control of oders from an anaerobic lagoon treating meat ... · anaerobic lagoons are used by a...

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CONTROL OF ODORS FROM AN ANAEROBIC LAGOON TREATING MEAT PACKING WASTES J. A. Chittenden", L. E. Orsi**, J. L. Witherow***, and W. J. Wells, Jr.**** INTRODUCTION The warm, highly concentrated wastes from a meat packing operation are uniquely suited to the use of anaerobic lagoons to provide a high degree of pretreatment prior to final aerobic treatment. The advantages of anaerobic lagoons include minimum design removal efficiencies of BOD, grease, and suspended solids of 80%. The anaerobic process has minimum capital and operating costs, is simple to operate, mechanical equipment is not necessary, and the treatment processes can withstand the shock loadings common in the food processing industry. One major disadvantage associated with the anaerobic lagoons is the odors that result from such a process. companies seeking other treatment alternatives at considerable penalties in capital and annual operating costs. This problem has resulted in many The cause of these odors and a successful method of eliminating the problem is the subject of this paper. Also discussed is a conceptual process for recovering a significant amount of wasted energy by utilizing the heating value of the methane generated by the anaerobic process. incentive for using the anaerobic process as opposed t o a completely aerobic system for the treatment of meat packing wastes in a proposed packing plant is also presented. The financial BACKGROUND The anaerobic digestion process utilizes bacteria which function in the absence of free oxygen to break down organic waste. The waste material is converted through a number of intermediate products to water, gases and solids of lesser molecular weight. and obtain it from organic compounds, water and oxides of nitrogen and sulfur. odorless. However, reduction of sulfur-containing organic matter and sulfates produce organic sulfides, occasionally disulfides in the c1-c6 range, and hydrogen sulfide (1). The bacteria use bound oxygen to survive The gases produced are mainly methane and carbon dioxide which are Hydrogen s u l f i d e (H2S) is usually the major cause of objectionable odor from the anaerobic process. It has an odor characteristic of rotten eggs, * Texas Amarillo Systems Company, Amarillo, Texas ** Wilson & Co. , Oklahoma C i t y , Oklahoma *** U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon **** Bell, Galyardt, & Wells, Omaha, Nebraska 38

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Page 1: Control of Oders from an Anaerobic Lagoon Treating Meat ... · Anaerobic lagoons are used by a meatpacker in Denison, Iowa. The sulfate concentration in the anaerobic lagoon influent

CONTROL OF ODORS FROM AN ANAEROBIC LAGOON TREATING MEAT PACKING WASTES

J. A. Chittenden", L. E. O r s i * * , J . L. Witherow***, and W . J . Wells, Jr.****

INTRODUCTION

The w a r m , h igh ly concent ra ted wastes from a meat packing o p e r a t i o n are uniquely s u i t e d t o t h e use of anaerobic lagoons t o provide a h igh degree of pre t rea tment p r i o r t o f i n a l ae rob ic t reatment . The advantages of anaerobic lagoons inc lude minimum design removal e f f i c i e n c i e s of BOD, g rease , and suspended s o l i d s of 80%. The anaerobic process has minimum c a p i t a l and ope ra t ing c o s t s , i s s imple t o ope ra t e , mechanical equipment i s n o t necessary , and t h e t rea tment processes can wi ths t and t h e shock loadings common i n t h e food processing indus t ry .

One major disadvantage a s soc ia t ed wi th t h e anaerobic lagoons i s t h e odors t h a t r e s u l t from such a process . companies seeking o t h e r t rea tment a l t e r n a t i v e s a t cons ide rab le p e n a l t i e s i n c a p i t a l and annual ope ra t ing cos t s .

This problem has r e s u l t e d i n many

The cause of t h e s e odors and a s u c c e s s f u l method of e l i m i n a t i n g t h e problem i s t h e s u b j e c t of t h i s paper. Also d iscussed i s a conceptua l process f o r recover ing a s i g n i f i c a n t amount of wasted energy by u t i l i z i n g t h e hea t ing va lue of t h e methane generated by t h e anaerobic process . i n c e n t i v e f o r us ing t h e anaerobic process as opposed t o a completely aerobic system f o r t h e t rea tment of meat packing wastes i n a proposed packing p l a n t i s a l s o presented .

The f i n a n c i a l

BACKGROUND

The anaerobic d i g e s t i o n process u t i l i z e s b a c t e r i a which func t ion i n t h e absence of f r e e oxygen t o break down o rgan ic waste. The waste material i s converted through a number of i n t e rmed ia t e products t o water, gases and s o l i d s of lesser molecular weight. and o b t a i n i t from o rgan ic compounds, water and oxides of n i t r o g e n and s u l f u r . odor less . However, reduct ion of su l fur -conta in ing o rgan ic matter and s u l f a t e s produce o rgan ic s u l f i d e s , occas iona l ly d i s u l f i d e s i n t h e c1-c6 range, and hydrogen s u l f i d e (1).

The b a c t e r i a u s e bound oxygen t o surv ive

The gases produced are mainly methane and carbon d ioxide which are

Hydrogen s u l f i d e (H2S) i s usua l ly t h e major cause of o b j e c t i o n a b l e odor from t h e anaerobic process . It has an odor c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of r o t t e n eggs,

* Texas Amaril lo Systems Company, Amaril lo, Texas ** Wilson & Co. , Oklahoma C i t y , Oklahoma *** U.S. Environmental P ro tec t ion Agency, C o r v a l l i s , Oregon **** B e l l , Galyard t , & Wells, Omaha, Nebraska

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Page 2: Control of Oders from an Anaerobic Lagoon Treating Meat ... · Anaerobic lagoons are used by a meatpacker in Denison, Iowa. The sulfate concentration in the anaerobic lagoon influent

They opera ted several 20 l i t e r anaerobic d i g e s t e r s t o which known amounts of s u l f a t e were added t o t h e i n f l u e n t . w a s added, t h e equi l ibr ium s o l u b l e s u l f i d e concent ra t ions w e r e 32 mg/l as S and 78 mg/l as S , r e spec t ive ly . SO4-S, a f i g u r e i n t h e Lawrence paper shows t h e s u l f i d e s i n t h e gas t o be 10 mg/l as S.

When 200 and 400 mg/l of SO4-s

For t h e d i g e s t e r r ece iv ing 400 mg/l

Lawrence, e t a l . , conclude t h a t t h e concent ra t ion of hydrogen s u l f i d e i n t h e d i g e s t e r i s r e l a t e d t o t h e concent ra t ion of hydrogen s u l f i d e and s u l f i d e pe rcu r se r s ( s u l f a t e s ) e n t e r i n g w i t h t h e waste minus t h e q u a n t i t y of hydrogen s u l f i d e s expe l l ed wi th t h e gas and t h a t t h e q u a n t i t y of s u l f i d e s i n t h e gas i s r e l a t e d t o t h e s o l u b i l i t y of hydrogen s u l f i d e , t h e pH, and t h e t o t a l amount of gases produced. They a l s o determined t h a t up t o 400 mg/l of su l - f i d e can b e p r e c i p i t a t e d by added i r o n compounds wi th no adverse e f f e c t on t h e anaerobic t rea tment process . P r e c i p i t a t i o n of t h e s u l f i d e s e l imina te s t h e hydrogen s u l f i d e odor.

