Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Technical Session: Innovative Energy Production

During Monday afternoon’s session on biosolid drying, Greg Grant with Ventura Regional Sanitation District in California shared his success on managing biosolids and generating green energy.

Greg discussed the organization’s need to find a better solution to manage biosolids. Biosolids are organic materials resulting from highly processed waste water treatment facilities. Greg said many counties are banning land disposal options.

The drying operation was the first of its kind. VRSD accept biosolids from 5 waste water treatment facilities at a 2.2 acre facility within a 343-acre landfill site. They don’t use electric or gas to operate the facility – they convert the landfill gas on-site and generate electricity.

VRSD use (2) 80-ton Fenton batch dryers to reduce the volume of the biosolids. They manage 8,000 tons of biosolids each month. They reclaim the water from process and use it for dust control on the facility grounds. Once the material has been dried, it can be used as alternate daily cover for landfills or fertilizer.

VRSD has one of the lowest tipping fee rates in California.

Cost Breakdown on managing biosolids:
Land Disposal: $40-$60 per ton – Disadvantage: Prohibited or restricted
Composting: $45-$65 per ton – Disadvantage: High odor benefit
Drying (other): $75-$100 per ton – Disadvantage: Energy source is natural gas
VRSD Drying: $42 per ton – Advantage: Energy and disposal stable

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