Energy efficient dewatering technology reduces carbon footprint
DATE POSTED: October 28, 2018
Energy efficient dewatering technology may be the key to reducing your site’s carbon footprint
Knowing the carbon footprint of dewatering options is an important step in designing systems that provide sustainable environmental benefits. Finding an energy efficient dewatering technology leads to greenhouse gas reductions and significant cost savings. Many factors contribute to major differences in the size of a dewatering project’s carbon footprint. These can include variables such as manufacturing, transportation, installation, and operation.
Bishop Water can account for these variables using a carbon footprint calculator to compare the carbon emissions of dewatering systems and identify how a site’s carbon footprint can be reduced.
In 2009, a town in southeastern Ontario was exploring options to dewater process solids from its water treatment plant (WTP). Using a carbon footprint calculator, Bishop Water determined its passive, gravity-driven solids management solution requires about 72% less electricity compared to a belt press.
Dewatering 144 cubic metres (188 cubic yards) of sludge over a 1.5-hour period with this technology only requires about 84 kW. Comparatively, a belt press would need to use approximately 300 kW to dewater the same amount of sludge over a five hour period.
The town ultimately selected Bishop Water’s low-energy solids management solution to provide onsite dewatering. The technology eliminates energy-intensive mechanical dewatering equipment and produces high quality filtrate. The filtrate also meets regulatory requirements for direct release to a receiving body without any additional treatment.
Which breakwater solution has a lower carbon footprint? Geotube® containers or a rock breakwater structure?
Bishop Water also compared the difference between using rocks or Geotube® containers for a breakwater structure. The situation considers a 930-metre-(3,051-foot-) long, 1.8-metre-(6-foot-) high breakwater structure to protect a section of Lake Ontario shoreline.
To create a rock breakwater, a convoy of trucks would have to transport 13,600 tonnes of rock from a quarry that is about 160 km (99 miles) away. Comparatively, a breakwater structure made of Geotube® containers would contain 10,000 cubic metres (13,080 cubic yards) of sand. This sand is from the lake at the construction site in most cases. This approach dramatically reduces truck traffic and could also reduce the time required and cost to complete the project.
A carbon footprint calculator considers all of the factors to determine the carbon footprints. The conclusion shows that the Geotube® breakwater project would emit 2,649 fewer tonnes of carbon since it uses locally dredged sand.
Learn more about how Bishop Water’s solids management solution helped reduce a water treatment plant’s carbon footprint.
Contact us to discuss how Bishop Water can reduce the carbon footprint of your site.
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Patented filling ports provide reliable dewatering
DATE POSTED: September 3, 2018
TenCate filling ports provide maximized and reliable dewatering
While the filling port connection is typically one of the weakest points in a standard dewatering container, Tencate’s specialized filling ports provide reliable dewatering performance and help avoid disastrous failures experienced by other containers.
Despite the simple appearance, the high-quality construction of Tencate’s GP4 and GP8 ports has enabled Bishop Water to provide a reliable solids management solution that consistently achieves site requirements for containment and dewatering. Over the last 13 of years, Bishop Water has filled hundreds of Geotube® containers in a number of demanding applications, such as shoreline protection, without any failures.
Tencate’s filling system simplifies the port connection and filling process. Unlike conventional filling ports, Tencate’s GP4 and GP8 connections are made of rubber gaskets and secured with bolts. These parts provide a more stable connection that allows for more reliable dewatering. This is because the filling port increase the safety factor which allows Geotube® containers to fill to taller heights. The GP4 and GP8 connections can handle flows up to 200 LPM (53 gpm) and 500 LPM (132 gpm) respectively. This allows for faster filling of the Geotube® containers and as a result, faster dewatering.
The Bishop Water Solution
Bishop Water can adapt its solids management solution for a wide variety of conditions. They customize each system for the needs of each project. For example, sites with varying sludge conditions require careful polymer control to maximize dewatering performance. Bishop Water staff select the best polymer for a client’s needs and ensure the correct dosage on an ongoing basis.
Let Bishop Water’s expert team assist with all aspects of your project including design, installation, polymer selection, and training.
Read our case study to see how Bishop Water’s solids management solution is a long-term solution at the North Rustico Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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Carbon footprint reduced using solids management solution
DATE POSTED:
Bishop Water’s solids management solution reduces carbon footprint and saves money
Did you know that Bishop Water’s solids management solution can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of a project and save money using Geotube® containers?
In fact, in Zutphen, the Netherlands, Geotube® containers dewatered and contained dredged material. Then the containers stayed onsite as part of a harbour remediation project. This drastically cut the project’s carbon footprint and installation costs compared to a conventional solution. The conventional solution would potentially involve mechanical dewatering and hauling sediment and backfill, which can be expensive and energy intensive.
In total, 18,000 cubic metres (23,543 cubic yards) of harbour sediment was dredged and dewatered. Most of this contaminated sediment would otherwise have been trucked out for confinement in disposal facilities, which would have been an additional expense.
Natural dewatering process saves CO2
Geotube® containers quickly and cost-effectively solved the problem on site and with much less carbon emissions than the mechanical belt press technology. In fact, the Geotube® dewatering solution emits only one-fifth the CO2 compared to the conventional mechanical solution.
