University Area Joint Authority breaks ground on Biosolids Project

The University Area Joint Authority broke ground of its Biosolids Project at the Authority’s facility in State College, Pennsylvania, on April 26, 2024.

Authority members, staff, project team members and stakeholders met for the ceremony to highlight the benefits of the Biosolids Project and witnessed the demolition of its existing biosolids process.

The Biosolids Project is expected to replace the current composting process with an advanced anaerobic digestion and biosolids drying process. The material produced by the new process will remain a State and Federally approved Class A/Exceptional Value Biosolid allowing continued sales of the finished product to the public for soil amendments.

A press release states that the program has been highly successful and that the soil amendment has been selling out every year for decades. A biogas is created as a biproduct of the process. The Authority is expected to harness the gas and convert it to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) for sale as a replacement to traditional pipeline natural gas.

The Authority has selected Quandel Construction Group, LLC, through public bidding and finance, as well as Myco Mechanical, Inc., and Hayden Power Group to construct the $74 million facility upgrade.

“This process allows the Authority to reduce operational costs from the current composting process, while generating new revenue for the Authority through regionalization and sale of the renewable energy” said Jason Wert, market leader for Water and Renewable Energy at RETTEW, in a press release.

“It will be one of the largest RNG producers in Pennsylvania and is anticipated to send over 100 million cubic feet of RNG to the regional pipeline each year, equivalent to 1,400 homes worth of natural gas,” said Wert in the release.