Reclaimed Water, Pelletization of Biosolids, and Biogas to Energy
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FWRJ The Sustainability “Hat Trick”: Reclaimed Water, Pelletization of Biosolids, and Biogas To Energy Stephen McGrew and Diana Rivera he Palm Beach County Water Utilities Palm Beach County has a mandatory re- Department (utility) will become one claimed water service area that is strategi- Stephen McGrew, P.E., is plant design Tof the few utilities to complete the cally located to recharge wellfields, providing manager, and Diana Rivera, P.E., is project "hat trick" of recycling wastewater effluent, sustainability to the surficial aquifer. manager with Palm Beach County Water biosolids, and biogas when the biogas recip- Biosolids are pelletized for soil supplement Utilities Department. rocal engine generator sets complete opera- as a long-term sustainable disposal method tional testing in April of 2013 at the under an agreement with the Palm Beach Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility County Solid Waste Authority. The facility’s (facility). The utility is a leader in becoming biogas project, which is under construction, secondary effluent water. Additionally, a green utility and has adopted the mission is partially funded by green stimulus funds. nanofiltration membrane concentrate is statement, "Best Water, Best Customer Serv- The project includes two methane gas recip- used for blending with reclaimed water at the ice, and Best Environmental Stewardship." rocal engine generator sets installed at the fa- facility to supplement demand. The foundation of becoming a green utility cility in 2012. Reciprocal engines were The facility was completed in 1991 to is reduction of its environmental footprint chosen over fuel cells or gas turbines due to replace several smaller wastewater treatment through conservation, sustainability, energy their reliability and cost. The electricity gen- plants (WWTP). The initial phase of the re- efficiency, and greenhouse gas reduction. erated will be paralleled with the facility’s claimed water program consisted of sand fil- The utility promotes conservation 4,160 volt main switchgear. When the ters, a chorine contact chamber, and high through its alternative water resources pro- methane flare is extinguished and the gener- service pumps for a total production capac- gram, which includes the largest reclaimed ators turned on, the "hat trick" will be com- ity of 4 mgd. The reclaimed water was water system in southeast Florida. The fa- plete. pumped on-site to provide recycled water for cility has 22 million gallons per day (mgd) plant processes and irrigation. A key to the of reclaimed water filters that can be Reclaimed Water and Wetlands success of the program was the location of blended with an additional 4 mgd of the facility in a farm area west of Water nanofiltration membrane concentrate. Ad- The utility supplies reclaimed water Treatment Plant (WTP) 3 within the urban ditionally, 150 acres of created wetlands use through approximately 55 mi of piping to residential service area. This allowed re- secondary treated wastewater effluent for over 90 residential communities and golf claimed water to be implemented as devel- rehydration. courses, and has created two wetlands using opment occurred in the vicinity of the facility, which provided recharge to the WTP 3 well field. Decommissioning the percola- tion ponds at Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) 3 provided land for the first wet- lands project. In 1996, the utility actively sought to in- crease local use of reclaimed water. The golf courses and large residential communities near the facility provided a source of re- claimed water users. Additional sand filters and transmission pipelines were constructed at the facility to increase the reclaimed water production capacity to 6 mgd from 4 mgd (1). In 1997, Palm Beach County adopted a reclaimed water ordinance and established a mandatory reclaimed water service area sur- rounding the facility. The mandatory service area required new developments within a 1- mi radius of the facility to install and utilize reclaimed water. This innovative local gov- ernment initiative is a model for other gov- Photo 1 - Southern Region ernments. The mandatory reclaimed water 28 March 2013 • Florida Water Resources Journal zone was increased in 2005 from the original membrane concentrate is maintained per the Maintains a steady raw water supply for 4 sq mi to 10 sq mi. Florida Department of Environmental Pro- water treatment plants. In 1998, the utility added 16 mgd of re- tection (FDEP) permit conditions. Reduces the amount of fresh water claimed water capacity by using cloth filters, The utility’s alternative water resources drained from the land and discharged resulting in a total capacity of 22 mgd. The program is