Gloyna and Espino u t i l i z e d 430 l i t e r p i l o t u n i t s i n developing equat ion 2. t o c a l c u l a t e t h e s u l f i d e product ion i n lagoons.

- 2. S- = K (SO4=)

- Where S- i s 24 hour average s u l f i d e concent ra t ion i n t h e lagoon,

SO4 K w a s determined by t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n t o be :

- - i s t h e concen t r a t ion of s u l f a t e i on i n t h e i n f l u e n t , and

K = .055 + .00012 (lb.BOD/ac) + .0016 (de ten t ion i n days)

The test d a t a i s r epor t ed i n Table 1.

TABLE 1. RESULTS FROM LABORATORY LAGOON STUDIES

Test No.

BOD l b /AC/day

136 68

136 136

68 136

so4 mg/l

23 23 23

206 200 400

T emp O C

25 23 26 23 25 26

Detent i on days

30 30 15 30 15 30

S u l f i d e mg/l

0.432 0.500 1.12 4.29 6.36 8.76

These two i n v e s t i g a t i o n s i n d i c a t e t h e concent ra t ion of hydrogen s u l f i d e i n s o l u t i o n i n an anaerobic lagoon w i l l b e between 2 and 5 pe rcen t of t h e SO4 concent ra t ion i n t h e un t r ea t ed wastewater. Using t h e e s t a b l i s h e d r a t i o of s o l u b l e s u l f i d e t o s u l f i d e i n t h e gas t h e c a l c u l a t e d hydrogen s u l f i d e concent ra t ion escaping t o t h e atmosphere w i l l be nea r ly one pe rcen t of t h e SO4 concent ra t ion i n t h e wastewater.

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Page 3: Control of Oders from an Anaerobic Lagoon Treating Meat ... · Anaerobic lagoons are used by a meatpacker in Denison, Iowa. The sulfate concentration in the anaerobic lagoon influent

-5 which can b e de t ec t ed a t very low concent ra t ions of between 1 .0 x 10 and 1.0 x 10-4 mg/l i n water (2) and 4.7 x ppm i n a i r ( 3 ) . Hydrogen s u l f i d e is a l s o a t o x i c gas , having a threshold l i m i t of 10 ppm f o r indus- t r i a l exposure w i t h concent ra t ion of 20 - 150 ppm causing eye i r r i t a t i o n . A t h i r t y minute exposure t o 500 ppm of hydrogen s u l f i d e can r e s u l t i n d i zz i - n e s s , headache, s t agge r ing , l o s s of consciousness , d i a r r h e a , b r o n c h i t i s and broncho-pneumonia. F i n a l l y , exposure t o 800 -1000 ppm can be f a t a l i n 30 minutes o r less (4) . The t o x i c i t y of t h e gas is of concern i n confined s t r u c t u r e s such as sewer o r w e t w e l l s , b u t i t s odor i s of primary importance t o t h e u t i l i z a t i o n of lagoons.

The reduct ion of s u l f a t e t o s u l f i d e under anaerobic condi t ions i s w e l l e s t a b l i s h e d . S u l f a t e is considered t o be t h e sou rce of almost a l l t h e s u l - f i d e i n t h e anaerobic lagoon. P a r t of t h e s u l f i d e produced w i l l combine w i t h metal i o n s , such as i r o n , and become inso lub le . Most of t h e s u l f i d e usua l ly remains s o l u b l e as hydrogen s u l f i d e and, a t t h e nea r n e u t r a l pH i n t h e anaerobic lagoons, p a r t i a l l y d i s s o c i a t e s i n t o hydrogen and b i s u l - f i d e ions . a i r u n t i l i t s p a r t i a l p re s su re i s i n equ i l ib r ium wi th t h e H2S i n s o l u t i o n . Thus, t h e odor of hydrogen s u l f i d e from an anaerobic lagoon is p ropor t iona l t o t h e s u l f a t e i n t h e waste water t r e a t e d . The source of s u l f a t e s i s t h e water supply. by t h e meat packing opera t ions . s ta te r egu la to ry agencies have no t u sua l ly considered us ing anaerobic lagoons when t h e s u l f a t e i n t h e water supply exceeded 200 mg/l, and some are re luc- t a n t w i th concent ra t ions over 100 mg/l.

The s u l f i d e remaining as H2S i n s o l u t i o n w i l l escape i n t o t h e

S u l f a t e concent ra t ions are no t thought t o be increased From experience, t h e meat indus t ry and

Two l abora to ry i n v e s t i g a t i o n s (5) ( 6 ) have r epor t ed on t h e theory of s u l - f i d e product ion and have developed b a s i c in format ion under c o n t r o l l e d condi- t i o n s . Lawrence, e t a l . , combine t h e d i s s o c i a t i o n and gas equi l ibr ium equat ions t o form equat ion 1. t h a t can b e used t o c a l c u l a t e t h e r a t i o of concent ra t ions of s o l u b l e s u l f i d e s i n t h e water t o hydrogen s u l f i d e i n t h e gas .

The Ha

Where TSS i s HS- + H ~ S i n water,

H S is hydrogen s u l f i d e i n gas ,

H+ i s hydrogen i o n concent ra t ion i n water,

a i s t h e absorp t ion cons t an t , and

K1 is t h e i o n i z a t i o n cons tan t .

2 g

ibook of Chemistry and Physics has va lues on a and K 1 , t va r ious Data c o l l e c t e d dur ing t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n gave-somewhat h ighe r

From t h e experi- temperatures . r a t i o s of (TSS/H2Sg) than w a s ca l cu la t ed by t h e equat ion. mental d a t a , t h e r a t i o would be expected t o vary from 4 t o 8 a t t h e normal pH of d i g e s t e r s .

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Page 4: Control of Oders from an Anaerobic Lagoon Treating Meat ... · Anaerobic lagoons are used by a meatpacker in Denison, Iowa. The sulfate concentration in the anaerobic lagoon influent

The meatpacker had h i s own w e l l s , bu t they were i n t h e same a q u i f e r as t h e municipal w e l l s , which had s u l f a t e concent ra t ions of 1030 t o 1050 mg/l. Because of ob jec t ions by 108 l o c a l r e s i d e n t s , odor c o n t r o l w a s incorpora ted i n t h e lagoon design. packing wastewater t o s u l f a t e concent ra t ion of less than 200 mg/l by develop- ing another ground water supply. lagoon t o reduce t h e release of H2S submerged i n l e t s and o u t l e t s on t h e anaerobic lagoon t o reduce H2S release. ( 4 ) Maintaining a 7.0 pH t o reduce release of H2S by reducing t h e p a r t i a l p re s su re of t h e gas . (5) P u t t i n g t h e e f f l u e n t through a d e g a s i f i e r t o remove t h e H2S and pass ing t h e gas through an ozone chamber t o o x i d i z e t h e H2S. l i m i t s , t h e anaerobic lagoon w a s no t cons t ruc ted .

