Wastewater Treatment in the Carbon-Recycling

Industry: Challenges and Value

Apr 27th 2021

Title Of Presentation
Agenda
• Introduction and context
• Why Wastewater Management is relevant: value
• Design Thinking Process
• WW Process design Selection
• Additional Option: WW evaporation
• Case Profile – MSW to Syn Crude
• Pushing the value to the limit: ZLD & Sustainability
• Conclusions
AQUATECH AT A GLANCE
IN-HOUSE TECHNOLOGY PORTFOLIO

Wastewater Recycle & IN-HOUSE Technologies

Zero Liquid Membrane Processes (UF/NF/RO)
Treatment – Reuse – Discharge Demin Water (EDI/MixedBeds)
Polluttant Add value to - Minimizing Aerobic Biotreatments (MBR/MBBR
Anaerobic Biotreatments
Removal Wastewater Water Biological Removal of Selenium
Footprint Evaporators/Crystallizers
Desalination – Industrial Desalination RO
Optimizing Multieffect Distillation
Process Water –
Membrane Distillation
Water/Energy Ultrapure Water Electrocoagulation
nexus
Applied Testing and Development
Located in Aquatech’s Hartland Campus in Wisconsin and in
Aquatech’s R&D Center in Pune, India

2,500 ft² facility including wet-laboratory and pilots

Standard tests include full-range of
- Analytical testing
- Process simulation (membrane, evaporation, biology)
- Physical/chemical property determination
- Microscopic testing
- Centrifuge and filtration testing
Applied Testing and Development

SC G

<--HEATER CONTROL <--MIXER CONTROLS-->

HEATER CONTROL-> UF MODULE

U CO OS

PERMEATE/CIP TANK

BIOGAS COLLECTION

MIXER
MIXER

UF FEED PUMP
INSULATED BLANKET HEATER

INSULATED BLANKET HEATER

CONCENTRATE RETURN
FEED PUMP EQUALIZATION TANK
ANAEROBIC REACTOR

BACK PULSE SYSTEM

ANAEROBIC Reactor AEROBIC Reactor ULTRAFILTRATION Unit

CONTEXT
Gasification
Pyrolysis
Fischer–Tropsch
Catalytic Hydrotreating
Utilities Hydrothermal processing
Fermentation

FEEDSTOCK Feedstock
PROCESS Product/Products
Carbon Source PreTreatment
Wood/Wood Wastes Pretreatment Wastewater
Crop Residuals
Corn
Process Wastewater
Sunflower/Soybean Sour Water Stripper
Rape seed oil Gasification Waste/Condensate
Palm Oil
Waste cooking Oil
Cooling Tower Blow Down
Animal Fats from rendering Boiler Blow Down
MSW Rinse & CIP Waste
Regeneration Wastes
WWT DESIGN APPROACH

Why Wastewater treatment is important

WWT DESIGN APPROACH
Reliability – handling wastewaters and variability (i.e. change in feedstock) w/o affecting operations

Minimize Environmental Impact - maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements

Lowers Total Cost of Operations (TCO) – significant cost variable

Added Value – potential source of products/benefits

• Biogas  Energy – to mitigate the Carbon Intensity of the site
• Waste Biomass  compost used as fertilizer
• Salts of N&P  used as fertilizer
• Unused feedstock  product to recycle
• Water to Reuse  effluent to reuse
WWT DESIGN APPROACH

Designing a WWT is not a straightforward process

- Different Starting Point - Feedstock / Process
- Different boundaries – Where is the Finish Line
- Different sizes and economics
- Different needs (i.e. Carbon & Water Footprint)
- Different WW streams Diluted/Concentrated
WW QUALITY
Fats, Oils, and Greases – Recoverable feedstock (if present)

Total Suspended Solids – Organic solids, residual of the feedstock or generated by the process

Organics – Residual carbonaceous content that is not converted into fuel (soluble and insoluble)

Nitrogen - Organic nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen removed from the feedstock

Phosphorus – Organic phosphate removed from the feedstock

Biocides / Phenols - Families of compounds which can inhibit the potential biological treatment
WW QUALITY
Phosphorous
FOG Organics
(COD or BOD) Nitrogen CxOyHzPw

