Biogas & Bioenergy

Organizations are continually looking to improve operational and environmental footprints. A common by-product of anaerobic digestion and sludge treatment is bio-methane.

By treating, handling, and utilizing bioenergy, companies can reduce the energy needs and carbon footprint of their wastewater treatment facilities. In some cases, the amount of green energy produced at these plants can exceed the energy needed to operate the facility, resulting in a sustainable wastewater treatment process.

Anaerobic Digestion of Wastewater

Many wastewater treatment facilities utilize anaerobic digestion technologies within their processes. The methanogenic bacteria in anaerobic systems breakdown organic pollutants within the waste streams. A natural by-product from this biological process is methane (biogas). This biogas can be extracted from the reactor, cleaned, and utilized as an on-site energy source.

Sludge Co-Digestion

Sludge from wastewater treatment facilities can be utilized as a renewable energy feedstock. Co-digestion is one process that is commonly utilized to reduce sludge volume and create bio-energy. Co-digestion is the commingling of wastewater sludge with other high strength waste from residential, commercial and/or industrial waste. These processes will anaerobically digest the feedstocks and produce biogas, while simultaneously stabilizing the sludge to be used as a by-product or safely disposed.

Biogas Cleaning

The biogas produced from various wastewater treatment systems typically contains high-levels of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). If not treated, biogas can damage to downstream boilers or combined heat & power generators. Veolia has a variety of technologies that can be installed downstream of biogas producing technologies to remove the H₂S from the biogas down to extremely low levels. Cleaning the biogas ensures that the biogas can be safely utilized in boilers, combined heat and power generators (CHPs), or injected into gas pipelines.