An Assessment Tool for Managing Cost-Effective Energy Recovery from Anaerobically Digested Wastewater Solids

The Life Cycle Assessment Manager for Energy Recovery (LCAMER) is a spreadsheet-based tool which enables wastewater treatment plant owners and engineers to make informed decisions on the feasibility of recovering energy from anaerobic digestion of wastewater solids. Using a life cycle assessment approach, which incorporates factors such as equipment lifetime and the cost of borrowed money, users can compare the payback periods or internal rates of return for anaerobic digestion processes (mesophilic, thermophilic, temperature-phased); gas pretreatment processes (hydrogen sulfide, siloxanes and carbon dioxide); and energy recovery processes such as boilers, engine-generators, turbines, fuel cells and direct drive engines.

As of February 2020, the web tool is no longer available.

Originally funded as WERF project 01-CTS-18UR.