The technology also is expected to bring an additional benefit: the creation of a carbon-rich byproduct that can be used as a superior fuel for generating biogas through anaerobic digestion.
The demonstration will take place at two sites in upstate New York. NYSERDA has provided $300,000 for these two projects. ClearCove is contributing an additional $300,000.
“This generous support from NYSERDA further validates our vision,” said ClearCove CEO Greg Westbrook. “We believe our technology supports NYSERDA’s goal of allowing wastewater treatment plants to be more sustainable through a combination of energy savings and on-site energy production.”
ClearCove will install its patented system at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility in the Finger Lakes and at the Nott Road Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Capital Region Town of Guilderland.
ClearCove has invented a screening technology that enhances the settling techniques that water treatment plants typically use to process sewage. ClearCove's patented process reduces energy use by removing more organic matter from the waste stream before it undergoes aeration or secondary treatment.
At the same time, the study seeks to show an additional benefit: that ClearCove's
system creates an organic byproduct that can be used for anaerobic digestion -- the
process of breaking down organic materials to create a biogas that is burned to
generate electricity.
ClearCove studies have demonstrated that the organic matter captured by its primary
treatment system and used in anaerobic digestion generates three times more biogas
than organic matter that is typically taken from secondary treatment systems does. This
will allow facilities to even further offset their energy use with on-site renewable energy
generation.
The Ithaca plant already has on-site digesters. The Nott Road plant is currently looking
into bringing its byproduct to a nearby digester, which would reduce the facility's
current cost of transporting and disposing the waste.
Jason Turgeon of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1, Lauren Fillmore
of the Water Environment Research Foundation, and Rich Lyons, Executive Director of
the Albany County Sewer Authority, have agreed to serve as advisory committee
members for the project.
EPA reports have estimated that a typical municipal wastewater treatment plant
spends 40 percent of its total operating costs on removing organic matter from
wastewater -- a significant amount, since wastewater treatment can represent one-third
or more of a municipality’s entire utility bill. The ClearCove process removes most of the
organic waste using a low-energy, gravity-driven process.
“We hope to bring our wastewater plant in Ithaca to the point where we are not only
meeting our energy needs with onsite biogas production, but are also generating
surplus energy for outside use,” said Ithaca Chief Operator Dan Ramer. “We anticipate
that ClearCove’s primary treatment process will be instrumental in lowering our energy
consumption and in increasing the amount of bio-methane we are generating in our
anaerobic digesters.”
"I feel ClearCove's Flatline technology could have a dramatic impact on the entire
operational efficiency of the plant, from energy usage to substantial savings in sludge
processing and disposal." said Keith Edwards, Chief Operator of the Nott Road
Wastewater Treatment plant.
ClearCove Systems Inc. is focused on wastewater treatment solutions that produce
cleaner water, reduce energy costs, and enable more efficient production of biogas from
organic waste. Its patented primary treatment process offers greater environmental
protection from storm events and helps wastewater treatment plants to reach energy
self-sufficiency through lower utility costs and greater bio-fuel production potential.
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