WARRENDALE, PA, June 25, 2008 -- Siemens Water Technologies has entered into a licensing agreement with CSO Technik Ltd. to supply and service the Crown sludge disintegration system in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The U.S. patented cell lysing process eliminates digester foaming, increases gas production by up to 30%, and reduces solids for disposal by 20%. The Crown system complements Siemens' Dystor dual-membrane gas holder system that captures biogas produced by the anaerobic process. The Crown agreement will round out Siemens' anaerobic digestion product portfolio, making it a leader in the municipal biogas market in North America.
The Crown disintegration system is installed after the sludge thickeners but before the digester. Sludge is first fed into the system's recirculation tank. It then goes through a homogenizer. The uniform mixture is then pressurized to 175 psi and pumped through a high-speed mixer and into the disintegrator. As the pressure is relieved, the biosolids cells rupture and release endo- and exo-enzymes and destroy filament-building micro-organisms. The disintegrated sludge is then sent back to the recirculation tank, where the process is repeated before being discharged into the digester.
The Crown system partners perfectly with Siemens' Dystor dual-membrane gas holder system, which maximizes gas storage through its geometric shape. The latter's many operational advantages makes the Crown -- Dystor synergy a combination unequalled in the industry.
The Crown sludge disintegration technology is ideal for a variety of municipal wastewater treatment applications. Existing customers with co-generation facilities can pair the unit with Siemens' Dystor gas holder system to maximize system potential through increased gas production and storage. The system can also prove beneficial for customers that live in areas with green energy or self-generation tax incentives as well as for municipalities that have other high-volume biogas end-users.
Compared to a competitive physical/chemical cell lysing process, the small footprint Crown process consumes less energy and greatly reduces chemical, equipment, and sludge hauling costs. Pre-fabricated and containerized for fast installation, the Crown process is adaptable to variable loads and improves sludge dewaterability and digester stability. The system also uses equipment that is common to most wastewater treatment plants. The Crown disintegration process is already operational at several wastewater treatment plants worldwide.
The Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities.
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