Process Intensification and Decarbonization via Carbon Management: Pilot-scale Demonstration of the Triple A Settler Technology in Municipal Wastewater Treatment

Water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) are focusing on decarbonization efforts and technologies focused on intensification to reduce overall footprint, capital, and operational and maintenance (O&M) costs. One promising technology is the Alternating Activated Adsorption (Triple A) settler, which redirects influent carbon to anaerobic digestion for conversion to biogas and purification to renewable natural gas. This process increases downstream process capacity due to this described carbon redirection, reducing the energy input required for treatment. This study will evaluate the performance and sustainability of Triple A settlers through the first United States pilot scale demonstration of the Triple A process at South Platte Renew (SPR) in Englewood, Colorado. This project will also couple Triple A with an existing partial denitrification anammox (PdNA) pilot to assess how these technologies work together to meet stringent nutrient limits while maximizing energy recovery.