Tushan WWT Methane Recovery Project

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China

Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Methane Recovery

Expertise

Climate action project development

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Key facts

Location

Bengbu City, Anhui Province, China
Project Type

Renewable energy – Wastewater Treatment
Annual CERs

200,000

Project Standard

CDM
Project IDs

CDM 6988
Status

Registered and with issuance of CERs

Factsheet (English)

Background

The “Industrial Wastewater Methane Recovery Project of Bengbu Tushan Thermoelectricity Co., Ltd.” is to recover the biogas generated in the process of wastewater treatment as well as to produce heat currently supplied by fossil fuels. The project is developed and owned by the Bengbu Tushan Thermoelectricity Co., Ltd., which is located at Bengbu City, Anhui Province, in China.

Before the implementation of the project, the Anhui Fengyuan Fuel Alcohol Company produces 320,000 tonnes of ethanol fuel per year while discharging about 11,500 m3 of wastewater per day with a primary COD of 35,000 mg/L. The organic wastewater is treated in open lagoons followed by an oxidation ditch facility. Then it is discharged into a local wastewater treatment plant for further treatment.

Furthermore, the project owner has installed eight sets of coal-fired boilers and six sets of steam turbo-generators utilizing fossil fuel coal to generate heat to supply the nearby users.

As a consequence, in the baseline scenario, enormous amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) are emitted from the open wastewater treatment lagoons without methane recovery and the coal-fired boilers.

Project Description

The Tushan Wastewater Methane Recovery Project aims to recover biogas generated from the open wastewater treatment lagoons. The main constructions will be newly-built MIC anaerobic reactors, a biogas cleaning system, a biogas coal-firing system and a retrofitting aerobic treatment facility.

After the implementation of the project, the biogas generated from MIC anaerobic reactors would firstly be sent to the purification system, then the purified biogas would be transported into the retrofitted coal-fired boilers to generate steam. The sludge from the wastewater treatment would be combusted in the boilers after dewatering and drying. When the boiler is in trouble due to failure or malfunction or under maintenance, biogas collected from the MIC reactor will be flared.

The project will reduce GHG emissions through avoiding methane and CO₂emissions. The recovered biogas from MIC anaerobic reactors is used as fuel that substitutes for some of the coal to heat the boiler. The amount of coal saved per year would be nearly 45,000 t. It is estimated that the project activity will reduce roundabout 199,000 tCO₂e of GHG annually.

Services Provided

Pre-feasibility Study
Registration under CDM
Monitoring and Issuance of carbon credits

Sustainable development goals MORE DETAILS

Good Health and Well-being

Local air quality is improved as biogas is a cleaner energy than coal and emits less air pollutants such as SOx and PM. Closed anaerobic reactors reduce odour from the anaerobic decomposition process.

Affordable and Clean Energy

Wastewater treatment and methane recovery allow biogas-based heat and electricity production that replaces fossil fuels and saves energy expenditures.

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Creation of 26 employment opportunities at the project location. Risk of explosion and fire associated with uncontrolled emission of methane is eliminated.

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

The introduction of state-of-the-art wastewater treatment and methane recovery systems may encourage  other companies to replicate the project, which results in dissemination of such modern  technology.

Responsible Production and Consumption

Instead of discharging large amounts of heavily polluted wastewater in open lagoons, the project will use anaerobic digesters and sequential wastewater treatment facilities to meet local wastewater discharge standards. By choosing biogas as the energy source, 45,000 t of coal will be saved per year and large amounts of coal ash waste will be avoided.

Climate Action

By using biogas from recovered methane and replacing nearly 45,000 t of coal per year, the project will reduce roundabout 199,000 tCO2e of GHG emissions annually through avoiding CH4and CO2emissions.