The engineered design inc luded : ( l ) Limit ing t h e meat-

(2) Maintaining a scum l a y e r on t h e (3) Using from t h e lagoon su r face .

However, because of t h e odor p o t e n t i a l and la ter imposed ammonia

Anaerobic lagoons are used by a meatpacker i n Denison, Iowa. The s u l f a t e concent ra t ion i n t h e anaerobic lagoon i n f l u e n t and e f f l u e n t averaged 332, and 39 mg/l, r e spec t ive ly . Hydrogen s u l f i d e i n t h e anaerobic lagoon e f - f l u e n t averaged 4.6 mg/l. The lagoons were covered wi th a t h i c k l a y e r of scum, bu t t h e H2S odor w a s s t r o n g a t t h e overflow w e i r and a t a s m a l l t ank i n which t h e lagoon e f f l u e n t w a s ae ra t ed . descr ibed t h e odor as a bad s i t u a t i o n and aromatic chemicals were used t o mask t h e odors.

The t rea tment p l a n t ope ra to r

I n Texas, two anaerobic lagoons t r e a t i n g meatpacking wastes are known t o have s i g n i f i c a n t odor problems (11). c i t y of Sweetwater w i th a measured s u l f a t e content of 218 mg/l. from t h e Extension Se rv ice made t h r e e odor i n t e n s i t y measurements on t h e downwind s i d e of t h e lagoon which requi red 31 (Dt) d i l u t i o n t o reach a th re sho ld odor. The o t h e r packer i n Maverick County used water from t h e Rio Grande River which had a s u l f a t e concen t r a t ion of 190 mg/l. measurements made downwind were 31 D t a longs ide t h e lagoon and 2 Dt a t 3 / 4 of a m i l e from t h e lagoon. t i o n due t o f i n a n c i a l problems and odor c o n t r o l became unnecessary. The Extension Service recommended t o t h e o t h e r packer conversion of t h e anaerobic lagoon t o an a e r a t e d lagoon.

One packer ob ta ins water from t h e Personnel

Odor

The packer i n Maverick County ceased opera-

I n Moerewa, New Zealand, anaerobic lagoons are used t,o treat s e t t l e d meat- packing waste (12). The main cr i t ic ism of t h e lagoon w a s r epor t ed as t h e odor of hydrogen s u l f i d e a s soc ia t ed w i t h t h e gases. t r a t i o n of t h e wastewater is n o t g iven , b u t an ana lyses of t h e evolved gas w a s : hydrogen s u l f i d e a t 0.4%, carbon d ioxide a t 7.0%, methane a t 85.0%, oxygen a t 0.6% and n i t rogen and o t h e r s a t 7.0%. A record of hydrogen s u l f i d e i n t h e a i r c l o s e t o t h e lagoons w a s kept f o r 8 months. The h i g h e s t concen- t r a t i o n w a s an i s o l a t e d occurrence of 0.99 mg/l, b u t of t h e t o t a l number of readings a t two-hour i n t e r v a l s , 1897 were n i l and 389 were p o s i t i v e wi th an average concent ra t ion of 0.02 mg/l.

The s u l f a t e concen-

The odor c o n t r o l a t Moerewa cons i s t ed of maintaining a scum cover on t h e lagoon. s u l f i d e w a s e s t a b l i s h e d by a i r samples taken f o u r inches above t h e water o r scum cover. 0.35 mg/l, compared t o t h e concent ra t ions ranging from 2.0 t o 15.0 mg/l over t h e scum f r e e areas.

The e f f e c t i v e n e s s of t h e cover i n reducing t h e escape of hydrogen

The concent ra t ion of hydrogen s u l f i d e above t h e scum averaged

Page 5: Control of Oders from an Anaerobic Lagoon Treating Meat ... · Anaerobic lagoons are used by a meatpacker in Denison, Iowa. The sulfate concentration in the anaerobic lagoon influent

Since t h e threshold odor i n a i r i s ppm f o r hydrogen s u l f i d e , t h e odor of hydrogen s u l f i d e would b e present w i t h s u l f a t e s a t 10-2 mg/l i n t h e water supply. Experience has shown t h a t a concent ra t ion of s u l f a t e s up t o 100 mg/l i n t h e water produces odors t h a t are accepted, thus d isper - s i o n of t h e hydrogen s u l f i d e i n the atmosphere is a major f a c t o r i n odor con t ro l .

Models f o r d i spe r s ion of odors were found i n t h e l i t e r a t u r e ( 7 ) (8) (9) . A s i m p l i f i e d model t o determine maximum h o r i z o n t a l d i s t a n c e of odor travel i s shown i n equat ion 3..

Where Co i s i n i t i a l odor concent ra t ion

C is odor concent ra t ion a t X

X i s h o r i z o n t a l d i s t a n c e from t h e source , and

Do i s diameter of t h e odor source.

When us ing cons tan ts (k = 1, n .- -1.5) deve loped by S h i r a z i , e t a l . (9) t h e necessary d i s t a n c e t o reach a threshold odor w a s 5 m i l e s from an an- ae rob ic lagoon r ece iv ing 388 mg/l SO4. proposed i n t h i s paper ) . An a t tempt t o v e r i f y t h e s e cons t an t s w i th odor d a t a c o l l e c t e d by Minor 2nd S t a r k (10) w a s unsuccessful . However, t h e s e f a c t s ag ree wi th exper ience t h a t odor c o n t r o l by d i spe r s ion of H2S from anaerobic lagoons t r e a t i n g h igh s u l f a t e wastewaters i s imprac t i cab le and perhaps unpredic tab le .

(The design of such a lagoon i s

CASE HISTORIES

Two of t h e f i r s t cases of hydrogen s u l f i d e odor problems wi th an anaerobic lagoon t r e a t i n g meatpacking wastes occurred a t Storm Lake and Harlan, Iowa. I n both cases, t h e odors were s u f f i c i e n t t o i n i t i a t e nuisance complaints. S u l f a t e s i n both water s u p p l i e s were q u i t e h igh; ranging from 75 t o 1560 mg/l a t Harlan and from 126 t o 690 mg/l a t Storm Lake. t h e meatpackers switched t o another source of water wi th lower s u l f a t e con- c e n t r a t i o n s t o reduce t h e odor problem.

I n both cases,

An anaerobic lagoon w a s cons t ruc ted i n 1965 t o treat packinghouse wastewater n e a r Cherokee, Iowa. of s u l f a t e . On a win te r day, minor odor w a s de t ec t ed by one of t h e au thors 20 f e e t downward from t h e lagoon. d e t e r i o r a t i o n , t y p i c a l of hydrogen s u l f i d e co r ros ion , on t h e doors of t h e c o n t r o l b u i l d i n g and on a nearby cyclone fence. de t ec t ed by l o c a l c i t i z e n s , b u t ope ra t ion o r des ign changes have n o t been necessary t o c o n t r o l odors.

The w e l l w a t e r a n a l y s i s showed an average of 90 mg/l

However, t h e r e were s i g n s of metal

Occasional odors have been

I n 1970 t h e Ci ty of Spencer, Iowa, had an anaerobic lagoon designed f o r treat- ment of municipal wastewater c o n s i s t i n g of about 90 pe rcen t meatpacking wastes.

