The Technology

The studied system includes four unit operations: electrocoagulation (EC), anaerobic digestion (AD), membrane treatment, power generation on biogas, and photovoltaic (PV). The process starts with the EC treatment of combined blackwater and AD effluent. A newly developed EC unit will be used first to efficiently and quickly treat the high-strength wastewater and generate reclaimed water. The reclaimed water will be treated using ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes with chlorination for potable water production. A small portion of the potable water will be used as the cooling water for the power unit (Stirling engine and therm-electric generator TEG). The rest of the water will be used for other potable applications on-site. The majority of the EC sludge will be mixed with food wastes and the concentrate from the membrane treatment to feed the AD for biogas generation. A small amount of EC sludge will be discharged to maintain the nutrient balance of the system. The high-efficiency and robust AD will convert carbon in the wastes into biogas for co-generation of electricity and heat. The PV panels are for additional electricity generation and will be integrated with the biogas energy to satisfy the power demand of the entire system.

3D simulation of the system