Study to Research Environmentally Responsible Alternatives to Disposal of Wastewater Treatment Sludge
(Columbus) Continuing the City's commitment to Get Green, the Department of Public Utilities is partnering up with The Ohio State University's Center for Resilience to study ways to reduce greenhouse gases and recycle the sludge left from wastewater treatment. Columbus City Council Monday, July 23, approved legislation proposed by the Mayor for the Department to become a Center for Resilience member, leveraging a $25,000 membership fee to utilize OSU's extensive research capabilities. Research would be scheduled to begin in later this year, with recommendations for environmentally-responsible alternatives expected in March 2008.
"In every part of our operation, we need to look at the greenest possible options, and that includes dealing with the tons of sludge produced every year in our waste water treatment plants," said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. "Our goal is to reduce greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere and find better ways to reuse or dispose of sludge."
The Center for Resilience has been working with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) for more than a year to develop Eco-Flow™, a computer modeling program that can evaluate the economic and environmental effects of waste reuse alternatives. The effort is partially funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"Approximately 90 percent of the materials we consume end up as waste," said Joseph Fiksel, who co-directs Ohio State's Center for Resilience with Bhavik Bakshi, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. "One of the best ways to reduce energy consumption is to reuse materials that we currently consider as waste. Using Eco-Flow™, we can determine ways to minimize costs and maximize environmental benefits by finding new uses for waste materials such as sewer sludge."
In 2006, the City's Southerly and Jackson Pike Wastewater Treatment Plants generated more than 41,000 dry tons of sludge; 26,731 dry tons were incinerated and 1,545 dry tons were landfilled. The remainder were used to fertilize commercial green spaces, farms and home gardens: 11,237 dry tons were composted to be sold as Com-Til at the City's Compost Facility; and 1,545 dry tons were spread on area farm fields.
"The City of Columbus is committed to developing environmentally friendly solutions to handling solid waste, and we must continue to pursue innovative approaches and leverage resources to deal with the thousands of tons of sludge we generate each year," said Councilmember Andrew J. Ginther, Chair of the Public Utilities Committee. The city's partnership with The Center for Resilience and The Ohio State University is a prime example how working together we can find creative green solutions."