STERM™ flash dries dewatered sludge to
sterile fuel within its unique proprietary
The fuel is used to provide energy
system, leaving an inert sand/ash
as the end product, only 7% of the wet
volume received. All this with minimal
carbon fuel usage and providing
substantial environmental benefits
With dumping into the sea and incineration almost totally banned, and dumping to landfills, land application and now composting coming under increasing political, environmental and health scrutiny, the STERM™ technology presents a true paradigm shift in the field of sludge disposal from environmental, social/cultural and economic perspectives.
Social and cultural
- The STERM™ process is a net energy user, i.e. surplus “renewable energy” is generated from the processing of primary sludge.
- The process is environmentally acceptable and sustainable.
- The STERM™ dramatically reduces the production of greenhouse gases.
- Greater volume handling capacity requiring significantly less land use and reduced footprint for the host sewage treatment plant.
- The end product is an inert sand/ash (no more bio-solids).
- The STERM™ is a thermal drying process (not incineration). The toxic bio-solids only come into contact with heated air.
- The STERM™ means no bio-solids to sea or land and no methane to atmosphere.
- Reduced truck traffic.
- No leaching from landfill facilities.
- Significantly reduced carbon fuel use.
- The STERM™ process allows better use of coastal foreshore by recreational and commercial users.
- Eliminates the need for landfill of treated bio-solids.
- Eliminates the potential risk of landfill or land-applied sludge drying and pathogens being carried on airborne dust into nearby communities.
- Eliminates the potential threat to the community of pathogens, residue of prescription drugs (endocrine disrupters), etc, leaching into underground water supplies from land application.
- The STERM™ process is odorless.
- Capital cost for the STERM™ plant is significantly lower than conventional bio-solid treatment/disposal facilities.
- Opportunity to manage/control the ever-increasing cost to ratepayers for wastewater treatment facility upgrades and bio-solid disposal.
- The STERM™ achieves considerable saving in carbon fuel use.
- Lower operating and maintenance costs.
- The process produces an end product of inert sand/ash which has commercial uses.
- The STERM™ process eliminates bio-solids largely using the energy derived from the bio-solid itself (digested bio-solid).
- The process eliminates bio-solids using the energy derived from the bio-solids and produces excess fuel for on-site or off-site uses if processing primary undigested bio-solids.