This paper includes a summary of technologies for treating waste sludge generated at municipal wastewater treatment plants. Conventional aerobic and anaerobic treatment each produces too much noxious sludge for disposal. The sludge is expensive to stabilize, disinfect and dispose; and disposal options are rapidly shrinking and becoming more expensive: new incinerators are not being built, and both landfill and land application regulations are tightening as disposal of organics in landfills is eliminated.

An innovative yet proven technology offers some distinct advantages. The AFCsm system is a catalyzed MBR (membrane bioreactor) that is ideal for waste sludge because it is field proven to generate little or no excess biosolids and requires a fractional footprint compared to conventional technologies. In the anaerobic mode, the process can increase sustainable energy production from waste sludge by more than 70%, and reduce final sludge disposal by 70%. The cost of treatment ranges from $100-$300 USD per dry ton of COD, compared to $200 to $500/DT for conventional technologies.

Reprinted with Permission from http://www.pmcbiotec.com