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TABLE 2. PERCENT OF SURFACE AREA COVERED ( 1 4 ) (Cont.)

D t

Date Lagoon No. 1 Lagoon No. 3

March 9" March 8 March 3 March 2 March I* February 25* February 19* February 1 6 February 1 3 February 4 February 3* February 2 January 29* January 28 January 26

95 95 35 45 40 40 20

35 10 10 10

5 5 5

5**

100 100 100 100 100 100 100

100 100 100 100 100 100 100

60**

0 7 0

15 15 0 15 15 15 31 170

* ** Days of high winds

Odor readings by S ta te o f f i c i a l s

The o v e r a l l e f f e c t i v e n e s s of t h e scum cover i n reducing odor emissions is summarized i n F igure 1. Agency personnel are shown on t h e f i g u r e .

Only those odor measurements made by t h e State

During March 1975, a series of s u l f a t e measurements w a s made by t h e c i t y on t h e packing p l a n t e f f l u e n t and t h e i n f l u e n t t o t h e t rea tment p l a n t and are shown i n Table 3. Addi t iona l s u l f a t e measurements on t h e packing p l a n t e f f l u e n t averaged 95 and 90 mg/l i n A p r i l and May, r e s p e c t i v e l y .

TABLE 3. SULFATE CONCENTRATIONS

Date Packing P l a n t Treatment P l a n t E f f l u e n t (mg/l) I n f l u e n t (mg/l)

March 2 March 3 March 4 March 5 March 8 March 9 March 1 5 March 16 March 19 March 22

48 110

45 110 150

121

66 160

-- --

-- 7 1 47

220 80

120 -- 120 140

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I n 1973, t h e c i t y of Greeley, Colorado, i n i t i a t e d ope ra t ion of anaerobic lagoons which rece ived 95% of t h e i r wastewater flow from a l a r g e meatpacker. The water supply a t t h e packing p l a n t contained 700 t o 800 mg/l of s u l f a t e s (13). A severe odor problem occurred a t t h e anaerobic lagoon. y e a r ' s ope ra t ion , c i t y water w a s extended t o t h e packer. The s u l f a t e con- c e n t r a t i o n i n t h e c i t y water w a s about 40 mg/l. S ix months a f t e r t h e lower s u l f a t e water w a s used, odor continued t o b e a problem. I n J u l y 1975, t h e S t a t e of Colorado A i r P o l l u t i o n Cont ro l Agency found t h e f a c i l i t y i n v io l a - t i o n of a i r q u a l i t y s tandards f o r odors and subsequent ly i s sued a cease and d e s i s t o rder . a t t h e proper ty l i n e of 15 D t .

A f t e r one

These a i r q u a l i t y s t anda rds have a maximum l i m i t f o r odor F ive o t h e r states have similar s tandards (8 ) .

Several new ope ra t ion schemes were undertaken t o c o n t r o l t h e odor. To b u i l d up a heavy scum l a y e r on t h e s u r f a c e , a l l of t h e p l a n t flow w a s rou ted t o anaerobic lagoon No. 3. The a d d i t i o n of straw and grease t o a i d i n developing a cover w a s planned as a second s t e p . Such a cover w a s expected t o reduce odor emissions from t h e lagoon. A f t e r t h e scum completely covered t h e s u r f a c e , measured odors were below t h e a i r q u a l i t y s t anda rds f o r a two month per iod .

However, due t o an excess build-up of s o l i d s i n lagoon No. 3, another lagoon (No. 1 ) w a s pu t i n t o ope ra t ion on December 17 , 1975, and odor levels i n excess of t h e a i r q u a l i t y s t anda rds reoccurred. Beginning on January 23, t h e primary t rea tment process a t t h e packing p l a n t w a s bypassed t o i n c r e a s e t h e g rease level and more r ap id ly form a cover on lagoon No. 1. t h e a d d i t i o n of 10 mg/l of c h l o r i n e t o t h e packing p l a n t e f f l u e n t w a s i n i - t i a t e d t o reduce s u l f i d e odors a t t h e lagoon i n l e t . I n t h e 30 days a f t e r t h e i n i t i a t i o n of c h l o r i n a t i o n , t h e scum l a y e r went from 35 t o 40 pe rcen t cover on lagoon No. 1 t o a 99% cover. High winds sometimes broke up t h e scum l a y e r and temporar i ly reduced t h e percent of s u r f a c e area covered. The wastewater became anaerobic i n 32,500 f e e t of f o r c e main between t h e packing p l a n t and t h e lagoons. t i o n i n t h e wastewater showed up t o a 50 mg/l decrease a t t h e i n l e t t o t h e lagoon when c h l o r i n a t i o n w a s p rac t i ced . corresponding decrease i n t h e odor d i l u t i o n s reading are shown i n Table 2 .

On March 1,

Measurement of t h e hydrogen s u l f i d e concentra-

The build-up of t h e cover and

TABLE 2. PERCENT OF SURFACE AREA COVERED (14)

Date Lagoon No. 1 Lagoon No. 3 Dt

March 30 March 29 March 26 March 25* March 24 March 22 March 19 March 18* March 1 7 March 11

-- 99 99 99 99 60** 95 98 85**

-- 100 100 100 100

100 100 loo**

60**

-- 0 7 0 0 7 7 0 7

43

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TABLE 3. SULFATE CONCENTRATIONS (Cont.)

Date Packing P lan t Treatment P l a n t E f f l u e n t (mg/l> I n f l u e n t (mg/l)

March 23 -- March 25 88

205 80

Average 100 120

The c i t y rechecked i ts t e s t i n g procedures and reagents f o r t h e s u l f a t e test and found no d iscrepancies . Tests on c i t y domestic water showed SO4 concent ra t ions i n t h e range of 40 - 60 mg/l. An i n c r e a s e of about 50 mg/l of s u l f a t e s by t h e meat packing process i s shown by t h i s da t a . This i n c r e a s e is cont ra ry t o t h e commonly accepted b e l i e f t h a t s u l f a t e concent ra t ions are no t increased i n t h e meat packing process .

An anaerobic lagoon w a s used t o treat meatpacking wastewater near Ada, Oklahoma. During a two-year pe r iod , one of t h e au thors inspec ted t h e lagoon over 200 t i m e s and de tec t ed s e p t i c odors w i t h i n a few f e e t of t h e lagoon, b u t t h e odor of H2S w a s no t de t ec t ed . bubbles a t t h e s u r f a c e showed cons iderable gas production. The l a c k of odor w a s a t t r i b u t e d t o the low s u l f a t e concent ra t ion i n t h e water (15).

The water supply had a s u l f a t e concent ra t ion of 4.0 mg/l.

The lagoon d id n o t have a scum cover and

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

A s tudy of accep tab le methods of c o n t r o l l i n g anaerobic lagoon odors w a s i n i t i a t e d i n t h e course of t h e des ign of a new m e a t packing f a c i l i t y t o be l o c a t e d i n Southwestern Arizona. I n o rde r t o enable t h e r eade r t o eva lua te t h e p o t e n t i a l of t h e concepts presented i n t h i s paper , t h e r e s u l t s of t h a t s tudy are d iscussed i n d e t a i l i n t h e remaining pages of t h i s ar t ic le .

