Sludge Watch ==> Auburn NY - energy from sludge methane

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Methane is one of the gases that is released in the sludge digesters and can 
be used as fuel.
But what does Auburn, New York plan to do with the sludge that is left over 
in the digesters?

Well, they have 40% of the sludge remaining after the 60 days of digestion 
(Toronto has only 15 days of digestion so they would need to build 4 times 
as many digesters to do this).

So ... what to do with this left over reduced sludge?
It will be low in nitrogen, high in heavy metals .... but the town is 
thinking of making them into some kind of 'fertilizer' residual.

This doesn't make sense. To take sludge ... already full on toxic metals, 
concentrate the metals in the sludge residuals, gas off the nitrogen and 
then call the remainder 'fertilizer'.

It doesn't make much sense to try to use the residual sludge as fuel, since 
most of the fuel value is already gone.



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Auburn Plans To Produce Cheap Energy

Last Update: 3/03 7:24 pm



Auburn plans to produce cheap energy 3/03/08

Auburn, New York (WSYR-TV) - Tired of the high cost of electricity, the city 
of Auburn says it has found a way to produce some energy, clean and cheap.

Auburn is close to breaking ground on a methane digester to produce energy 
it says will save the city and its taxpayers millions.  The city plans to 
get it done by the end of the year.

Most communities try to figure out ways to get rid of the sludge produced at 
wastewater treatment plants, but Auburn wants it.  The city is replacing its 
current sludge incinerator with a methane digester it says will produce 
cheap energy and save the city millions of dollars.

Kamyar Zadeh, with Eco Technology Solutions says, “We started with an idea 
and essentially you need a champion to take an idea and turn it into 
reality."

The digester, to be built next to the wastewater treatment plant, will take 
sludge from Auburn and other areas to create methane.  The gas is then 
burned as fuel to make electricity and steam heat.  It will produce about 3 
megawatts of electricity, which would be enough to power about 2,000 homes, 
but Auburn has other plans.

John Montone, Chairman of the public power agency says, “This project came 
about by deciding that there is methane here at the landfills so why not 
create more methane here and be able to produce electricity out of it and us 
it as an economic tool."

The power the city does get from the plant will be used mostly at the Auburn 
Technology Park to both keep the businesses that are in Auburn, and lure new 
businesses with the prospect of cheap energy.

Mayor Michael Quill says, “We are talking presently with a manufacturer that 
is interested in some of the power that is available from here.”

Nearby Falcon Park will also benefit from the cheap power.  The city figures 
the project, which got its push from former Mayor Tim Lattimore, will mean 
an extra $3 million a year for Auburn in tipping fees from sludge 
deliveries, money from selling the power, and money saved from not operating 
the incinerator.

Zadeh says, “They are the pioneers, they are the champions, they lead the 
nation in terms of innovation."

And they're not stopping there, they’re already thinking of a day the city 
can provide cheaper power to residents.

A subsidiary of CH Energy will build and operate the digester.  The company 
will sell the energy from it to the city for 15 years, at much lower rates 
than Auburn is paying now for energy.  The city has the option to buy the 
plant at the end of the contract.

http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=489deead-95c3-4b7c-b58b-a9fe3ed962f4