Preliminary engineering study for the off-gas treatment from a sludge incinerator at a municipal wastewater treatment plant (GA3)

ISSUE

A wastewater treatment plant processes approximately 330,000 cubic meters of municipal wastewater from neighboring municipalities. The plant’s dewatered sludge is combusted in an incinerator.

The incinerator flue gases are then treated by an electrostatic precipitator to capture dust (Particulate Matter or PM) and meet the applicable environmental regulation. However, stack gas sampling campaigns have shown occasional exceedances of PM and HCl relative to the environmental regulation.

TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGE

The challenge was to identify and select the best commercially available gas treatment technology to capture both the Particulate Matter (PM) and the HCl present in the flue gases from incinerators to meet at all times the Ministry of the Environment regulations.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION

STS Canada was commissioned to evaluate and select the most appropriate gas treatment technology for the treatment of flue gases from sludge incinerators at a municipal wastewater treatment plant. STS conducted this technology study using internal tools specifically developed for this type of evaluation.

Commercially available technologies were analyzed from a comparative grid that makes it possible to determine the best technology considering various evaluation criteria (performance ,CAPEX, OPEX, etc...).

RESULTS

The recommended technology is now fully integrated to the plant’s operation and is in service since 2015. The emission regulation for Particulate Matter and HCl has been met throughout the year with the addition of this equipment to the process.