I n t h e proposed l o c a t i o n of t h e meat packing p l a n t , ground water s u p p l i e s w e r e l i m i t e d and of such poor q u a l i t y t h a t i t w a s concluded t h a t water would have t o b e obtained elsewhere.

The only o t h e r a v a i l a b l e source of water w a s t h e i r r i g a t i o n cana l t h a t bordered t h e property. Discussions wi th t h e Bureau of Reclamation and t h e l o c a l Water and Drainage Districts i n d i c a t e d t h a t approval would b e gran ted f o r withdrawing t h e necessary water.

A t y p i c a l a n a l y s i s of t h e water is given i n Table 4 . w a s somewhat h igh i n s a l i n i t y , it would b e accep tab le f o r po tab le use a f t e r suspended s o l i d s removal and ch lo r ina t ion . Previous experience had shown, however, t h a t t h e h igh s u l f a t e s (388 mg/l) would produce unacceptably high odor emissions from t h e anaerobic lagoons.

Although t h e water

46

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6/26

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cheaper a l t e r n a t i v e .

The proposed p l a n t w a s t o be capable of s l a u g h t e r i n g 2880 head of beef p e r day and breaking 2000 beef carcasses pe r day i n t o boxed beef . Drawing up t h e experience of similar p l a n t s , t h e r a w and t r e a t e d wastes c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s were formulated. The i r design va lues are shown i n Table 5.

TABLE 5. WASTE CHARACTERISTICS

Raw Wastes Treated Wastes

Flow - MGD 2.88 BOD mg/l 1500 SS mg/l 1200 Grease mg/l 900 T o t a l K-N mg/l 200

2.88 60 80 10

160

A summary of t h e s tudy t o eva lua te t h e t rea tment a l t e r n a t i v e and t h e com- pa r i sons of t h e candida tes f o r a lagoon cover i s given i n t h e fol lowing paragraphs.

Completely Aerobic System

A schematic of t h e proposed completely ae rob ic system i s given i n F igure 2. The f i r s t s t a g e a e r o b i c t rea tment w a s t o b e accomplished wi th two p a r a l l e l f i x e d media towers us ing redwood media. The i n f l u e n t BOD5, es t imated a t 1500 mg/l, would b e reduced by 65% i n t h e towers. towers would main ta in an adequate we t t ing rate t o enhance t rea tment e f f i - c iency.

Rec i r cu la t ion around t h e

The second s t a g e ae rob ic t rea tment chosen w a s two p a r a l l e l a e r a t i o n bas ins each conta in ing 250 hp of e i t h e r slow speed, f i x e d p la t form a e r a t o r s , o r a d ispersed a i r system us ing s t a t i c tube d i f f u s e r s .

The f i n a l c l a r i f i e r s were used t o se t t le t h e wastes. The s e t t l e d s o l i d s were r e tu rned t o t h e i n l e t of t h e redwood towers s o t h a t t h e f ixed media towers would ope ra t e i n t h e a c t i v a t e d b i o l o g i c a l media mode. Provis ions were a l s o made t o a l low s ludge r e t u r n t o t h e extended a e r a t i o n bas in i n o rde r t o main ta in t h e MLSS a t d e s i r a b l e levels. Approximately 0.2 MGD of s ludge would b e wasted t o an a e r a t e d s ludge hold ing tank wi th two days hold ing capac i ty .

Approximately 30 acres of s t o r a g e ponds t o provide 20 days of s t o r a g e would b e provided a f t e r t h e f i n a l c l a r i f i e r s . To avoid ground water contamina- t i o n , t h e lagoons would b e sea l ed .

E f f l u e n t from t h e ponds would be u t i l i z e d f o r i r r i g a t i o n .

The a e r a t e d s ludge from t h e s ludge hold ing tanks would b e pumped d i r e c t l y t o a s e p a r a t e i r r i g a t i o n system.

48

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TABLE 4. IRRIGATION WATER ANALYSIS

Cons t i tuen t Concentrat ion mg/l

S i l i ca Calcium Magnesium Sodium Pot ass ium Bicarbonate Carbonate S u l f a t e Chlor ide F luo r ide Nitrate Dissolved S o l i d s Hardners as CaC03 Non-carbonate Hardners

S p e c i f i c Conductance as CaC03

mmhos

9 91 32

126 6

172 0

388 10 7

N i l 796 360 218

0.5

1.240

The meatpacking company r e t a i n e d a consu l t ing f i r m t o s tudy t h e problem and make recommendations. I n p a r t i c u l a r , t h e consu l t an t w a s given two assignments:

1) Develop t h e c a p i t a l and ope ra t ing c o s t s of a completely a e r o b i c waste t rea tment system and compare those c o s t s w i t h t h e c a p i t a l and ope ra t ing c o s t s of an anaerobic lagoon system followed by a minimum of ae rob ic t rea tment .

2) Explore t h e va r ious t h e gases generated odor emission would cover developed f o r w a s t o b e eva lua ted lagoon.

a l t e r n a t i v e s f o r c o l l e c t i n g and t r e a t i n g by t h e anaerobic lagoon s o t h a t accep tab le r e s u l t . I n p a r t i c u l a r , t h e anaerobic lagoon t h e Wilson & Co. p l a n t a t Monmouth, I l l i n o i s as a p o t e n t i a l candida te f o r t h e Arizona

The proposed p l a n t l o c a t i o n a l s o d i c t a t e d two o t h e r s i g n i f i c a n t des ign parameters. i r r i g a t i o n . The S t a t e requi red t rea tment of t h e waste p r i o r t o i r r i g a t i o n t o a level t h a t produced a maximum BOD5 of 100 mg/l. Since t h e crops could u t i l i z e t h e n i t r o g e n i n t h e amnonical form, n i t r i f i c a t i o n w a s n o t a problem. f a c t o r d i c t a t e d by t h e proposed s i te w a s t h a t a e r o b i c lagoons f o r f i n a l t rea tment of t h e waste were precluded by t h e s o i l cond i t ions on t h e s i te . The s o i l w a s a l l sand and c o s t estimate comparisons of s e a l i n g t h e l a r g e area lagoons t o meet accep tab le e x - f i l t r a t i o n rates versus t h e c o s t of small area a e r a t i o n bas ins i n d i c a t e d t h a t extended a e r a t i o n would b e t h e

F i r s t , t h e f i n a l d i s p o s a l of t h e waste water would be cropland There w a s no stream a v a i l a b l e t o accept t r e a t e d wastes.

The second

47

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I

Anaerobic/Aerobic System

I n o rde r t o u t i l i z e anaerobic lagoons i n t h i s a p p l i c a t i o n i t would be neces- s a r y t o have an e f f e c t i v e gas c o l l e c t i o n system t o prevent ob jec t ionab le odorous emissions.

A s tudy w a s made of t h e a v a i l a b l e covers t h a t could be used i n t h i s appl ica- t i o n . A c o s t summary of t h i s s tudy i s shown i n Table 6.