Little mechanical pumping is required for Geotube® containers to dewater the contained sediment. Excess water drains from the Geotube® containers through the small pores in the geotextile skin, effectively dewatering and consolidating contained material. A chemical accelerant can also speed up the process and help achieve greater dewatering.
The containers can handle very large sludge volumes, achieving a very high solids capture rate with low capital investment. Best of all for Zutphen, the containers can be safely reused as ‘giant sandbags’ and are virtually immovable once in place.
No trucking back and forth saves money and carbon emissions
For Zutphen’s harbour project, Geotube® containers were filled with dredged sediment and dewatered on site. The containers stayed in the same location where they then stabilized the adjacent riverbank, therefore replacing the need to haul in fill materials.
Geotube® containers eliminate the need for a convoy of trucks carrying dredge, slurry, backfill or breakwater rocks. These items are usually trucked in and out of the site, most of the time across vast distances. Geotube® containers can be filled on site with dredged contaminated sediment saving time and money.
From harbours and groynes to beaches and wetlands, Geotube® containers have been customized to the diverse needs of clients world-wide.
Let Bishop Water’s expert team assist with all aspects of your project, including design, site preparation, and installation.
Learn more about Bishop Water’s solids management solution.
Contact us to discuss dewatering options for your WTP.
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Remote dredge simplifies lagoon cleanouts
DATE POSTED: July 27, 2018
Bishop Water gains remote dredge and simplifies lagoon cleanouts
A remote dredge has long played an important role in Bishop Water Technologies’ solids management solution. The dredge incorporates seamlessly into the collection and dewatering process since it pumps sludge directly into the Geotube® containers as a polymer system doses the sludge in-line. It also avoids decommissioning, draining and digging to reduce costs and disruption to the community.
Geo-Dredging and Dewatering Solutions is a key business partner for Bishop Water that provides turnkey sludge cleanout services. They have recently purchased the remote dredge. Bishop Water works with Geo-Dredging and Dewatering Solutions on projects to remove accumulated sludge that can significantly reduce the storage capacity of wastewater treatment lagoons.
Increase your lagoon capacity
Bishop Water’s approach uses a remote dredge while a lagoon remains in service. As a result, wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) can restore treatment capacity and accommodate increased plant flow. The remote dredge follows a cable across the lagoon, which ensures full coverage of the entire lagoon. During this process, an auger runs across the bottom and collects the sludge.
The Geotube® containers accepts and dewater solids as fast as the dredge can pump them in, therefore eliminating the additional time that conventional settling processes require. Bishop Water’s highly experienced and capable team can provide comprehensive services to design and install a Geotube® dewatering system of any size.
Learn more about Bishop Water’s solids management solution.
Contact us to discuss dewatering options for your WTP.
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Low energy dewatering solution minimizes carbon footprint
DATE POSTED: May 24, 2018
Low energy dewatering solution minimizes carbon footprint in Southeastern Ontario town
A town in southeastern Ontario has reduced the carbon footprint of its water treatment plant (WTP) by 30% over the last three years. How? By fitting it with Bishop Water’s low energy dewatering solution. Since the solution requires very little mechanical pumping, it resulted in a net carbon reduction by 105 tonnes, which is equivalent to the energy use of 11 homes.
In 2009, the town was exploring new onsite methods to treat and dewater process solids from the WTP. Bishop Water’s solids management solution was ultimately selected. Its simple, passive dewatering process uses significantly less energy during operations and has a smaller carbon footprint compared to conventional mechanical dewatering systems.
The TenCate carbon footprint calculator determined that the solids management solution uses about 72% less electricity compared to a belt press. About 84 kW is required to dewater 144 cubic metres of sludge over a 1.5-hour period using Bishop Water’s solids management solution. Comparatively, a belt press would need to use approximately 300 kW to dewater the same amount of sludge over a 5-hour period.
Natural dewatering process saves CO2
Three dewatering cells, each measuring 9 metres by 23 metres, were constructed to support three Geotube® containers. Suspended solids are first pumped into a 10,000-gallon (37,854-litre) polymerization tank and then into the high-strength TenCate Geotube® containers. In the final stage of the dewatering process, excess water drains from the containers through small pores in the geotextile fabric. This effectively dewaters and consolidates solids in a single step. Once treated, the high-quality filtrate is directed back to the headworks of the plant. Greatly reducing the solids loading into the plant ultimately improves effluent that is discharged to a nearby river.
Comparing carbon footprints
Understanding the carbon footprint of a dewatering solution plays an important role in realizing the energy required for its construction. The carbon footprint calculator includes extraction, manufacturing, transportation, and installation. Additionally it helps clients understand the minimal environmental impact of a dewatering system in operation.
There are many options and variables to consider when building a WTP. Carbon footprints can also differ dramatically from site to site. The carbon calculator can analyze each specific project to quantify the environmental impact of each approach.
Learn more about using Bishop Water’s solids management solution at a WTP.
Contact us to discuss dewatering options for your WTP.
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