Sludge in wastewater treatment download#

Sludge in wastewater treatment download#

DEP has developed a plan to get our biosolids to 100% beneficial use by 2030 for more information, download the Biosolids Beneifical Use Plan Brochure. New York City produces about 1,400 tons/day of biosolids or about 60 truckloads! Such a large quantity spread out over our 6 dewatering facilities means that our beneficial use program will need to be diverse and include multiple types of further treatment. Existing conventional wastewater treatment systems, such as the activated sludge process, consume a lot of energy and have high operational costs. Some of the further processing technologies that can be used to qualify biosolids for reuse include composting, drying, and gasification or pyrolysis. Wastewater treatment plants have environmental implications due to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal. This means we will develop a program to reuse all biosolids beneficially. After dewatering, the leftover solid product of the processed sludge is generally referred to as “biosolids.” The city’s biosolids are managed by outside contractors who take it to landfills for disposal or further process it to recover its value as a nutrient-rich soil amendment.Īs part of our commitments in OneNYC, we have a goal of zero-landfilling of biosolids by 2030. Those facilities without dewatering capabilities transport their solids through force mains or marine vessels to in-city facilities that have onsite dewatering capabilities. This means that treatment occurs through many different microorganisms using pollutants as a food source. Not all of the city’s 14 wastewater resource recovery facilities have onsite dewatering facilities. The activated sludge process is a biological wastewater treatment operation. Dewatering is a process where the solid components of sludge are separated from the liquid components mechanically (we use centrifuges). BiosolidsĪfter digestion, the leftover solids are then dewatered. New York City’s sludge is digested, which is a form of processing that microbiologically transforms material and creates “biogas,” a type of renewable energy. Once further processed, its use is regulated by both the federal and state governments.

Sludge is the solid byproduct of wastewater treatment.