multifaceted in the benefits it into the ocean. expansion was required to accommodate de- brings: Minimizes stress on wellfields. mand projections from increased develop- Minimizes dependence upon surficial Minimizes the “net” quantity of water ment, residential usage, and golf courses. aquifer and regional water supply system. Continued on page 30 The Wakodahatchee Wetlands (Seminole for “created waters”) were constructed in 1997 adjacent to WTP 3 at the former site of the WWTP 3 percolation ponds. The 39-acre wetlands utilize secondarily treated waste- water, which reduces the amount of effluent disposed through deep well injection. The wetlands were designed to treat the highly treated secondary effluent with natural bio- logical processes to further reduce nutrient levels. Treated water from the wetlands perco- lates into the surficial aquifer to recharge the local groundwater. This recharging reduces reliance on water from the groundwater wells and the regional surface water system. The Wetlands are considered a significant wildlife refuge, providing habitat for 119 bird species. A 1-mi boardwalk has a series of interpretive signage panels designed to inform and edu- cate the public on the natural systems and wildlife. The County has also built a second wet- land system known as Green Cay. The first phase of the Green Cay Wetlands was com- pleted in 2004 and includes 26 acres of open water for water fowl; 17.5 acres of uplands for nesting, resting, breeding, and feeding ac- tivities; and emergent marsh for attracting wading birds and other wetland-dependent birds. The walking trails along the two mi of boardwalk provide significant recreational opportunities for the community. The County’s Parks and Recreation Department constructed a 10,000 sq ft world-class Inter- pretive Center at the Green Cay Wetlands. Photo 2 - Wakodahatchee Wetlands The center provides a living laboratory for school groups and community organizations to study the hydrology, ecology, and restora- tion of southern Florida ecosystems. Figure 1 As demand for reclaimed water has in- Green Cay Wetlands creased, the utility has utilized innovative methods to meet the needs of its customers. In 1999, the utility began routing a portion of the nanofiltration membrane treatment waste stream (membrane concentrate) pro- duced at WTP 3 to the facility. The mem- brane concentrate flow contains concentrated organics and minerals removed from the surficial aquifer raw water. It is blended with the filtered secondary effluent upstream of the reclaimed water chlorine contact basins. A maximum blend ratio of at least 5.24 parts reclaimed water to one part Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2013 29 Photo 3 - SWA Pelletizer Facility Photo 4 - SWA Pelletizer Rotary Dryer Continued from page 29 Biogas to Energy withdrawn from the surficial aquifer. The Digester Biogas Renewable En- Provides landscaping water sup- ergy Project will generate 20 percent ply during drought conditions. of the facility's power requirements Reduces reliance on deep injec- from the methane biogas that is cur- tion well systems. rently flared and wasted. Upon Educates the public on the im- completion of this third compo- portance of water conservation nent, all of the waste products gen- in south Florida. erated at the facility will be recycled, Increases carbon absorption by providing environmental steward- creation of wetlands. ship (reclaimed water for irrigation Provides habitat for migratory and constructed wetlands, biosolids birds, waterfowl, and endan- for fertilizer pellets, and biogas for gered species. energy production). This project is Provides passive recreation op- partially funded by the United portunities for the public. States Department of Energy's En- Increases suburban green space. ergy Efficiency and Conservation Photo 5 - Biosolid Pellets Block Grant (EECBG) Program Assistance Pelletization of Biosolids Agreement in the amount of $1.6 million, which covers a portion of the $3,529,000 tion, operation, and maintenance of the re- project cost. This project demonstrates envi- The utility, working with the staff of the gional BPF, and in addition, will market the ronmental stewardship per the utility’s mis- County’s Solid Waste Authority (SWA) and biosolids pellets to various fertilizer manu- sion statement and is essential to the five other public wastewater utilities in the facturers to be used for energy production. Department’s green initiatives. County, developed the concept of construct- Screw and belt conveyors transport the The facility is a conventionally activated, ing a regional Biosolids Processing and Re- material into two 460-cu-yd bins, and then sludge domestic wastewater treatment facil- cycling Facility (BPF) to process wastewater into a pug mill, which mixes oversized and fine ity rated at 35 mgd, three-month