Methane Capturing
Methane Capturing : Aerobics & Anaerobic Digestion
The project will focus to develop an anaerobic digestion ponds integrate with methane capturing system to produce biomass and convert it into energy. Algaetech will provide the project planning and management, technology transfer and technical expertise to develop a pilot demonstration solution to manage the waste from Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).
It will focus the treatment and polishing of effluent at waste water facility, the production of a biomass (e.g. algae), and the potential to convert this biomass into renewable biogas with the microalgae biomass as a co-feedstock. Open ponds system (Race way ponds) are being used to cultivate microalgae (multicultural/monoculture) and these provide excellent perspectives for renewable energy production and as a source of ‘green’ products.
Lower quality water such as waste water from STP can be used for growing algae. Algae effectively remove nitrogen and phosphate from these streams, which leads to a reduction of water treatment costs. After separation of algae the purified water can be reused for industrial / agriculture purposes and the algae can be harvested.
Algae Based Water Management System incorporates all the efficiencies available in the linkage of anaerobic and aerobic microbial systems in the waste water treatment process. Following screening and grit settling in a conventional head of works, the effluent passes to an up flow anaerobic sludge bed digester located within the Primary Facultative Pond. While the hydraulic residence time in the digester is around three days, the sludge ages run to hundreds of days. Thus, digestion is near complete and no routine sludge handling is required. Furthermore, feedstock for the system can include any biological waste, farm animal waste, biomass, and sludge derived from Activated Sludge-based waste-water treatment works. As such, the Algae Based Water Management System alternative provides an ideal management process for the handling of domestic (and other) waste water streams.
Algal photosynthesis provides a solar-powered operation for achieving oxygen-saturated conditions in the partly-treated waters, and algal efficiency is maximised in the Algal Ponds. The ponds uses a paddle wheel to keep the system mixed and its small electric motor is easily driven by a solar panel. Both secondary and tertiary treatment occurs in this unit and, following algal fluctuated removal in an elementary incline settler, a high quality disinfected final effluent is recovered. In addition to a high quality effluent suitable for agriculture and/or discharge into the environment, the system has the potential to produce substantial quantities of methane (i.e. biogas).
