Where there's muck, there's brass

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Where there's muck, there's brass

By District Energy posted 07-22-2019 14:10

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Water & Wastewater Treatment

Summary

Tim Broadhurst, CCO of CooperOstlund, on utilising sewage and sludge as a renewable energy feedstock and how to maximise the value

While for most people sewage might be considered to be an unpleasant by-product of our human existence, it is a hugely valuable industry, providing jobs, sanitised water and, importantly, a prime source of renewable energy.

As with any organic material, sewage and sludge release a significant volume of methane during decomposition.

Using anaerobic digestion (AD) technology, this gas can be captured and stored, and then transformed into renewable, clean energy using combined heat and power (CHP) engines.

The economic and sustainability benefits

Sewage and sludge are particularly appealing as an energy source because the organic matter is fertile and contains almost 10 times the energy needed to treat it.