Floating
Solids CxOyHzNw
CxOyHz
Fe3+ + PO43-
Settling → Precipitate
NH3 →NO2-
microorganisms
Flocculation microorganisms
with O2 - Aerobic → NO3- microorganisms
CO2 + H2O → N2
w/o O2 - Anaerobic
CH4 + CO2 new biomass new biomass
BOD:N = 100:5 BOD:P = 100:1
new biomass
WASTEWATER CHALLENGES
The approach to the treatment design depends on its
Parameter Range of Value (mg/L) boundaries
CODTOTAL From 10,000 up to 100,000 – 160,000 - START - type of feedstock/process
CODSOLUBLE From 5,000 up to 50,000 - 80,000 - STOP – the discharge limits - the level of treatment
TSS From 300 up to 15,000 – 50,000
FOG From 50 up to 19,000 – 50,000 Typically we recognize three steps:
TKN From 100 to 700 – 1,400
PO4-P From 50 to 400 – 1,000
1. Pretreatment to remove FOGs (and/or solids)

2. Biological treatment to remove the organics

3. Treatment to remove nutrients (N/P)
WASTEWATER CHALLENGES - Questions
FOG Solids Organics BOD/COD N&P
Treatment Skimmer DAF Biological Treatment Biological/Chemical
DAF Lamella CF

Process Are there FOGs? Should pH adjustment to get the Are there
most efficient Which is the ratio with
Questions we remove them? at biocides/inhibitors in the carbon?
which pH? coagulation/flocculation WW? Is that consistent?
Is there any products to Chemical addition: How much is the Organic
Cost implications? How much is different
recover? load?
How much additional from the biological
inorganic sludge to growth ratio BOD:N:P -
Dissolved Nature? How much is the CH4
handle? 100:5:1?
potential, has it a value?
Solids are a source of
Carbon – how much
WASTEWATER CHALLENGES + VALUE
Solids are a Carbon Source – should Sludge management
Feedstock reuse
remove them?
Potential Biogas Generation

Size WWTP
Biological Treatment - Anaerobic Bio-Sludge Management
or/and Aerobic? Power Consumption
Potential Biogas Generation

Size WWTP
How to handle nutrients if the
Sludge Management
biological N&P Potential Byproduct Fertilizer
PROCESS SELECTION: Value of Solids

#1 REMOVING Removing biologically 1 kg TSS means (if biodegradable):

~1 kg COD
SOLIDS
~ 14 ft3/kgCOD (6 ft3/#COD) biogas (50-70% CH4)
~ 2.5 kWh/kgCOD
release of N and P (say 5-10% and 1%)

Reduced organic load and facilitated

Assuming
operations for the biological treatment
100 gpm
@ TSS 20,000 ppm
Remove 11 Ton/day of
solids to be disposed
PROCESS SELECTION : Value of Solids

#1 REMOVING Removing biologically 1 kg TSS means (if biodegradable):

~1 kg COD
SOLIDS
~ 14 ft3/kgCOD (6 ft3/#COD) biogas (50-70% CH4)
~ 2.5 kWh/kgCOD
release of N and P (say 5-10% and 1%)

Potential for 750 kWh/day

Assuming No solids to handle
100 gpm
@ TSS 20,000 ppm
Additional costs to handle Biogas
Release of N and P which must be treated
PROCESS SELECTION : Biogas Generation

#2 ANAEROBIC
OR NOT
PROCESS SELECTION : Biogas Generation

#2 ANAEROBIC PRETREATMENT

OR NOT
First step w/o O2 Continuous Aeration
ANAEROBIC BIOLOGICAL
REACTOR
AEROBIC BIOLOGICAL
REACTOR
possibly two steps
AEROBIC BIOLOGICAL
REACTOR
PROCESS SELECTION : Biogas Generation

