Inert Evaporation Process System
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Date
2024
Authors
Hall, Austin
Harvey, Jacob
Hawthorne, Katherine
Kum, Ryan
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Abstract
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) conducts experiments that evaluate the biodegradation capabilities of anaerobic (oxygen-free) bacteria sourced from sewage sludge.
These studies contribute towards a potential solution to the global plastic pollution crisis. A key step in these experiments is drying the sludge to the required solids content outlined in the experiments while maintaining the viability of the anaerobic bacteria in the sludge. The current drying process the NRC employs is inadequate as it is non-anaerobic and time-consuming.
Team 2’s objective was to design, build and test a proof of concept (POC) design for an inert evaporation system in addition to designing a full-scale system that can anaerobically and
efficiently evaporate sewage sludge. Both designs must be capable of drying municipal sewage sludge from 2% to 30% solids content under anaerobic, inert, and temperature-controlled
conditions.
The report details the POC design that was built and tested for the project. The POC prototype focuses on a single tray evaporation system. Using the POC to dry the sludge, an evaporation
rate exceeding the target rate of 0.118 kg/hr was determined with key parameters measured throughout the process including oxygen and humidity content of the tray environment, gas flowrate, temperature, and tray weight.
The report also recommends a full-scale inert evaporation system design that meets the NRC’s target specifications and constraints; however, the further testing using the POC is highly recommended to refine the design. Using nitrogen gas to maintain an anaerobic environment and dry the sludge, the full-scale design includes an insulated anaerobic chamber, dehumidification, nitrogen gas recycling, and PLC automation to conserve energy and efficiently evaporate sludge.
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Biosystems Engineering