list of wastewater plants accepting waste glycerin

Does anyone have a list of waste water plants along the east coast which are accepting waste glycerin?

Thanks -

AGS

I do not believe that many do.  This is because it would raise the BOD level of the water to a very high level and this causes alot of problems.  Just out of curiosity how much glycerin do you need to get rid of ?  Maybe I can find another way of getting rid of the glycerin problem.

RH

RH,

I read your reply to the previous user.  I am producing about 25 gallons of glycerine per week.  At the moment, we are searching for a wastewater treatment facility to accept the waste glycerine.  Do you have nay other ideas?  Thanks.

J

Call the nearest facility. If you're in their district, its may be more likely that you can convince them to take the waste.

This waste can also be landfilled; the landfills that generate biogas will be happy to take it, though they will charge a small fee.

From my post here:

Not all wastewater treatment facilities operate using the same process. The facilities I am familiar with use thermophilic digesters on the back end of the process. Glycerin this last stage is a good thing, but processing glycerin in the earlier stages can cause significant problems.

It's notable that at least one biodiesel producer in Wisconsin "poisoned" a waste treatment plant with byproduct, causing the treatment facility to have a high BOD/COD-load discharge. This led to the waste treatment facility being fined by the DNR, which, as you would expect, started an investigation. Hopefully this is an isolated incident, but I have concerns that the path towards regulation and enforcement is already forged here.

Any my lengthy follow-up:

Here is the quantitative view of the situation. The following are some typical five-day biological oxygen demands (BOD5) values:

Pristine waterways: 1 mg/L
Moderately polluted rivers: 2-8 mg/L
Fish kill can occur at: >2 mg/L (if held for a duration of hours)
Sewage effluent (input): 100-300 mg/L in the US; up to 600 in Europe)
Wash water: ~1000 mg/L@
Waste glycerol w/ methanol: 771,000 mg/L*

Clearly, concentration is an issue.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...al_BOD_values.5B3.5D
http://www.michigan.gov/docume...nDemand_247231_7.pdf
http://www.abe.msstate.edu/csd...e_00/stride_700.html
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/new...Prunofffactsheet.pdf
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/ev...9605551/m/4801087552
www.lamotte.com/pages/common/pdf/instruct/7419.pdf
@This data is based on only two data points and could vary.
*This value from testing we had performed; value is not atypical for this type of material.

Note also that waste treatment, like biodiesel production, is a chemical process. Changing the input parameters necessitates changing the process. With biodiesel, we must measure FFAs every time to ensure things go well; if you’re accustomed to making fuel from 1% FFA oil, and you get a lot of feedstock with 10% FFA and process it the same, things will not end well. It’s not that much different with a waste treatment plant. If you send a slug of high-BOD material into a sewer, even in small amounts, you can cause the continuous portions their process problems, which then are passed on.

Each situation should be treated individually and with due diligence. Not all treatment facilities are the same, and generalizations should not be made about them.

Farmers can spread glycerin byproduct on fields, but there are limitations (in volume and concentration) and conditions (it should be diluted in manure with an extended residence time, not be applied directly). Inappropriate application has led to negative attention for the biodiesel industry and led to fish kills:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03...710&ei=5070&emc=eta1
http://www.semissourian.com/story/1480839.html

This has even happened on the small-scale, as I mentioned previously. These smaller incidents, while not newsworthy, do draw the attention of regulatory agencies (don’t be this guy/gal). This would bad for all homebrewers.

Yes, Glycerin does have a high BOD. However, potentially *beneficial* uses at the wastewater treatment plant (depending upon a lot of factors).

Thermophilic / Mesophilic digestion is one of them. As an external carbon sources for nutrient removal is another.

WWTPs can be a good / cheap outlet for the waste glycerol. Potentially a win-win situation.

A lot depends upon the physical / chemical properties of the waste glycerol. I am designing a facility to handle waste glycerin at WWTP right now and I need information on physical / chemical properties and handling of glycerol.

How viscous? What happens at low temperatures? Consistent quality? Solids?

Can it be pumped easily? If so, what kind of pumps?

I would be happy to share my knowledge about disposal at WWTP if you can share knowledge / information on waste glycerol characteristics.

Thanks -

AGS,

Thanks for your post.  