#2 ANAEROBIC PRETREATMENT

OR NOT
PROCESS SELECTION : Biogas Generation

#2 ANAEROBIC There are several Anaerobic process designs

OR NOT
PROCESS SELECTION : Biogas Generation

#2 ANAEROBIC PRETREATMENT

OR NOT

ANAEROBIC as FIRST STEP FULL AEROBIC

COD > 10,000 ppm COD < 10,000 ppm
Carbon Intensity is a priority Lower CAPEX is priority
Sludge handling limited Sludge disposal (compost) is possible
Power is expensive Power is not expensive
PROCESS SELECTION : Biogas Generation
Assuming 100 gpm @ 20,000 ppm COD
#2 ANAEROBIC Treating it down to 500 ppm COD
OR NOT

ANAEROBIC as FIRST STEP FULL AEROBIC

Sludge 740 kg/day 1600 kg/day
Power ~ half 1000 kWh/day
Pot Reuse Energy (15,000 kWh/day) -
Volume/Footprint larger smaller
CAPEX 25-35% higher lower
PROCESS SELECTION – The Nutrient Dilemma
Biological growth can involve only a small portion of nutrient (BOD:N:P - 100:5:1)
#3 NUTRIENT
REMOVAL • The residual Nitrogen is removed via biological denitrification
 More convenient
† May require large bio volume – CAPEX impact

• The residual Phosphorous is removed through chemical precipitation

 Efficient
† Use of chemicals
† Increase the amount of waste solids to be handled
† Increase the amount of inorganic solids
PROCESS SELECTION – The Nutrient Dilemma

#3 NUTRIENT Alternative is to remove Nutrients before the biological treatment forming a

N&P based salt which can be sold/disposed as fertilizer
REMOVAL
Mx(NH4)y(PO4)z x nH2O

Addition of a Fluidized Pellet Reactor before the biological aerobic step

- P can be reduced to 20-40 ppm

- N is going to be reduced based on the P content
PROCESS SELECTION – The Nutrient Dilemma
OPTION 1 Biological/Chemical Removal

1000

900

800
NP
700 Biologically
600 Removed
500
Residual P to be
400
precipitated with
300 Ferric/Alum
200 About 650-700 kg/day
of additional inorganic
100
solids (dry) are
0 generated
INLET Mass after PT after Ana after Aerob
kg/day kg/day kg/day kg/day

Nitrogen Phosphorous
PROCESS Selection – The Nutrient Dilemma
OPTION 2 Fluidized Pellet Reactor

1000

900

800

700
Around 2,600 kg/day of
600 N & P removed fertilizer at 90-95%
500 to get the salt
400

300

200

100

0
INLET Mass after PT after Ana after FPR after Aerob
kg/day kg/day kg/day kg/day kg/day
Nitrogen Phosphorous
PROCESS SELECTION
PROCESS SELECTION
Fertilizer
Chemicals

Biogas N&P Removal AEROBIC

Nutrient Power Bio

ANAEROBIC Sludge
Removal
Chemicals

Solids
Biogas AEROBIC
INLET PRETREATMENT Removal OUTLET
Chemicals

ANAEROBIC Power Bio Inor

Clarifier Sludge Solids

Solids
Chemicals

Which
Bio 1st AEROBIC 2nd AEROBIC

Power Bio Inor Power Bio Inor

PROCESS SELECTION – Additional Way
Fertilizer
Chemicals
EVAPORATOR

Biogas N&P Removal AEROBIC

Nutrient Power Bio

ANAEROBIC Sludge
Removal
Chemicals

Solids
PRETREATMENT Biogas AEROBIC
Removal
Chemicals

ANAEROBIC Power Bio Inor

Clarifier Sludge Solids

Solids
Chemicals

Which
Bio 1st AEROBIC 2nd AEROBIC

Power Bio Inor Power Bio Inor

Sludge Solids Sludge Solids
PROCESS SELECTION – Additional Way
EVAPORATION OPTION
Wastewater is concentrated and the system produces a Concentrate and a Distillate.

DISTILLATE
Still contains around 5-10% of the organics and is about 85-90%
of the original feed flow – it may be possible to discharge it as is or
polish it for discharge/reuse

CONCENTRATE/BRINE
Concentrated high salinity and high organic content stream.
Volume reduced 8-10 times. To be disposed as is or further
treated with a smaller anaerobic reactor.
PROCESS SELECTION – Additional Way
EVAPORATION OPTION
Wastewater is concentrated and the system produces a Concentrate and a Distillate.

