Problem: The Glasgow (Kentucky) Wastewater Treatment Plant serves a community of 15,000 and also provides treatment for Barren River State Park and two elementary schools. The replacement of rectangular secondary settling tanks by circular clarifiers greatly improved settling and solids capture capacity. Consequently, the plant found itself with additional biosolids.
Solution: A Fournier Rotary Press was installed to increase dewatering capacity. On summer days, solids at the bottom of the clarifier are thick enough to feed the presses without polymer. Polymer is required only in cold weather. In summer, solids are spread on drying beds to save on power costs. In all seasons, dewatered cake is trucked to the city landfill.
Result: “It has worked great for us,” says Jacob Billingsley, superintendent. “We run it about 3 1/2 days a week. After seven years of operation we’ve spent less than $400 for parts, and we only use a gallon and a half of polymer an hour. That’s our biggest savings. Having a SCADA system decreases the chance of a failure and loss of solids.” He can dial up plant operations, receive alarms and make process adjustments using his cellphone. 800-463-6328; www.fournierdewatering.com
