South Korea Anyang Bakdal

South Korea, Anyang Bakdal

Posco Engineering and Construction

The Bakdal wastewater treatment plant or the Saemul Park plant is the largest underground sewage treatment facility in Korea, situated under Saemul Park in the city of Anyang. The plant opened in 1992, treating wastewater from the nearby towns of Gunpo, Uiwang, and Gwangmyeong. Odour concerns at the time prompted residents to leave the neighborhood, encouraging the city to move the plant underground.

This innovative project freed space that is now used as a new residential complex with recreational areas. The park features a rainwater management system, solar power, and a vegetation strategy that helps the plant recover energy and water and offset greenhouse gas emissions.

Cambi was selected to supply the thermal hydrolysis process (THP) to pretreat sewage and septic sludge together with food waste before anaerobic co-digestion. The THP made the project possible by reducing the necessary digester size considerably and eliminating odours and pathogens. It also helps the plant produce a significant amount of biogas to power the plant. The final biosolids product is used as solid fuel in a power plant.

In 2017, the city of Anyang, the Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco), and the main contractor POSCO Engineering and Construction received recognition for the treatment plant from the International Water Association (IWA), winning the prestigious Best Practices on Resource Recovery from Water Award. The sewage treatment plant has been in operation since 2016 and is Cambi’s largest operating co-digestion THP plant.

Cambi solution CambiTHP® - B12

Number of reactors 4

Status In Operation

Year of commissioning 2016 Primary and secondary Feedstock type sludge; food waste Population served 1,430,000 p.e.

Plant design capacity 33,500 tDS/yr

Digester capacity 17,500 m3

Biogas utilisation Electric power generation

Biosolids use Incineration

Services Installation, commissioning, O&M