Fab-Tech Blog

PSP^® Plays Role in Biosolids Management Project At World's Largest WWTP

Fab-Tech, Inc. has partnered with some of the most advanced wastewater treatment facilities in America, and PSP® fume exhaust duct has emerged as the clear choice for some of the largest and most cutting-edge-technology operations where odor control management systems are utilized. Among these, the District of Columbia's Blue Plains wastewater treatment facility is using Fab-Tech’s PSP® duct to play a critical role in the process of converting sewage into power and fertilizer.

DC Blue Plains is the largest advanced wastewater treatment facility in the world and it provides services for more than 600,000 residents, 17.8 million annual visitors and over 700,000 people who work within the area. Blue Plains' wastewater services also extend to neighboring Maryland and Virginia, treating on average 370 million gallons per day, with an extraordinary peak capacity of more than one billion gallons per day.

This advanced nitrification/denitrification and filtration plant has been funded with a $10 billion Capital Improvement Program that will ensure it is one of the leading wastewater treatment plants in the world.

As part of the improvements from this funding, Blue Plains is implementing a Biosolids Management Program (BMP) that is designed to significantly reduce operational costs. They are looking to produce a Class A pathogen-free biosolids product that will be used as an agricultural fertilizer. This upgrade includes four thermal hydrolysis process trains, four mesophilic digesters and a dewatering facility, which are among the largest in the world.

This equipment, which was designed in Norway, is the first of its kind to be used by an American facility. As part of its critical functions, the system is designed to steam pre-treat solids for anaerobic digestion. The clean biogas that is generated from this process is then used to fuel three 4.6 MW gas turbines which, in turn, supply approximately 1/3 of the power required to run Blue Plains. This cuts the facility's greenhouse gas emissions by 60,000 tons per year.

DC Water and the engineering teams of Brown and Caldwell, CDM/Arcadis and CH2M Hill were confident in their approach to constructing the most robust biosolids management system by selecting the best combination of technology, benefits and cost.

Fab-Tech was invited to meet with the design firms and demonstrate the many advantages of PSP® for controlling process-related odorous fumes. Some of the key benefits that secured PermaShield Pipe's role in the DC Blue Plains Biosolids Management project included:

• Superior corrosion resistance - Based on published data, PSP® far surpasses FRP duct in chemical resistance. Its corrosion resistance exceeds glass, exotic metal alloys, and plastics. 
• Superior product technology - Fab-Tech's proprietary primer technology, enables the adhesion of a highly protective, but notoriously non-adhesive, Fluoropolymer coating to the inside of stainless steel duct; a capability that no other company has been able to replicate successfully.
• Superior fire-safety - PSP® does not burn, does not require the installation of sprinkler systems inside the duct work, and maintains a smoke generation rate of 20 or less.
• Lowest cost of ownership -  PSP® requires virtually no maintenance, eliminates the need for protective UV gel coating, and eliminates the need for regular cleaning for mold reduction.
  
• Optimized installation - PermaShield Pipe's extreme weather tolerance and simple assembly process can dramatically reduce installation schedules.

In addition to serving the DC Blue Plains WWTP, Fab-Tech’s PermaShield PSP® is recognized globally as the best product for removal of corrosive and hazardous fumes in a variety of industries including semiconductor and solar cell manufacturing. 

CONCLUSION

The wastewater treatment process creates and transports malodorous fumes that can contain hydrogen sulfide, methylmercaptain, dimethyldisulfide, chlorine, ozone, sulfuric acid, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen chloride and methane. Owners and plant designers must take into account that these odorous fumes can pose other risks to facility systems and personnel; so specifying PSP® guarantees the facility and employees are receiving the safest and most budget friendly odor control and hazardous fume exhaust system available.

If you would like more information about PSP^® fume exhaust duct, please feel free to download our general information guide below:

OR

Click here to learn more about PSP^® in WWTP and waterworks applications