Wastewater Facility Energizes Central Minn

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Wastewater Facility Energizes Central Minn

Reducing Blower Use, Expanding Use of Methane Gas — a Range of Projects is Making St. Cloud's Wastewater Treatment Plant More Energy Efficient

The Wastewater Treatment Facility is seeing positive results in its quest to be more energy efficient and save taxpayers money. New programs, equipment changes and grants are helping the cause.

The St. Cloud City Council toured the facility Monday and heard updates from staff. The facility serves St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Augusta, St. Joseph and Waite Park. The complex is owned and operated by the city of St. Cloud.

Hodel said the facility is shifting its focus to resource recovery.

Instead of simply treating wastewater and putting it back in the Mississippi River, it now looks to use what comes through the plant in more productive ways.

The city is undergoing master planning at the facility to find ways to improve efficiency.

An Xcel Energy grant could potentially pay up to 75 percent of those costs, which are $212,000, Public Services Director Pat Shea said.

New ways for fertilizing crops

A successful pilot project has shown the city what is possible for turning waste into fertilizer. Currently farmers can use treated biosolids from the plant to fertilize crops.

But the facility needs to remove more water from the biosolids because it is running out of space to store it. Removing water lowers the volume so more can be stored in limited space.

Shea said the treatment process is working better at removing solids, and the facility is taking in more wastewater, creating a need for more biosolid storage.

The city is participating in a pilot program that uses the water removed from the biosolids to make pellet-like fertilizer. The program has been successful, and the city hopes to continue it, which would require some equipment purchases.

Without the program, the water removed would be sent back into the facility for treatment.

Lower energy costs

Equipment changes also can decrease energy use. The city spends $775,000 a year on electricity, motor fuels, natural gas and fuel oil for the complex. The city wants to cut those costs by 75 percent in 20 years.

Blowers are used to supply the oxygen to the biological treatment process to help bacteria remove pollutants. Making changes to how those blowers work has resulted in less energy use and cost savings.

Source: SCTimes

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