Los Angeles Honored for Converting Biosolids Into Green Power

The Terminal Island Renewable Energy, or TIRE, project is the nation's first aimed at producing green energy from a renewable bio-resource. The resource is biosolids - the organic materials remaining after treatment of domestic sewage at a wastewater treatment facility.

The TIRE project is the nation's first and only full scale application of deep well injection technology to convert biosolids into green power while simultaneously sequestering greenhouse gases. The Earth's high temperature biodegrades organic compounds to generate methane gas to produce renewable energy.

At full capacity in 2012, the renewable energy project in San Pedro is expected to produce about 3,500 kilowatts of renewable power by biosolids conversion. The green energy produced would equal the amount of energy required to power nearly 3,000 homes annually.

"Terminal Island is setting the green standard for innovation, clean energy and renewable power nationwide," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today, announcing the selection.

"The Innovations in American Government recognition is a testament to this city's unyielding commitment to sustainability, unparalleled investment in alternative energy sources, and unmatched strategy to make LA the cleanest and greenest big city in America," said the mayor.

The Ash Institute's announcement recognizes the TIRE project as one of the top 50 programs representing the best practices in government innovation on City, county, tribal, state and federal levels.

Biosolids left from sewage treatment (Photo courtesy National Biosolids Partnership)

The Earth's high temperature and pressure converts biosolids into methane gas that may be utilized to power fuel cell units. The carbon dioxide gas generated during the process remains trapped as it dissolves in the brine present in wells.

Both carbon dioxide and methane are heat-trapping greenhouse gases governed in 36 countries by the Kyoto Protocol.

The TIRE system is expected to cost $3 million to $4 million to build and will come on line in phases. City engineers plan that Phase I of the project will achieve 50 tons per day of biosolids injection by 2009. That will be increased to 400 tons per day capacity in Phase III by 2011.The TIRE project is slated for completion in 2012.

TIRE project adds to the option available to the City for beneficial reuse of biosolids and will save over a $1.6 million annually over the cost of the current practice of trucking the material to Kern County where it is spread on agricultural lands.

More than 25 trucks per day currently load and transport LA biosolids away for land application. The TIRE project will eliminate more than 1,500 miles of heavy truck traffic per day with the pollutants, emissions, odors, and dust these shipments create.

Another benefit - the project will utilize brine produced by Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant, eliminating its discharge into the Santa Monica Bay.

In addition, TIRE will permanently sequester 82,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the five-year demonstration period. Those emissions would otherwise be released to the atmosphere from the land application of a similar amount of bio-solids.

The City calculates that the permanent sequestration of 82,000 tons of CO2 is equivalent to taking 3,200 automobiles off the streets of Los Angeles for five years.

City engineers say that while biosolids are currently approved for land application, placing them a mile below ground is inherently more protective of surface and groundwater than spreading them on the surface. The heat of 150 degrees F. in the subsurface provides almost immediate sterilization, they point out.

Like any organic material, biosolids will biodegrade into carbon dioxide and methane when heated. One mile below the surface, in 150 degree F. heat, the carbon dioxide will dissolve in the formation brine within the rock pores, like soda water, while the methane will collect and may be utilized to power fuel cell units.

Representing the work of city, county, state, federal, and tribal government agencies, the Top 50 were selected from over 600 applicants. Six Innovations in American Government Award winners will be announced in September.

The Innovations in American Government Awards was created by the Ford Foundation in 1985 in response to widespread pessimism and distrust in government's effectiveness. The awards program aims to restoring public trust in government by promoting public sector creativity and excellence.

"Despite strained budgets and diminishing resources, these programs prove that government continues to find solutions to pressing societal challenges," said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Program.

Click here for the Top 50 List of the 2009 Ash Institute finalists.

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