Waste Glycerol Characteristics

1.  Upon exiting the reaction chamber glycerol contains methanol. It is a dark brown color due to the presence of some residual organic matter. It also has a pH aorund 12-13 and contains sodium salts due to our transesterification using sodium hydroxide.  The viscosity of this mixture when it exits our processor is, say, the consistency of  maple syrup that runs freely. The viscosity obviously depends on temperature and the glycerol/methanopl mixture will change to a more ranch-salad-dressing-like consistency when colder. (I can give you specific viscosity measurements if it is necessary.) As a matter of processing, we can either  keep the methanol fraction in the glycerol or remove it.  If we remove the methanol, the viscosity increases substantially.  With the methanol removed from the glycerol, the glycerol becomes chunky at temperatures as high as 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.  The glycerol is a consistent quality, with slightly varying amounts of methanol and salts due to variations in transesterification reaction conditions.

3.  There are no solids in the glycerol phase.  That said, the glycerol will become chunky or solid if subjected to cold temperatures (particularly if methanol is recovered from the glycerol/methanol mixture).

4. At temperatures of above ~ 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the glycerol/methanol mixture can easily be pumped via a circulator pump designed for water transfer.

Any more info you need, please say so.  I have degrees in biology and chemistry, so I can talk more specifics in terms of glycerol properties and metabolism if you'd like.  Thanks for your help!!

-Jerry

Jerry -

That's great information. Right on the money. Thanks.

A few questions for Jerry and Everyone -

So, if at 85 or 90 deg F, glycerol becomes chunky. What happens in colder climate? How do the Biodiesel facilities handle glycerol during winter? 

I know that Glycerol blend with water does help with viscosity and freezing temperature.

• What effects does Methanol on have on glycerol properties?
• Would blending with Methanol (or higher traces of it) help with viscosity and freezing temperature? 
• If you let glycerol / methanol blend sit in a tank for a long time (weeks?), would they separate out?

And yes, Biological Nutrient Removal at wastewater plants  - especially down in Florida and Chesepeak Bay area - is really picking up due to regulatory needs. This process, most of the time, needs an external carbon source (organic material) and Glycerol can potentially be this chemical.

Thanks again

AGS,

-Methanol decreases the flash point of glycerol (makes the glycerol more flammable). 

-Blending glycerol with methanol will definitely help with viscosity and freezing temperature.  The more methanol, the lower the viscosity (i.e.-more methanol makes glycerol flow more easily).  Also, the more methanol, the lower the freezing temperature.

-No. Methanol and glycerol will not separate on their own, no matter how long they sit (in a closed container).  If the glycerol and methanol sit in an open container, the methanol will hypothetically evaporate over the course of many many days, probably months, or longer.  There are ways to get methanol out of glycerine, but they require energy input.  Most commonly, you can heat the mixture above the boiling point of methanol (64.5 degrees Celsius, ~145 degrees Fahrenheit); this will cause the methanol to change from liquid to gas, and the methanol can either be evaporated into the air, or collected to be re-used.  Other methods of separating the mixture of methanol and glycerol require more sophisticated chemical processes.

To return to your questions about what Biodiesel Facilities do with glycerol during winter:

Since the production of biodiesel typically occurs at temperatures greater than 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the glycerol is still a liquid immediately after the biodiesel production process.  So: 1) a production facility can drain off the glycerol from its reactor(s); 2) the facility then usually heats up the glycerol to recover the methanol and reuse the methanol in the next biodiesel reaction; 3) then, the facility will likely transfer the glycerol into containers (this could be 55-gallon drums for a small operation or a tanker truck for large plants); 4) the facility will then take those containers to a glycerol processing company where the glycerol will be purified into high-purity glycerol. (Some large biodiesel producers also have the capacity to purify the crude glycerol from the biodiesel production process into high purity glycerol which can be used in pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics, explosives, or as a reagent for producing other chemicals.)  In general, for small-scale, home-based "hobbyist" (hope that doesn't offend anyone) biodiesel producers, there are many problems disposing/utilizing glycerol.  Some people make soap, some use the glycerol as an anti-dust agent on dirt roads, some use it in compost, some people take it to methane digesters at waste-water treatment facilities (or design their own methane digester), and I imagine some people either drop it in dumpsters or dump it somewhere out of sight (scary thoughts about the ecological implications of the last method).  Also, some small-scale producers are probably stockpiling it hoping to find a way to dispose of it.

On a side note, considering the burgeoning biodiesel market, and the vast amounts of glycerol that will be produced, the use of glycerol as a supplement to waste-water treatment is a win-win for waste-water facilities and biodiesel producers.  Thanks for your hard work AGS.

-Jerry