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The thermal hydrolysis process (THP) is an innovative solution that has significant potential to contribute to the world's renewable energy and circular economy.
FREMONT, CA: Water shortage is an increasing concern among countries, with the weakest populations being the most affected. The sewage from flushing the toilet, having a shower, or using the kitchen runs down the drains and eventually ends up at wastewater treatment facilities. Rapid urbanisation and growing population are contributing to the increase in the amount of wastewater, sewage sludge, and biowaste, which represents a risk to the environment and human health. If treated, sewage sludges can be converted into biosolids, a valuable source of nutrients. Biosolids act as fertilisers on agricultural land due to their soil-conditioning properties.
To address this challenge, water processing utilities are seeking advanced, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions to harvest as many resources as possible from waste. One such solution is the thermal hydrolysis process (THP), which involves exposing sewage sludge or other types of wet organic waste to high temperatures and pressure to break down the cellular tissues. Here, the biological tissues are broken down into their original smaller molecular components using thermal hydrolysis (TH), which involves heat and high pressure significantly reducing the viscosity, eliminating all infectious agents, vastly improving the biodegradability of residuals, boosting digester loading rates, and increasing biogas production.
This makes it an attractive option for wastewater management facilities to reduce their disposal costs and improve dewaterability. The biosolids obtained from thermal hydrolysis are odour-free, and pathogen-free, and can be utilised as organic fertilisers. Lower viscosity sludge, which is more free-flowing, allows for easier pumping and mixing in digester tanks, and can support double the normal digester dry solids loading. Additionally, this lower viscosity brings in less stress on fermentation organisms, leading to more stable plant operations. Dewatering helps achieve almost 40 per cent of total dry solids as it is easier to separate the liquid and solid components. Furthermore, the disintegration of cell structures in organic materials can create smaller molecules that dissolve and produce polymers that provide easily digestible protein during anaerobic digestion.
Since capital remains a key constraint for small to medium-sized wastewater treatment plants, THP offers a practical solution to respond to the evolving regulations surrounding biosolids management. THP provides a practical solution to the growing market demand for smaller-scale treatment plant operators for sustainable biosolids management solutions in support of the movement towards resource recovery. They provide operational flexibility for generators of biosolids, produce federally recognized Class A quality bio-fertiliser products, and optimise the value of digester infrastructure.
Given the volume of biowaste produced, the development and improvement of this technology will pave the path for a sustainable and cost-effective future. The management of biowaste has sparked the growth of new value chains and commercial prospects. Several factors are anticipated to propel the adoption of the thermal hydrolysis process technology, including significant expenditures made by wastewater treatment facilities and government pressure to adopt innovative technologies.
