The wastewater treatment plant in Collinsville, Ill. had a problem. Like other facilities across the country, the plant was struggling to cope with a rising load of sewage screenings coming off of headworks screens. Handling the odorous, wet solids was a time consuming endeavor, and disposing the screenings was quickly becoming a challenge.
It soon became clear that a new approach was necessary.
Initial tests performed on a popular screenings washer turned out to be discouraging. Although the unit worked well at the start, it soon broke a shaft on the shredder. At this point, with nowhere to turn, the town decided to call Franklin Miller and see if the company had a better idea.
Franklin Miller installed a Spiralift SC screenings conditioner at the plant for a test application. The operators were immediately impressed with the rugged construction of the unit. After installation, the unit went to work grinding, washing, compacting and dewatering the screenings. Not only did the unit easily grind up the tough solids, but the output was odor-free and extremely dry and clean.
"The results were exactly what we were looking for," said Bob Frank, water & wastewater director. "In the past, waste haulers had consistently complained about the wetness of the sludge in our dumpsters. On several occasions, the drivers even refused to pick it up, because without compaction and dewatering, it oozed into the trucks, creating a huge mess. They were also worried about the potential risk of contracting infectious diseases, such as hepatitis."
With the purchase of the Spiralift SC , the early problems were eliminated. As an added bonus, what used to require eight containers a month for disposal, now only needs two.
The system
The Spiralift SC consists of two units in one package. First, a rugged 10HP Taskmaster TM1600 grinder reduces the screenings to small pieces, which exposes greater surface area for subsequent washing. The solids then drop into the wash portion of the unit, which consists of a wash system and spiral press. Contaminants are then washed down the unit drain and enter the sewage plant for further processing.
Finally, the solids are de-watered in the Spiralift press zone and ejected into a bin or conveyor.
Collinsville is currently in the process of expanding and upgrading the wastewater treatment facility in order to meet the growing needs of the communities it serves.
"The expansion will include an increase in the daily flow from the current 4.4mgd to 11mgd per day, but the basic process of our plant will not change," explained Frank. "At some point in time we will be contacting Franklin Miller for another Spiralift unit."
Sondra Somer is the marketing manager for Franklin Miller Inc. She can be reached at 973/535-9200 or at [email protected].
