5/2016, 200

Wet
Digestion
Sewage sludge digestion, Stavenhagen (Germany)

STRABAG Umwelttechnik GmbH

Plant engineering and construction
P.O. Box 50 01 24, 01031 Dresden/Germany
Tel. +49 351 26359-0
Fax +49 351 26359-4826
umwelttechnik@strabag.com STRABAG
www.strabag-umwelttechnik.com Umwelttechnik GmbH
2 STRABAG Umwelttechnik
Wet Digestion in the LARAN®
Loop Digester
1 Flush out of the draft tube initiated by injected
gas / 2 Heat supply by double-jacket draft tube /
3 Removal of bottom sludge with sediments at cone
shaped bottom / 4 Chamber to remove the skimming
layer / 5 „Tea-cup-effect“ due to overlapping of the loop
from the draft tube and the rotating bottom recirculation /
6 Rotating stream of the bottom sludge recirculation
1 4
2 5
3 6
This technology is used primarily for the treatment of solid-rich suspensions of different
origins, as well as relatively moist solid waste. Depending on the waste input and the location
conditions, plants may be designed in either single- or two-stage configurations and can be
operated in both mesophilic and thermophilic modes. Typical applications for this technology
are:
−− Digestion of industrial waste products, e.g. organic suspensions from distilleries, potato
processing or ethanol production
−− Digestion of sewage sludge
−− Digestion of very moist waste which contains little impurities such as food and restaurant
waste or expired food
−− Co-digestion of different feedstock (usually as a combination of a liquid/suspension with
one or more solid fractions)
The characteristic element of the STRABAG wet digestion technology is the patented LARAN®
loop digester. In this digester, the suspension is circulated and mixed by way of gas injection
into a centrally arranged draft tube. This tube can also be designed as a double-jacket pipe
for process heating. Depending on the feedstock, this type of mixing can be combined with
a proprietary STRABAG system for sediment and/or swimming layer control and removal.
A further benefit of the LARAN® loop digester can be seen in the possibility for inline desul-
phurisation of the biogas without the use of chemicals. This is achieved by way of a unique
and patented H2S suppression function which feeds a metered air flow into the draft tube.
Cover Biogas plant, Fürstenwalde (Germany) / Cover
top: Pulper-trommel screen combination at co-digestion
of biowaste with sewage sludge, Camposampiero (Italy) /
1 STRABAG LARAN® loop digester / 2 Schematic diagram
of a LARAN® loop digester
Wet Digestion 3
Process Characteristics and Benefits
−− High decomposition performance and biogas production rate thanks to optimised process
parameters, in particular good mass transfer and reliable gas release as a result of the
vertical mixing in the digester (frequent pressure changes)
−− Mixing is achieved without moving parts inside the digester
−− Digester volumes up to 12,000 m³ can be realised
−− Flexible and applicable to a wide range of feedstock
−− This patented STRABAG system offers reliable sediment and/or swimming layer control
and removal at simple design of vessel, even when using a flat or only slightly sloped
digester bottom
−− Double-jacket draft tube allows heat input without the risk of digester blockage
Feedstock Preparation for the LARAN® Loop Digester
The following systems proofed to be reliable for the preparation of pumpable slurry out
of waste with higher content of solid matter which can be fed to the loop digester:
Hammer mill: The robust technology allows continuous crushing down of organic waste
(e.g. food waste) to a defined grain size being necessary for hygienisation by means
of a screen basket. STRABAG’s hammer mill “Elephant” additionally allows the separation
of hard particles.
Pulper: The pulper system or the proven pulper-trommel screen combination prepares
purified slurry out of feedstock (e.g. source separated bio waste), containing a considerable
amount of impurities. This technology allows the removal of heavy solids (e.g. stones, sand
and glass) as well as the separation of larger particles like plastic film.
Impact crusher: STRABAG’s impact crusher “Universa” selectively crushes down individual
fractions and components of the waste to a defined size. This selective treatment ensures
optimum conditions for removing of impurities after the crushing step.