TABLE 6 . COMPARATIVE ANAEROBIC LAGOON COVER COSTS

TY P e Basin S ize No. Basins E s t . Cover Cost

F ibe rg la s s Arch 50' x 300' 9 $1,419,000 P r e c a s t Concrete Double Tees 50' x 300' 9 600,000 F loa t ing F ibe rg la s s 130' d i a . 5 730,000 F loa t ing F l e x i b l e Membrane 200' x 300' 2 253,000

The preceeding c o s t s are f o r t h e cover only. The c o s t of concre te , ea r th - work, p ipe , f i t t i n g s and p r o t e c t i v e coa t ings i s n o t included. Obviously, t h e f l e x i b l e membrane would b e t h e cover of choice. A flow s h e e t of t h e combination anaerobic /aerobic system i s shown on Figure 3.

I n o rde r t o minimize t h e cover c o s t , t h e design of t h e anaerobic lagoons w a s given c a r e f u l cons idera t ion . The loadings were set on t h e high s i d e of normal design c r i te r ia - 17.5# BOD/1000 f t 3 . The water depth w a s t o be maintained a t 20 f e e t r a t h e r than t h e more convent ional 15 f e e t . F i n a l l y , t h e s lopes above water level were maintained a t 4:1, whi le t h e d ikes below water level were c u t t o 1:l s lope .

From t h e anaerobic lagoon, t h e waste w a s t o b e t r e a t e d a e r o b i c a l l y i n two a e r a t i o n bas ins ope ra t ing i n t h e completely mixed a c t i v a t e d s ludge mode. Sludge wast ing from t h e two f i n a l c l a r i f i e r s would be t o t h e anaerobic lagoons. Because of t h e h igh anaerobic lagoon BOD removal e f f i c i e n c y (80%), t h e a e r a t o r horsepower requirements would be 400 horsepower r a t h e r than t h e 500 horsepower requi red i n t h e completely ae rob ic system.

The l i n e d s t o r a g e ponds p r i o r t o i r r i g a t i o n would be i d e n t i c a l t o t h a t d i scussed i n t h e completely ae rob ic system.

Cost ComDarison

The es t imated c o s t s f o r t h e two a l t e r n a t i v e systems are shown i n Table 7.

50

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LIFT STATION

I SLUDGE I

SLUDGE RECYCLE HANDLING

DIRECT- RECYCLE

I

~

I a . I 1

!N I TO IRR I GATlO 4 :,!:: 1 I l). 4 AERATION H I - 1 CTARACF

I I ' w'.Yw I CL SYSTEM TOWERS

- 1 - I- Y I R R I GATION

u I VI \nu-

.ARIFIERS n D n N n q

I

FIGURE 2. COMPLETELY AEROBIC SYSTEM SCHEMATIC.

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W I

51

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TABLE 7. CAPITAL COST COMPARISONS--2.88 MGD PLANT

Completely Aerobic Anaerobic/Aerobic System System

F i r s t Stage Aerat ion Anaerobic Lagoons Second Stage Aerat ion Sludge Handling F a c i l i t i e s I r r i g a t i o n S torage Ponds -

30 ac. l i n e d

$1,266,000 -0-

779,000 375 , 000 314 , 000

-0- $ 194,000

688,000 83 , 000

314,000

Sub t o t a l

Anaerobic Lagoon Cover w/Burner

T o t a l Cost

$2,734,000

-0- ~

$2,734 , 000

$1,279,000

369 , 000

$1,648,000

From t h e preceeding t a b l e i t can be seen t h a t t h e covered anaerobic lagoons followed by a mechanical ae rob ic system would r e s u l t i n an es t imated c a p i t a l c o s t sav ings of over $1,000,000 f o r a 2.88 MGD p l a n t .

I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r e would be an apprec i ab le savings i n annual ope ra t ing c o s t as shown i n Table 8.

TABLE 8. ESTIMATED ANNUAL OPERATING COST COMPARISONS

Completely Aerobic AnaerobicIAerob i c System System

Power (2.65~lKWH) $155 , 000 Labor 22,000 Maintenance 19 , 000

To t a l $196,000

$ 82,000 22 , 000

9,000

$113 , 000

Anaerobic Lagoon Cover Construct ion Details

Many a t tempts t o cons t ruc t a s u c c e s s f u l lagoon cover have been made over t h e yea r s and most of them have been no tab le f o r t h e i r l a c k of success . For one t h i n g , earl ier covers lacked t h e a b i l i t y t o wi ths tand U.V. degra- da t ion . Another weakness common t o earlier systems w a s t h e l a c k of an adequate gas removal system. This r e s u l t e d i n l a r g e pockets of gas producing bubbles under t h e f i lm . and 100 f e e t i n diameter.

Lack of permanent bonding of seams w a s a l s o a common f a i l i n g .

One system t h a t w a s inspec ted had gas bubbles 10 f e e t high

52

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The system a t Monmouth, I l l i n o i s , t h a t w a s suppl ied by Globe Linings, Long Beach, C a l i f o r n i a , and designed and s p e c i f i e d by Messmair, S tan ley and Assoc ia tes of Rock I s l a n d , I l l i n o i s , appears t o have m e t and so lved these problems. The s i g n i f i c a n t design and cons t ruc t ion d e t a i l s are d iscussed below.

The cover material i s f i v e p l y , 45 m i l composite cons t ruc ted of two nylon r e i n f o r c i n g sc reens bonded t o t h r e e s h e e t s of DuPont Hypalon 45 s y n t h e t i c rubber . The es t imated c o s t of t h e anaerobic lagoon cover i s d e t a i l e d i n Table 9.

G a s removal i s of prime importance. To conduct t h e gases and t o act as a cover suppor t , f o u r inch by twelve inch Styrofoam logs were i n s e r t e d i n a fac tory-sea led envelope i n t h e l i n e r . A ske tch of t h i s concept i s shown i n F igure 4 . The logs were p laced a c r o s s t h e width of t h e lagoon on 20 f o o t c e n t e r s w i th one row down t h e l eng th of t h e lagoons.

4" I*> Styrofoam -

Factory Sealed Envelope

-*- - A *

LFactory Sealed Envelope

-*- - - -Gas Passageway --\-

FIGURE 4. CROSS SECTION OF COVER FTDAT SYSTEM

The gas generated by t h e anaerobic a c t i o n i n t h e lagoon fo l lows t h e space between t h e Styrofoam f l o a t and t h e cover o u t t o t h e edge of t h e lagoon. It w a s f ea red t h a t i n t i m e t h e s o l i d s build-up on t h e lagoon s u r f a c e would tend t o f i l l up t h e s e passageways. To d a t e , t h i s has n o t occurred. Small bubbles 6 t o 1 2 f e e t i n diameter and 6 t o 10 inches high do form, b u t when t h e cover is l i f t e d t o t h i s po in t , t h e gas leaked ou t through t h e passage- ways and t h e cover subsided back t o t h e su r face .

