In 2016 the City of Battle Creek decided to discontinue the incineration of biosolids at the Wastewater Treatment Plant due to the age of the equipment and new air quality standards. Incineration was utilized for roughly 4 months of the year when land application was not available.
As a solution, the City of Battle Creek built and is currently operating a process in which the biosolids are landfilled during months when land application is not available. In discussion with the operators of the landfills currently being used, the sustainability of this operation has been questioned due to potential cost increases, trucking challenges and the lack of nutrient/energy recovery.
In an effort to address these challenges, staff approached Sustainable Generation LLC which has used their process and equipment in several other communities to produce a Class A biosolids which has the similar characteristic to nutrient-rich topsoil.
The demonstration will allow the City of Battle Creek to utilize processes in place, including the new sludge cake loading facility, to test three batches to determine if it is viable solution for our plant and our unique waste characteristics.
The demonstration will be evaluated based on odor control, ease of operation, regulatory compliance, cost of operation and quality of end product.
Staff has been in discussion with multiple DEQ divisions about the project, has presented the project to the Sustainability BC Committee and the proposal has been reviewed by the City Attorney and the Insurance Loss Control SPCLST.
If approved the demonstration will last 6 months.
|