Solid bio-fuel production at Moscow wastewater treatment plant

Abstract

The article has an aim to describe experience of Moscow in the field of solid bio-fuel production at wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Brief assessment of solid biofuel production technology at biological treatment facilities of domestic and mixed sewage (wastewater sludge as a fuel resource) shows its significant potential from the economic, environmental and social points of view that will ensure the sustainable development of the area (cities, regions) of application. Solid biofuel production is a technological stage of sludge treatment at wastewater treatment plants aimed at reducing the sludge mass and changing their physical and mechanical properties for its further use at as a fuel component on condensing and thermal power plants or as alternative fuel for cement production and energy supplements for burning of solid domestic waste. The technology of solid biofuel production is based on removing moisture of wastewater sludge in drying machines. The solid fuel facilities capacity lies in the range of 1 to 130 tons per day, when the entire amount sludge is exposed to drying (effluent humidity of sludge is 10%), or 1 to 400 tons per day when the sludge is partially dried and afterwards is mixed with the initial sludge (effluent humidity of sludge is 40%).