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 a 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.