A ske tch of t h e edge cons t ruc t ion d e t a i l s is shown i n F igure 5 . t h e aluminum hold down p l a t e s r e s u l t s i n a p o s i t i v e seal hold ing i n t h e generated gases . The pe r fo ra t ed p i p e shown i n t h e ske tch and a 103 cfm 1 hp blower w a s used t o c o l l e c t t h e gases . t o prevent gas build-up under t h e cover.

The use of

The blower must run cont inuously

Provided wi th t h e system would be an approved gas i n c i n e r a t i o n system f o r d i s p o s a l of t h e gas . A schematic of t h e gas t r a i n i s shown i n F igure 6 .

One o t h e r problem encountered wzs t h e d i s p o s a l of accumulated s torm water. A p o r t a b l e 3 inch t r a s h pump is used t o pump t h e r a i n water o u t of t h e pockets i n t h e c e n t e r of t h e lagoon.

53

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r B O L T CAST IN PLACE

CHAMFERED EDGE

6" PUC PIPE W/ 3& HOLES ON i2"CTRS

4'' X 2" ALUMINUM PLATE (16" LONG)

1.6" ,

45 MIL. DUPONT HYPALON COVER f+?s r -

CONCRETE

FIGURE 5.

\---:- -

LAGOON COVER 1NSTALLATION DETAIL.

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COVERED COVERED

1 A w R m i c LAGOON I- - ~ ~ - 1 ANAEROBIC LAGOON 1 L------ J L---- J

SEDIMENT & DRIP TRAP

P I - H I ? BLOWER

k C H E C K VALVE

MANOMETER I /-

TO P L A N T 4

BOILER w PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE

& FLAME TRAP

EXPLOSION RELIEF VALVE

+DRIP TRAP

FIGURE 6. GAS RECOVERY SYSTEM SCHEMATIC.

&-.WASTE GAS BURNER

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ENERGY CONS ERVATI ON

I n t h e above d i scuss ion , t h e f i n a l d i s p o s a l of t h e gas w a s proposed as in- c i n e r a t i o n . With cu r ren t energy shor tages t h i s v i a b l e sou rce of energy should no t b e wasted. A s tudy w a s then made of i t s p o s s i b l e uses .

TABLE 9. ESTIMATED PROJECT COST GAS RECOVERY AND DISPOSAL

I t e m Estimated Cost

5 Ply , 4 5 m i l DuPont Hypalon Membrane (126,600 sq . f t . ) P.C. Concrete Curb-Wall S t a i n l e s s Steel Anchor Bo l t s and Nuts Aluminum Anchor P l a t e 6" Pe r fo ra t ed P.V.C. Co l l ec t ion P ipe Gas Tra in P ip ing , Valves, Blower, Meter & Appurtenances Concrete Slab and G a s Equipment S h e l t e r

T o t a l

10% Contingency

T o t a l Estimated Construct ion Cost

Engineering, Legal and F i s c a l

T o t a l Estimated P r o j e c t Cost

$253,200

3,900 4,500

10,800 9,700 1,500

12,000

$295,600

29,600

$325,200

43,600

$368,800

TABLE 10. ANAEROBIC LAGOON GAS ANALYSIS

Methane - Vol. % Carbon Dioxide - Vol. % Nitrogen Hydrogen Hydrogen S u l f i d e mg/l Estimated Heating Value BTU/ft G a s Product ion - Ant ic ipa ted Product ion f t /day

3

ft3/#V.S. Destroyed

65 - 70 30 - 35 Trace Trace

16 650

12 - 18 278,000

An expected a n a l y s i s of t h e d i g e s t o r gas i s shown i n Table 10. From t h i s t a b l e i t can be c a l c u l a t e d t h a t an average of 180 m i l l i o n BTU'S pe r day would b e generated by burning t h i s gas. I n a d d i t i o n t o d i r e c t i nc ine ra - t i o n , which would waste t h i s energy, two o t h e r methods by which t h i s energy could b e u t i l i z e d were explored.

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A Supplement To F o s s i l Fuels Feeding Ex i s t ing Bo i l e r s

I n t h i s a l t e r n a t i v e va r ious f i r i n g schedules were examined such t h a t t h e waste gases would b e s t o r e d and used a t i n t e r v a l s t o f i r e one o r more of t h e p l a n t ' s b o i l e r s . and maintaining s t o r a g e f a c i l i t i e s , i t soon became obvious t h a t , because of t h e hydrogen s u l f i d e conten t of t h e gas , t h i s w a s n o t an accep tab le a l t e r n a t i v e . I f t h e hydrogen s u l f i d e was n o t removed from t h e gas a poten- t i a l f o r cor ros ion of t h e b o i l e r s t a c k ex i s t ed .

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e expense involved i n cons t ruc t ing

The c a p i t a l c o s t s of t h e equipment needed t o remove t h e hydrogen s u l f i d e were es t imated t o be over $100,000.

Providing a Dedicated Bo i l e r

The next a l t e r n a t i v e w a s t o provide a s e p a r a t e b o i l e r s i z e d t o f i r e a t t h e rate of gas product ion. The b o i l e r manufacturers s t a t e t h a t i f t h e b o i l e r exhaust w a s kept above 375"C, cor ros ion would be no problem. Thus, a conven- t i o n a l carbon steel packaged b o i l e r could be used. The cos t of t h e system w a s es t imated t o t o t a l $40,000. The es t imated annual c o s t s of ope ra t ing t h e system are i n Table 11.

TABLE 11. HEAT RECOVERY ANNUAL COSTS

Labor - 0- U t i l i t i e s 4 , 000 Maintenance and Upkeep 2 , 000 Deprec ia t ion - 1 2 yea r s 3 , 000 T o t a l 9 , 000

No l a b o r f i g u r e s were as ses sed s i n c e i t w a s assumed t h e waste t rea tment ope ra to r could t ake care of t h e gas product ion and c o l l e c t i o n f a c i l i t i e s , and t h e s t a t i o n a r y engineer would handle t h e b o i l e r opera t ion .

The va lue of t h e energy thus u t i l i z e d was assumed t o b e t h e incrementa l c o s t of t h e f o s s i l f u e l n o t consumed as a r e s u l t of us ing t h e gas . These sav ings are c a l c u l a t e d below.

TABLE 1 2 . HEAT RECOVERY SAVINGS

Basis: Coal Cost = $30/ton Coal Heating Value = 9000 BTU/# Cost/lO6 BTU = $1.67/106 BTU

Gas Generat ion = 278,000 f t3 /day Heating Value = 650 BTU/// BTU Recovered @ 85% Eff . = 154 x l o 6 BTU/day

Gross Annual Savings @ 365 days/year = $94,000

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The gross annual sav ings of $94,000 less t h e annual c o s t of $9000 g ives a n e t sav ings of $85,000 p e r year . This savings i s equ iva len t t o a p r e t a x r e t u r n i n investment of 213 pe rcen t and i t g ives a pay back of less than one year .

