Sludge Watch ==> Zion Plant Chigaco plans to make glass aggregate from sludge

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Aside from the capital cost, I wonder what the fuel costs will be to do the high temperature melting and drying of the sludge?


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"When in full operation later this summer the plant will convert sewage sludge from NSSD's three sanitary treatment plants into glass aggregate crystals which will be marketable for use in road construction projects. Previously, the district has buried its sludge in a Zion landfill. 
Dorn expects the plant will be a "showcase" for those working in sanitary treatment facilities.     
It will be the only one of its kind in the United States, although there are several operating in Europe, Dorn said. "    " . . .  the $10 million German-made cyclone furnace melter and dryer equipment . . ."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/city/5_1_WA17_NSSDSLUDGE_S1.htm
NSSD ready to start up Zion sludge plant operations in July


By Ed Collins 
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SUN


GURNEE - The North Shore Sanitary District's new sludge recycling plant will begin operations in July, Brian Dorn, the district's general manager, told trustees at their monthly meeting Wednesday. 

"As of May 30, the plant was 99 percent complete," he said. "It is now estimated that the start up of the major systems, consisting of the dryer, oxygen system and melter will occur in July," Dorn said. 

The $30 million state-of-the-art plant constructed by contractor J.J. Henderson & Son of Gurnee is located in Zion's 200-acre Trumpet Technology Park. 

When in full operation later this summer the plant will convert sewage sludge from NSSD's three sanitary treatment plants into glass aggregate crystals which will be marketable for use in road construction projects. Previously, the district has buried its sludge in a Zion landfill. 

Dorn expects the plant will be a "showcase" for those working in sanitary treatment facilities.     
It will be the only one of its kind in the United States, although there are several operating in Europe, Dorn said. 

He said the completion date is pretty close to the June 22 date which the contractor estimated in January. 

"Construction is essentially complete except for control work related to the heating and air-conditioning system.," he said, indicating that will be completed by June 30. 

Plant staff training has been underway for the past month for those who will operate the melter and dryer systems which converts the sludge into glass aggregate. 

Dorn said all environmental permits have been secured and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has issued an operating permit which allows the district to bring dewatered sludge on the site from its sanitary treatment plants. 

The only sour note has been escalating costs in building the plant over the past three years. 

Originally budgeted for $28.2 million, the plant's cost has now risen to $30.2 million due to 20 construction change orders that have increased the price by $1.7 million. 

The NSSD project has been plagued with controversy from the start. 

Environmentalists complained about potential air pollution and high Lake Michigan mercury counts such a sludge "incinerator," as some environmentalists call it, might produce. 

Then the city of Waukegan sued the sanitary district for intending to locate the plant on the grounds of the NSSD Waukegan lakefront treatment plant. 

Meanwhile, the $10 million German-made cyclone furnace melter and dryer equipment already delivered languished in wooden crates at the Waukegan plant while the city and NSSD squabbled nearly three years in court over the location. 

Finally, the city of Zion came to the NSSD's rescue in May 2003. Seeking to replenish lost tax revenue from ComEd's closing of its Zion nuclear power plant, they welcomed the district to build the 26,000-square-foot plant at NSSD's sludge landfill in Zion. 

The district in turn gave Zion 200 of its 400 landfill acres to form an industrial park, with the sludge plant serving as the anchor. 


06/17/06
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