Anaergia Inc.

Matthew John Kuzma

Juan Carlos Josse

The specification describes a system and process for treating a sludge or slurry to produce biochar. The sludge or in slurry may be digestate produced by an anaerobic digester that receives waste activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant. In a process, digestate is dosed with metal ions, dewatered, and pyrolized. A corresponding system includes a reactor, a dewatering unit and a pyrolysis unit. In an example, the digestate is air stripped in the reactor and a metal salt is added to it. The metal ions form precipitates in the digestate that remain in the biochar. In some cases, a precipitate such as struvite is formed that also increases the phosphorous content of the biochar. The biochar may be used as a soil amendment, wherein the metal and phosphorous are beneficial to the soil.

Method of producing biochar from sludge

In a system and process, sludge is treated by two stages of anaerobic digestion in series separated by intermediate thickening and hydrolysis. The hydrolysis product is transferred to the second digester essentially without dilution.

Two stage anaerobic digestion with intermediate hydrolysis

Sewage sludge is treated to produce Class A (generally pathogen free) biosolids. Some or all of the sewage sludge is thickened or dewatered to 10 wt % dried solids and then fed to a thermophilic anaerobic digester. The thermophilic digester has multiple stages provided by way of a tank with at least one internal wall. Effluent from the thermophilic digester is treated further in a mesophilic anaerobic digester.

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Encinitas, CA, United States of America

Matthew John Kuzma