I n t h e proposed scheme, a 200 HP f i r e - tube b o i l e r w i t h i t s own exhaust s t a c k would b e provided i n t h e b o i l e r room. combination b o i l e r t o a l low h e f i r i n g of f u e l o i l of gas product ion dropped o f f . l o c a t i o n of t h e p l a n t . )

The b o i l e r would be provided wi th a

(There i s no n a t u r a l gas a v a i l a b l e f o r new i n s t a l l a t i o n i n t h e proposed

The lagoon cover i t s e l f would be used f o r gas s to rage . ra te exceeded t h e b o i l e r capac i ty , t h e gas i n c i n e r a t o r would b e f i r e d a t i n t e r v a l s t o main ta in an accep tab le balance.

I f t h e gas product ion

EMISSION CONTROL

The Enforcement Div is ion of EPA, Region I X , w a s contac ted regard ing t h e emissions from a b o i l e r o r an i n c i n e r a t o r ope ra t ing on anaerobic gas. The fol lowing comments were made:

"In t h e s o l u t i o n of any environmental problem, t h e necessary changes and usage of resources create o t h e r environmental stresses. A common case i s where a p o l l u t a n t i n one medium (water) is placed on another medium ( land) . A similar t rade- o f f occurs i n t h i s proposed s o l u t i o n f o r c o n t r o l of odors from anaerobic lagoons. gas w i l l r e s u l t i n t h e conversion of t h e h igh ly odorous compound, H2S, t o a non-odorous compound S02. However, many d ischarges of SO2 t o t h e atmosphere are l i m i t e d by r e g u l a t i o n s t o prevent a i r po l lu t ion . A t t h e proposed l o c a t i o n of t h e s e f a c i l i t i e s i n southwestern Arizona, t h e r e are regulatflons l i m i t i n g t h e emission of SO2 from e x i s t i n g b o i l e r s which use f o s s i l f u e l s . sou theas t e rn Arizona do n o t c o n s t r a i n SO2 emissions from e x i s t i n g b o i l e r s u s ing gases produced from anaerobic d iges t ion . However, any new o r modified f a c i l i t y would b e s u b j e c t t o p recons t ruc t ion review r e g u l a t i o n s of t h e S t a t e and l o c a l agencies . Such a p r o j e c t could a l s o b e s u b j e c t t o EPA new source review r e g u l a t i o n s depending on i t s s i z e and l o c a t i o n . Since c e r t a i n po r t ions of southwestern Arizona are n o t meeting t h e Nat iona l Ambient A i r Qual i ty Standards f o r S02, any major new source of SO2 l o c a t e d i n such areas would b e s u b j e c t t o s t r ic t emission l i m i t s and o f f s e t requirements descr ibed i n EPA's I n t e r p r e t i v e Ruling of December 21, 1976. Furthermore, t h e S t a t e o r l o c a l agency may impose requirements more restrictive than t h e m i n i m u m r equ i r ed by EPA."

S p e c i f i c a l l y , burning of t h e c o l l e c t e d

The SO2 r e g u l a t i o n s c u r r e n t l y i n e f f e c t f o r

From t h e above s ta tement i t can b e seen t h a t p r i o r t o a n investment dec i s ion , t h e appropr i a t e a u t h o r i t i e s should b e contac ted regard ing t h e emissions from i n c i n e r a t i n g t h e anaerobic gases . I f l o c a l cond i t ions warrant, SO2 removal may b e r equ i r ed .

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The technology f o r scrubbing f l u e gases of SO2 is w e l l e s t a b l i s h e d . h igh ly e f f e c t i v e process would be t h e use of a b i ca rbona te scrubber t o e f f e c t a 90% t o 95% removal of t h e S02. The c a l c u l a t e d SO2 emissions from burning t h e anaerobic gases a t a 16 mg/l H2S concen t r a t ion would amount t o 2.6611 SO2 pe r m i l l i o n BTU's. t h e SO2 emissions w e l l w i t h i n new source l i m i t a t i o n s r equ i r ed f o r f o s s i l f u e l b o i l e r s .

One

A 90 t o 95% SO2 removal e f f i c i e n c y would b r i n g

Discussions wi th s u p p l i e r s of sc rubbers t o remove 2.668 SO2 p e r m i l l i o n BTU's from a 200 H.P. b o i l e r i n d i c a t e d t h a t an i n s t a l l e d c a p i t a l c o s t of $70,000 and an annual ope ra t ing c o s t of $10,000 could be r o u t i n e l y achieved. Land d i s p o s a l of t h e waste l i q u o r from t h e scrubber would be an accep tab le d i s p o s a l technique.

Based on t h e economic i n c e n t i v e t h e anaerobic lagoon p r e s e n t s over a mechanical system t h e i r added c o s t s should no t change t h e management dec i s ion t o adopt anaerobic lagoons over a completely a e r o b i c mechanical system.

CONCLUSIONS

Odor problems from anaerobic lagoons t r e a t i n g m e a t packing wastes are t h e r e s u l t of hydrogen s u l f i d e emissions. The hydrogen s u l f i d e escaping t o t h e atmosphere w i l l be n e a r l y 1% of t h e s u l f a t e concen t r a t ion i n t h e wastewater.

Anaerobic lagoons which treat wastewaters conta in ing 100 mg/l o r more of s u l f a t e need s p e c i a l design and ope ra t ion f o r odor con t ro l . Design of sub- merged i n l e t s and o u t l e t s , ope ra t ion t o main ta in a complete scum cover, chlo- r i n a t i o n of t h e r a w wastewater p r i o r t o p i p e l i n e t r a n s p o r t when H2S is pro- duced, and changing t o a lower s u l f a t e water supply have been found t o reduce odor emissions.

Anaerobic lagoon t rea tment is both c o s t e f f e c t i v e and energy sav ing f o r w a r m concent ra ted wastewaters. t h e wastewater con ta ins h igh s u l f a t e concen t r a t ions , has been c o n t r o l l e d wi th a f l e x i b l e membrane cover and a p o s i t i v e gas removal system. f l o a t i n g f l e x i b l e membrane cover has been shown less expensive than r i g i d cover systems.

The major drawback of odor emission, when

The

The anaerobic lagoon has been shown economically advantageous over ae rob ic t rea tment f o r meat packing wastewater even wi th t h e added c o s t of a f l e x i b l e cover and gas removal system.

Although i n c i n e r a t i o n of odorous d i g e s t o r gas i s t h e common d i s p o s a l method, t h e s e gases can b e used economically i n a dedica ted b o i l e r f o r t h e produc- t i o n of steam f o r process uses and t o conserve our f o s s i l f u e l resources . This energy conserva t ion system has a one yea r payout.

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Lawrence, A. W . , McCarty, P. L . , and Guerin, F. "The E f f e c t of S u l f i d e on Anaerobic Treatment." Proceedings of 10 th I n d u s t r i a l Waste Conference, Purdue Un ive r s i ty , p. 343 (1964).

Gloyna, E . F . , and Espino, E. "Sul f ide Product ion i n Waste S t a b i l i z a - t i o n Ponds." ASCE J o u r n a l of San i t a ry Engineering Div is ion , Vol. 95, ND. SA3, p. 607 (1969).

Hogstrom, Ulf . P o s s i b i l i t i e s of P r e d i c t i n g Odor Frequencies i n Ambient A i r from Sensory and Chemical Analyses a t t h e Source. Univers i ty of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden. 1970.

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