_huc_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2PUPCXWYUD751


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Evaluation of Pre-treatment Techniques


Height: 46 inches; Internal Diameter: 30 inches; Volume: 141 gallons

3. Design, Construction, and Installation of a Pilot-Scale

Anaerobic Digester

3. Design, Construction, and Installation of a Pilot-Scale

Anaerobic Digester

EBS®: % of the total g VS

CH4 without EBS: 0.30 ± 0.06 LCH4 /gVSadded

CH4 with EBS: 0.48 ± 0.08 LCH4/gVSadded


• BMP assays were used to screen feedstocks, optimize biosolids/feedstock ratios, and test pre-treatment options.

• Co-digestion of the biosolids at the Detroit Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility is synergistic, with the potential to significantly increase biogas production.

• Thermal and sonication pre-treatments did not improve total biogas production or biogas production rate.

• Tested enzymes were not economically feasible.

• Anaerobic digestion of the co-digestion of biosolids with food waste was verified in the pilot-scale digesters.

• Up to 50% (by VS) of the EBS® was successfully co-digested with biosolids.

• Hydrogen sulfide was not found to be an issue – always remained below 100 ppm.

• Techno-Economic Evaluation needs to be conducted to determine practical feasibility.

1 – 4. Anaerobic Digestion Conclusions

Objectives

Estimate the biogas, bio-oil and biochar potential from Pyrolysis


Activities

• Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) to

Determine Best Temperature

• Analytical Pyrolysis to Determine Byproducts -

GC/MS

• Bench-Scale Pyrolysis for Complete Estimation

of Biogas, Bio-oil, Biochar Composition

• Elemental Analysis

• Energy Balance

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Derivative Thermogravimetric Curve


Analytical pyrolysis-GC/MS

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Pyrogram for Dried Biosolids Pallets


Specific Activities1. Anaerobic Digestion Feedstock

Development


3. Design, Construction, and Installation of a

Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Digester



6. Process Energy Estimations

https://www.jbei.org/research/life-cycle-economics-agronomy/life-cycle-technoeconomic-analysis/

https://www.jbei.org/research/life-cycle-economics-agronomy/life-cycle-technoeconomic-analysis/

Conclusions• Anerobic digestion with co-

feedstocks is technically feasible.

• Preliminary pyrolysis experiments indicate technical feasibility.

• Energy balances are in progress.

• Techno-economic analyses will determine financial feasibility.

• Results will inform the GLWA’s biosolid’s master plan.

Funding: Great Lakes Water Authority

GLWA Support

• Sarah Watkins & WRRF Laboratory

• WRRF Maintenance team

• WRRF Operations & Engineering

Waste Management

• Daniel Hagen

• Robert Hickey

• Konrad Nowakowski

• Kurt Yockel

MSU

• Younsuk Dong

• Phil Hill

• Lauren Kaltz

• Steve Marquie

• Thiramet Sothiyapapi

• Mathew Whoihan

• Zhong Yu Zhang

• Corinne Zeeff

Acknowledgement

anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis feasibility studies to support … · anaerobic digestion and...

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