Various anaerobic and aerobic digestion processes are in use today. But each has its limitations. For example, natural aerobic digestion processes release heat, as well as water and carbon dioxide - all desired results. However, at typical mesophilic operating temperatures, roughly 20-45°C (68-113°F), the process is inefficient, resulting in instability with minimal pathogen kill and little solids reduction.
Results improved significantly with the introduction of Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) several years ago. ATAD takes advantage of highly efficient thermophilic organisms naturally present in wastewater, optimizing the environment for them to proliferate and dominate. This increases the temperature of the sludge as the thermophiles feed on other microorganisms. At these higher temperatures the cell walls of the activated sludge rupture, releasing the now-dead mesophilic contents and providing a feast for the thermophiles. The metabolism of the thermophiles is extremely high, yet the net yield is low, resulting in a significant reduction of volatile solids to produce a pathogen-free end product. On the downside, due to their inherent inflexibility, traditional ATAD processes often produce excess foam and unacceptable odors.
The first challenge the Thermal Process team undertook was to develop a more reliable, more efficient process for the production of high quality bio-solids. The result is the proprietary ThermAer process. ThermAer is second-generation Autothermal Thermophilic Aerobic Digestion process that improves on existing technology in several ways. It gives you the best of all worlds -- a high quality pathogen-free product - plus controlled foam, the elimination of foul odors through prevention or treatment as appropriate and superior reduction of volatile solids. ThermAer is the only Autothermal Thermophilic Truly Aerobic Digestion process.
