Researchers test sludge treatment system

The experimental system will process 20lb of sludge per hour, drying it at modest temperatures into a solid that will then be analysed for its suitability to be used for fuel through gasification. The refrigerator-sized demonstration unit will help researchers determine the optimum conditions for a commercial-sized operation.

Chuck Coronella, principle investigator for the research project and an associate professor of chemical engineering, said: ’We’re designing, building and assembling a continuous-feed system that will ultimately be used to generate electricity. We’ll run experiments throughout the summer, creating a usable dried product from the sludge.’

Wastewater sludge is a promising biomass stock but is currently being stored in landfills after inefficient processing.

’The beauty of this process is that it’s designed to be all on site, saving trucking costs and disposal fees for the sludge,’ added Victor Vasquez, a university faculty member in chemical engineering.

Estimates, which will be further refined through the research, show that a full-scale system could potentially generate 600kW of electricity a day to help power the plant.