Pros & Cons

 One step only – straightforward operation

 Still the opportunity to generate biogas with a smaller reactor
 Savings on disposal costs

† CAPEX higher than conventional treatment – depending on flow

† Still probably need a biological treatment on the distillate
† Power consumption becomes significant if flow is high
Case Profile – MSW to SynCrude
• Prepared MSW feedstock is processed and
converted into a low-carbon, renewable
transportation fuel

• The Facility has been designed to produce more

than 10 million gallons per year of renewable FT
syncrude from approximately 200,000 tons of
prepared MSW feedstock that would otherwise
be landfilled.
Case Profile – MSW to SynCrude
WASTEWATER FEATURES
1. Low content of TSS and FOG
2. Organics
• High strength stream @ 18,000 ppm COD
• Low strength stream @ 2,000 ppm COD
3. Low content of N and P
4. Mandate to go Zero Liquid Discharge
FIRST PHASE – Biodegradability &
Feasibility
Test of Bio-degradability Anaerobic and Aerobic conditions
Rule out any risk
Provide preliminary design basis for full scale system
Case Profile – MSW to SynCrude
Case Profile – MSW to SynCrude
SECOND PHASE - DESIGN ASSESSMENT

High Strength Stream High Strength Stream

Low Strenght Stream Low Strength Stream

Anaerobic Reactor

Equalization Equalization

Aerobic Biological Aerobic Biological

Reactor Reactor

with Anaerobic Step w/o Anaerobic Step

Case Profile – MSW to SynCrude
The trials showed that the WW is extremely well biodegradable in both Anaerobic and Aerobic
conditions – it is only an economic assessment

With ANAEROBIC Exclusively AEROBIC

Pros
• Potential source of energy
• Less Biological Sludge
Cons
• Bio gas flaring required
• Area classification - Additional permitting
• Down stream Aerobic still required
Pros
• Simplicity of process
• No bio gas or flaring required
• Smaller – cheaper installation
Cons
• Larger power consumption
• Larger Sludge to be disposed
• It should be anyway a multistep process

The Aerobic Option was eventually chosen in this case due to the
overall economic assessment – 25 % less
 MBBR & MBR - Case Profile
Core Biological
THIRD PHASE Treatment to reduce the
inlet COD of 95%
DESIGN AND
EXECUTION RO achieves 95% Recovery

WW Streams

Thickener Decarbonator

Equalization

Sludge Dewatering Heat Exchanger Zeolite Softener FEDI

MBBR Decarbonator Electrodeionization (FEDI) to

Water to Resue produce Ultrapure water to
be reused back into the
MBR High Efficiency RO process

RECOVERED 99% of the Crystallizer

WASTEWATER ad saved 125 gpm Salts to Dispose

FRESH WATER
ZLD and Sustainability
 Atmosphere

CO2 CO2
85-95 10-30
CO2eq/MJ CO2eq/MJ

SAF
DIESEL
37.5 M Barrels/Year
GASOLINE of Renewable Diesel
Oil Field Upgrade to Refinery
Means
SynCrude 147K TonCO2eq/year
Energy
of carbon credit due to
Wastewater
the difference between
CO2 emissions
Assume the process to
generate 500 gpm WW
A ZLD WWTP needs around 1600 kW of Power
Biomass
processing Which means increasing the Carbon intensity at
around 5K TonCO2eq/year
Energy
Wastewater ELIMINATING COMPLETELY THE DISCHARGE OF ANY WASTEWATER TO
THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECTs ONLY THE 3.4% OF THE OVERALL
CARBON INTENSITY
ZLD and Sustainability
WWT WWT & REUSE

146K TonCO2eq/year
142K TonCO2eq/year
500 gpm of Water
CONCLUSIONS

Wastewater treatment in the Biofuel Industry

DESIGN - not straightforward process and can take different competitive routes

VALUE – WW chemistry makes it a resource hence the WWTP a value adder

SUSTAINABILITY – Reusing the wastewater is a possibility that must be explored