Reducing Energy Costs and Producing Value Added Byproducts from Sustainable Wastewater Processes

Are industrial supplies costing your business a hefty fund each month? Learn some tips and tricks for cutting costs on supplies.

Reducing Energy Costs and Producing Value Added Byproducts from Sustainable Wastewater Processes

Reducing Energy Costs and Producing Value Added Byproducts from Sustainable Wastewater Processes

14 August 2020
 Categories:
, Blog


A few years ago, few municipalities would have imagined that wastewater sludge would fuel zero-emissions cities Yet as more cities turn wastewater into biogas fuel to heat buildings, greening cities want to run their cars on biogas, too. 

Anaerobic digestion, the process of turning wastewater to biogas, is becoming more efficient with the help of additive processes.  Chemical processes, though, can add pollutant emissions to the wastewater treatment process. Sustainable additive processes like biological nutrient removal can make the dream of a zero-emissions city a reality. 

Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a central process in creating byproducts from wastewater for use in sustainable communities. The process turns half the wastewater into biogas and the other half into digestion sludge made up of organic material. Biogas and biosolids can be harvested into useful products such as fuel and fertilizer. These value-added products can be used directly to reduce resources in the wastewater treatment process or sold and provide economic value to a city. 

Anaerobic digestion is a low-cost way of processing wastewater and solid wastes. Conversion of waste sludge into biogas can be used as fuel for the wastewater treatment process, heating buildings and water, and zero-emissions vehicles. However, as industry and cities face stricter emission standards, the usefulness of wastewater byproducts in greener cities and industries depends on the removal of phosphorous and nitrogen. 

Biological Nutrient Removal

Biological nutrient removal uses microbes such as bacteria to help break the wastewater down into sludge. In the process, it removes nitrogen and phosphorus to produce an effluent that meets environmental standards. This byproduct is then safe to release back into the natural water cycle. With the nitrogen and phosphorous removed, minimum environmental harm is done to the natural water ecosystem. 

This process is also becoming important to producing zero emissions biogas as an energy source in greening urban habitats. As the emissions from industrial processes and vehicles become stricter, biogas is a zero-emissions solution. By scrubbing your wastewater byproducts cleaner of pathogens and emissions, you can expand the potential uses and markets for the byproducts you produce. 

Like any wastewater treatment facility, you require processes that do not expend so much energy that you reach a point of diminishing returns. Wastewater treatment uses a lot of energy and is the highest energy expenditure of a municipality. A high-quality biological nutrient removal product can reduce the energy required in pumping, mixing, and aerating wastewater sludge. This process helps you meet the ultimate goal of complying with effluent standards and producing wastewater byproducts in a sustainable manner. 

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cutting the cost of industrial supplies

All of the supplies that your business needs to operate each day can cost you a hefty sum by the end of the year. Of course you can't skip ordering these things because business would come to a halt, but you can find some ways to reduce the cost of those supplies. Our blog will show you different ways to save on the cost of the industrial supplies that your business requires each and every day. Cutting those costs will help you now and many, many years into the future so you can increase the profits you enjoy and your business can thrive.