Veolia Partners with University Area Joint Authority to Develop its First Biological Hydrolysis System in North America

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Veolia has been selected by the University Area Joint Authority (UAJA) in State College, PA, to implement an unprecedented complete anaerobic digestion solution for biosolids and biowaste at its wastewater treatment plant. The biogas generated from the digestate will be upgraded to renewable natural gas and sold into the grid.

The regional co-location project will expand the existing wastewater treatment plant’s biosolids process to include advanced anaerobic digestion, thermal drying, and biogas upgrading. Once operational, the facility will digest surrounding wastewater treatment plants’ sludge and locally collected food waste, diverting it from landfills.

The anaerobic digestion system is compliant with EPA 503 regulations out of the box and will produce 162 standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM) of raw biogas for blended biosolids slurry and 264 SCFM of food waste slurry. Those outputs are expected to generate approximately 150,000 GJ of renewable natural gas annually, creating local decarbonized energy for the ecological transformation of the State College community.

Local decarbonizing energy through bioenergies and water technologies are strategic activities to which the Veolia Group will devote a major share of its resources, as part of its GreenUp strategic plan.

To carry out this high-impact project, Veolia has teamed up with Rettew Associates, Inc., who designed the project, and Quandel, the construction contractor. Veolia will deliver this first biological hydrolysis pretreatment system in North America by summer 2025.

Veolia’s expertise in water technologies was selected for the biosolids and organics anaerobic digestion process equipment, including enhanced biological hydrolysis (Class A), sequential gas mixing, heat exchangers, gas holder, and associated equipment. Veolia’s scope includes Ecrusor™ for pre-processing food waste and BioCo™ for volume reduction of digested sludge.

“This project delivers a unique example of ecological transformation — literally converting waste into local energy and revenue,” said Richard Gray, Senior Vice President, Engineered Solutions Projects, Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions. “Once complete, this project will serve as a blueprint for nearly any region that allows a municipality to produce energy from its waste, which goes beyond a sustainability initiative and creates savings for constituents.”

“This project is the culmination of many years of planning and efforts by the Authority to ensure that we are employing the most cost-effective technology and harnessing the value of our community’s wastewater,“ said Cory Miller, Executive Director of the University Area Joint Authority. “At the helm of the Authority for 27 years, I have seen tremendous changes. Our existing biosolids process, composting, started in 1994 and was among the few operational facilities of its kind in the nation. Having reached its retirement, the Authority is excited to replace these facilities with Veolia’s innovative biosolids digestion and drying that will position the Authority for the next 30 years.”

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com