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Case Study: Yorkville, Illinois

2nd Generation ATAD Innovative Approach to Solids Treatment

Yorkville, Illinois - The ThermAer™ consistently produces Class 'A' Biosolids at the Yorkville-Bristol Sanitary District in Illinois. The end product can be land applied as a liquid or solid with minimal restrictions.

The Yorkville-Bristol Sanitary District has installed Illinois' first municipally owned and operated 2nd generation Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD).

Improvements to the 3.6 MGD municipal wastewater treatment plant were designed and installed to increase the capacity from the one MGD facility facing enormous growing pains from the sprawling suburban Chicago community. Walter. E. Deuchler Associates, Inc. provided overall design and construction management to the project. This included additional aeration capacity, clarifiers, screens, and the state-of-the-art Thermal Process Systems ThermAer unit. Due to the increased solids destruction and design offered by ThermAer, plant operations personnel need only run the dewatering operation approximately once every week, saving not only disposal costs, but also labor and equipment O&M costs.

The first generation ATADs developed a bad reputation; however, the ThermAer's ability to match oxygen supply to demand in this innovative approach has revitalized the technology. Specifically, the use of ORP control and independent control of mixing and aeration has improved this extremely efficient process and made it a more reliable technology. ThermAer, quite simply, stabilizes and pasteurizes raw sludge through the use of aerobic thermophilic temperature conditions without supplemental heating (autothermal). Heat is produced by the microbial degradation of the soluble COD in the sludge.

The thickened WAS is transferred to the reactor once per day during the facilities' five-day work week. The ThermAer reactors are aerated by jet-motive pump aeration systems with positive displacement blowers, which when coupled together, provide exceptional oxygen transfer.

Mixing intensity and aeration are controlled by the Oxidation Reduction Potential within the reactor. A portion of the digested biosolids is then transferred to the aerated storage/nitrification SNDR tank prior to dewatering. The ability of this particular ATAD system to maintain aerobic conditions in the reactor, enable total solids reductions from 50 to 60%. Overall, this results in smaller downstream process operations and lower disposal costs. Off-gas from the ThermAer reactors and storage tank is collected and treated in the two-chambered BiofiltAer.

The continuous aerobic condition in the ThermAer and storage tank nearly eliminates the production of reduced odorous sulfur and other mercaptan type compounds typically found in other ATADs. The environmentally safe BiofiltAer easily treats the ammonia emitted from the ThermAer system. The patented FoamCone™ hydraulically controls foam to a preset elevation, allowing for maximum aeration during critical phases of the digestion process.

Installation of the 2nd generation ThermAer process along with the BiofiltAer odor control system reduces the amount of biosolid material produced while maintaining an odor free work place.

ThermAer Offers:

• Aerobic Process
• 50% TS Reduction
• ORP Process Control
• Quality Class 'A' Biosolid
• Odorless Solution
• Ability to Retrofit Existing Tanks
• 10-12 Day HRT

Testing of the ThermAer system conducted after startup provided for the following results:

• ThermAer Total Solids Reduction 51.5%
• BiofiltAer Efficiency (NH3) >99.99%

 

Thermal Process Systems, Inc
1841 East Summit Street
Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone: (219) 663-1034
info@thermalprocess.com