The plant’s upgrade, which is designed to improve digestion capacity and significantly reduce disposal costs, includes a new sludge conditioning building; a sludge thermo-chemical hydrolysis process (including sodium hydroxide storage and feed system, reactor tank, heat exchanger, boiler, sludge blend tank, and progressive cavity pumps); and a new dewatering building with the new decanter centrifuge skid system.
This project is a critical element of the Phase 3 improvements aimed at enhancing the plant's operational efficiency and compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit parameters.
“PONDUS is a simple thermal hydrolysis process (THP) for plants of all sizes, which increases solids loading rates to a digester, improves thermal energy balance, produces renewable energy, and reduces disposal costs – using no polymer for sludge thickening before hydrolyzation,” said Gerhard Forstner, president of CNP. “The anaerobically digested sludge will achieve a flow rate of 50 gpm, and a 95% capture rate with 25% dry solids.”
Centrisys/CNP will complete the delivery of Salem’s new system in 2024.
