Biosolids Concentrator and Digester System for Compact Waste Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional biosolids treatment systems, such as trickle filters, are inefficient in handling low Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) waste streams due to their large size and inability to effectively separate and digest soluble compounds, leading to excessive water usage and sludge production.
Innovation Solution
A biosolids concentrator and digester system that utilizes a series of tanks for air stratification, clarification, micron filtration, and membrane filtration to separate and concentrate biosolids, reducing water volume by 90% and achieving 85-90% BOD reduction through a compact design, incorporating thermal treatment and mechanical sloughing of microbial biomass for enhanced digestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional trickle filters are used for biosolids treatment, then the system can handle waste streams, but the system requires large size and produces excessive sludge
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple specialized tanks including equalization/separation tank, anaerobic tank, aerobic tank, and clarifier tank, each performing a specific function in the treatment process. This segmentation allows for compact arrangement and efficient space utilization while maintaining high treatment capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a multi-stage treatment process where tanks are arranged in series, with each subsequent tank processing the output of the previous one. The compact design nests functional stages within a concentrated spatial arrangement, achieving high productivity in a small footprint.
2Reliability
If conventional trickle filters are used for biosolids treatment, then the system can process waste, but the system cannot effectively separate and digest soluble compounds
Solution Approach 1:
Different tanks are designed with specific local qualities suited to their function: the equalization tank provides mixing, the anaerobic tank provides anaerobic conditions for digestion, the aerobic tank provides oxygenated conditions for further treatment, and the clarifier provides settling. This localized optimization ensures high digestion efficiency for soluble compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The clarifier tank acts as an intermediary between the aerobic tank and discharge, separating treated water from biosolids. The system uses intermediate treatment stages with transitional functions to achieve reliable digestion and separation.
3Loss of substance
If conventional systems are used for waste treatment, then the system can operate, but excessive water usage and sludge production occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates and removes biosolids from treated water in the clarifier tank, discarding the concentrated sludge while recovering the clarified water for discharge or reuse. This selective separation minimizes sludge production and maximizes water recovery, achieving high waste reduction efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves efficient digestion of biosolids in a significantly smaller footprint than traditional systems, producing high-quality discharge water and minimizing sludge production, with adaptable operation for maximum waste reduction or methane production.
Implementation Method 1
uses air stratification to separate compounds with higher density from compounds with lower density
Implementation Method 2
The output of the digesters is transferred to a clarifier where this heavier microbial biomass are settled out
Implementation Method 3
uses clarification, micron filtration and membrane filtration to clean the waste stream water
Implementation Method 4
The aerobic tank (103) receives the output from the anaerobic tank (102) and uses aerobic microbial activity to digest the organic compounds
Implementation Method 5
The anaerobic tank (102) receives the waste stream from the equalization/separation tank (101) and uses anaerobic microbial activity to digest the organic compounds
Implementation Method 6
incorporating thermal treatment and mechanical sloughing of microbial biomass for enhanced digestion
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems of a biosolids concentrator and digester system having an inlet, an equalization/separation tank, an equalization/separation tank-anaerobic tank connector, an anaerobic tank, an anaerobic tank-aerobic tank connector, an aerobic tank, an aerobic tank-clarifier tank connector, and a clarifier tank. The inlet receives a thermally treated waste stream (TTWS), which enters the equalization/separation tank through the inlet at the equalization/separation tank bottom portion and leaves at the equalization/separation tank top portion. The TTWS enters the anaerobic tank at the anaerobic tank bottom portion and is anaerobically digested in the anaerobic tank producing a biogas, which is discharged from the anaerobic tank top portion. The TTWS leaves the anaerobic tank at the anaerobic top portion, enters the aerobic tank at the aerobic tank bottom portion and leaves the aerobic tank at the anaerobic top portion.