An organic wastewater treatment method that includes a raw sludge removal step, a raw sludge concentration step, a biological treatment step, an excess sludge separation step, an excess sludge concentration step, a sludge mixing step, and a methane fermentation treatment step. The treatment method further includes a sterilization step for heating and sterilizing the concentrated excess sludge upstream of the sludge mixing step. At least one among: (1) the temperature to which the concentrated excess sludge is heated during sterilization, (2) the concentration of concentrated raw sludge and/or the concentration of the concentrated excess sludge, and (3) the mixture ratio between the concentrated raw sludge and the concentrated excess sludge is adjusted according to the fluctuation in the amount of raw sludge generated and the amount of the excess sludge generated, and the temperature of the mixed sludge is controlled to a temperature suited for methane fermentation.

In a method for disintegrating organic substrates, an alkaline solution is added as pH-altering solution to the substrate and said substrate is then treated with steam, or steam is added, for heating to a temperature below 100 C. Under pressureless conditions, the heated substrate admixed with alkaline solution is subjected to a residence time. Preferably, the organic substrates are sludges from wastewater treatment plants.

In a method for disintegrating organic substrates, an alkaline solution is added as pH-altering solution to the substrate and said substrate is then treated with steam, or steam is added, for heating to a temperature below 100 C. Under pressureless conditions, the heated substrate admixed with alkaline solution is subjected to a residence time. Preferably, the organic substrates are sludges from wastewater treatment plants.

Process for the production of solid fuel from wastewater sludge, and equipment suitable for carrying out the production thereof.

This disclosure provides a process based on hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) treatment for co-processing of high-water-content wastewater sludge and other lignocellulosic biomass for co-production of biogas and bio-crude oil. The mixture of waste activated sludge and lignocellulosic biomass such as birchwood sawdust/cornstalk/MSW was converted under HTL conditions in presence of KOH as the homogeneous catalyst. The operating conditions including reaction temperature, reaction time and solids concentration were optimized based on the response surface methodology for the maximum bio-crude oil production. The highest bio-crude oil yield of around 34 wt % was obtained by co-feeding waste activated sludge with lignocellulosic biomass at an optimum temperature of 310 C., reaction time of 10 min, and solids concentration of 10 wt %. The two by-products from this process (bio-char and water-soluble products) can be used to produce energy as well. Water-soluble products were used to produce biogas through Bio-methane Potential Test (BMP) and were found to produce around 800 mL bio-methane cumulatively in 30 days per 0.816 g of total organic carbon (TOC) or 2.09 g of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of water-soluble products.

This disclosure provides a process based on hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) treatment for co-processing of high-water-content wastewater sludge and other lignocellulosic biomass for co-production of biogas and bio-crude oil. The mixture of waste activated sludge and lignocellulosic biomass such as birchwood sawdust/cornstalk/MSW was converted under HTL conditions in presence of KOH as the homogeneous catalyst. The operating conditions including reaction temperature, reaction time and solids concentration were optimized based on the response surface methodology for the maximum bio-crude oil production. The highest bio-crude oil yield of around 34 wt % was obtained by co-feeding waste activated sludge with lignocellulosic biomass at an optimum temperature of 310 C., reaction time of 10 min, and solids concentration of 10 wt %. The two by-products from this process (bio-char and water-soluble products) can be used to produce energy as well. Water-soluble products were used to produce biogas through Bio-methane Potential Test (BMP) and were found to produce around 800 mL bio-methane cumulatively in 30 days per 0.816 g of total organic carbon (TOC) or 2.09 g of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of water-soluble products.

In an embodiment, a circuit includes: a transformer defining an inductive footprint within a first layer; a grounded shield bounded by the inductive footprint within a second layer separate from the first layer; and a circuit component bounded by the inductive footprint within a third layer separate from the second layer, wherein: the circuit component is coupled with the transformer through the second layer, and the third layer is separated from the first layer by the second layer.

The invention provides for the integration of a gas fermentation process with a gasification process whereby effluent downstream from the gas fermentation process is recycled to the gasification process. The invention is capable of recycling one or more effluents including biogas generated from a wastewater treatment process, tail-gas generated from the fermentation process, unused syngas generated by the gasification process, microbial biomass generated from the fermentation process, microbial biomass generated from a wastewater treatment process, crude ethanol from the product recovery process, fusel oil from the product recovery process, microbial biomass depleted water, wastewater generated from the fermentation process, and clarified water from a wastewater treatment process to a gasification process.

A waste management system comprises a fuel cell to generate electricity, thermal energy and water. The waste management system further comprises a waste treatment system operatively coupled to the fuel cell, the waste treatment system to utilize the generated electricity to separate wastewater into solid waste and water.

The present invention relates to a method for the treatment of organic matter, in particular sewage sludge, where the organic matter is first fed to a disintegration system. The organic matter is then subjected to thermal hydrolysis in the disintegration system to form disintegrated matter. The disintegrated matter is fed to a digester in which the disintegrated matter is at least partially digested such that digested sludge is formed, where at least part of the digested sludge obtained is recirculated via a recirculation line to a point upstream of the disintegration system. The invention further relates to a device for the treatment of organic matter, in particular sewage sludge, comprising a disintegration system, a digester downstream thereof, and a recirculation line for at least partially digested disintegrated matter, said recirculation line extending from a point downstream of the digester to a point upstream of the thermal disintegration system.