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ANALYZING SIDE EFFECTS OF CODIGESTION [BioCycle](BioCycle Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Alexandria, Virginia Among the Water Environment Research Federation (WERF) research projects in 2014, three are focusing on developing solutions to operational side effects associated with codigestion of high strength organic wastes at wastewater treatment facilities, explains Lauren Fillmore, Senior Program Director at WERF. The first project, being conducted by Hazen & Sawyer (ENER8C13), is doing a systematic evaluation and characterization of feedstocks available for use within codigestion. These include fats, oils and grease, food waste and agricultural, animal and industrial organic wastes. Impacts of adding high strength wastes on sludge treatment and handling facilities, and the changes in biosolids quantity and quality will be analyzed, along with impacts on liquid streams. Necessary upgrades and/or modification of facility infrastructure and operations will be assessed. Case study data will be obtained to help quantify the costs of implementing codigestion of various organic wastes at wastewater treatment facilities. The second research project is being conducted by Carollo Engineers (ENER9C13), along with a researcher from Clarkson University. Its scope includes identifying key operational parameters for managing codigestion/ cofermentation processes. "The objectives of this project are to advance the knowledge of'real-world' codigestion facility design, operations, performance, and maintenance for other treatment facilities evaluating codigestion for increased energy recovery," adds Fillmore. "The project will also evaluate extensions of bench-scale anaerobic treatability testing to provide estimates of increased sludge production and final effluent nutrient concentrations for proposed supplemental organic waste(s)." Sampling will be done at a range of treatment facilities. The third research project, being conducted by Kennedy Jenks, in collaboration with a researcher at Bucknell University (ENER12R13), is building on previous research to predict the side effects of codigestion by analyzing a combination of fundamental parameters. These parameters include chemical composition; viscosity; soluble cation concentrations; soluble and total COD (chemical oxygen demand), alkalinity, volatile fatty acids, pH, total solids, volatile solids; gas composition; surface tension; volume expansion potential (foam and gas holdup) and gas production rates; dewaterability (cake solids and polymer demand) and cake quality (odors and regrowth). (c) 2014 J.G. Press Inc. |