Open Source Modular Carbon Based Advanced Treatment Train

Basics

• A Modular, Advanced Treatment system for the IBC Tote Biodigester style Anaerobic Digestion system
• Main goals would be:
  • Further reducing BCOD and other nutrients in the Anaerobic Digestion Effluent
  • Burning up Hydrocarbons and whatever else can be treated with Advanced Oxidation
  • Adsorbing what cannot be treated, for proper (centralized) disposal
    • IE every so often a Roll Off Box or IBC Tote or Dumpster etc is taken to a centralized incinerator

Needed Modules + Technology Readiness Level of Each

Pre-Screening / Surge Storage

• This might only really be needed at larger scales (and to an extent can be a bit gross), BUT can be useful for keeping everything downstream running well
  • To an extent too sealing things up well, Design for Cleaning + Design for Decomissioning etc, and Odor Emissions Control
• The screen takes anything that ISN’T Water, Urine/Feces, and Greywater (So dirt, soapy water, FOG etc), and strains that out
  • Ideally either micro- Mechanical Biological Treatment (to make it “composted clean” pre-removal), or something akin to an Incinerator Toilet to turn the NASTY trash into clean/sterile/non-smelly trash would be ideal
• Surge storage may be as simple as additional Conical Tanks or IBC Totes, and these could potentially also be Biodigesters but yeah
• Undeveloped so Technology Readiness Level is pretty low on this

Anaerobic Digestion Pre-Treatment

• Some degree of Sedimentation / Centrifuge Concentration etc may be useful
• While not a requirement, increasing the “Loading Rate” or whatever should increase Gas Production / Efficiency of the Biodigester etc
  • Granted Citation Needed
  • Also Ideal Loading of an IBC Totes style Biodigester may still be unknown/not studied yet
• ALSO certain large scale AD or plants do something akin to Pasturization (which can help keep the microbes in the biodigester what you want, and also may make a sort of Lysomy Broth type mix
  • You can also make various nutrients more broken down/bioavailable with some of these pretreatments
• If the complexity is worth it is the main question
• Pre-Ozonation can MAYBE be done as well depending on how things go
• Low Technology Readiness Level; but due to there being less messing around with the Solid Waste Streams and moreso just plumbing/heat exchangers etc it is a BIT more “lego like”
  • Still expect unforseeen issues/integration hell and all that though

Anaerobic Digestion

• Re: Biodigester / Biodigester Genealogy
• Already Built
  • Uncertain on how many Months/Years in Active Use
  • Also some potential for improvement in:
    • Design for Cleaning
    • Design for Decommissioning
    • Secondary Containment
  • Main uncertainty is if it eventually gets clogged up with Grit (Wastewater Treatment) / Precipitated Digestate etc, and what all goes into UN-clogging it.
  • That and eventual cleaning+disassembly for either HEAVY rework (such as replacement of a dry rotted IBC Tote), or removal/replacement.

Post-Anaerobic Digestion Phase Pre-Treatment

• A Hydrocyclone with Solids Return to the Biodigester(s) may optimize breakdown of said solids by the Anerobic Digestion Process
  • Also would only a Hydrocyclone be sufficient, or would Dissolved Air Floatation / (Non-RO) Membrane Filtration / Slow Sand Filtration etc be required
• Post-AD, Pre-Biological Activated Carbon, Ozonation may be worthwhile

Aerobic Biological Activated Carbon Treatment

• Either an Upflow (if using an Airlift Pump / Bubble Column etc), or Downflow / Crude Hydrocyclone (if using flow through from the Anerobic section/more conventional water pumps) system could work
  • The latter could potentially separate out the BA-GAC/BAC with some being sent for disposal (and/or phosphorus recovery, unlike simple PFAS / COEC Absorber GAC Systems), with some being returned as an inoculant / to slow down the rate at which media is used up/needs exchanged
• To what extent could Oxygen/Ozone vs Air or Air/(Sonewhat)Inert Gas be used to regulate the reaction, akin to EGR in Internal Combustion Engines or Gasifiers, is also a route to explore
  • ie if there is less Organic Loading etc, turn down the ozone/air, when things get nasty/heavy crank that up a bit etc
    • Granted controls are more difficult than passive resilient systems, so there is that

Post BAC Treatment

• Probably a Hydrocyclone and/or Slow Sand Filtration and/or Membrane Filtration
• Potentially some Ozonation as well
• Main thing is if using any sort of UV Based process, Turbidity is a major issue
• Along with sterilization, the ozone could help “burn off” residual smells/compounds too
  • GRANTED energy intensive, so as little as possible is the way you want it leaning

Final GAC Polishing

• The advantages of a Fluidized Bed Contactor vs a Trickling Bed Contactor etc should be pursued
• The loading at this phase SHOULD be pretty minimal
• To what extent an IBC Tote with a rigid pipe/metal equivalent of a Soaker Hose on top, and a filter basket/membrane on the bottom, or Modular Arrays of these (Series and/or Parallel depending on Flow + Removal Capacity Needed + Expected Interval between Changeout
  • There was some company that was plotting GAC Tanks as a Services or whatever, need to check IP aspects of that (or cost if it works well)

Bulk Storage

• Depends on scale, IBC Totes / Cisterns, all the way up to Large Above Ground Storage Tanks, Storage Ponds, or even Aquifer Recharge etc
• Water Tower / Open Source Water Tower may be worth a look too

Reclaimed Water Distribution

• In the case of use as Non-Potable Reclaimed Water
• Might be as simple as plumb the bulk storage up to the pumping/water tower infrastructure for a Reclaimed Water System

Potable Water Distribution

• Lots of Sensors/Checks + A Chlorine Dose Pump (to keep the water “fresh” in the pipes), and potentially a Fluoride Dose Pump
  • User: Eric here, I physically visited a WWT Plant that did everything except potable teuse and onsite sludge disposal (they just did Reclaimed Water and ‘’’Trucking thickened sewage sludge offsite 💀’’’), but missed the Potable Water Plant tour. I’ll probably watch some tours online to get a better hands on picture of how all that goes
  • Of course it also depends on the cleanliness of the water source, but as put by those articles making the case for potable reuse etc, much of the work in making the water non-nasty is being done in that WWT Plant
    • Only other thing would be Water Softening / Full on Reverse Osmosis etc
    • Compared to the risk of Waterborne Pathogens / Lead etc the risk isn’t AS HUGE, but to an extent the Chlorine used to ensure the water stays (mostly) sterile can react with contaminants to form nastier/more carcinogenic contaminants, preventing/detecting and/or removing these may also be an aspect of these plants

Backup Power

• Easily done via COTS Backup Generators and/or Microgrid style Battery Banks / FES , and other generation means like Solar etc
• Main thing will be keeping an energy budget in mind with all this + switchgear to keep things online with Power Surges or Power Outages