THP adoption trends: Benefits, safety, and startup best practices
Bob Crossen, vice president of content strategy for Endeavor Business Media, interviews Laurel Schaich, principal environmental engineer at CDM Smith, about thermal hydrolysis process (THP) system seeding and startup for wastewater utilities.
Laurel explains how THP works as a pretreatment step before anaerobic digestion, why proper digester seeding is critical, and how utilities monitor digester health during startup. Learn about key parameters like alkalinity, VFA concentration, and biogas production, plus insights from real-world projects in Michigan, Tennessee, and Texas.
Key topics covered
- What is THP and why it’s gaining popularity in the U.S.
- How seeding and startup prevent digester upset and foaming.
- Monitoring strategies: alkalinity, VFA, and biogas flow.
- Benefits of THP: smaller digesters, Class-A biosolids, and increased biogas.
- Safety considerations and cost drivers for THP implementation.
Timestamped Highlights
- 00:00 – Introduction: Bob Crossen and Laurel Schaich discuss THP.
- 00:19 – What is THP? Pretreatment before anaerobic digestion.
- 00:38 – Startup explained: Testing systems before sludge flow.
- 01:18 – Why seeding matters: Preparing digesters for hydrolyzed sludge.
- 02:00 – Case studies: Pontiac (MI), Franklin (TN), Trinity River (TX).
- 02:20 – Seeding process: Using DC Water sludge for startup.
- 02:35 – Monitoring digester health: Key parameters and risks.
- 03:14 – Biogas production as a stability indicator. 04:34 – THP adoption trends and considerations for utilities.
- 05:16 – Benefits: Smaller digesters, Class-A biosolids, more biogas.
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About the Author
Bob Crossen
Bob Crossen is the vice president of content strategy for the Water and Energy Groups of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B. EB2B publishes WaterWorld, Wastewater Digest and Stormwater Solutions in its water portfolio and publishes Oil & Gas Journal, Offshore Magazine, T&D World, EnergyTech and Microgrid Knowledge in its energy portfolio. Crossen graduated from Illinois State University in Dec. 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in German and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He worked for Campbell Publications, a weekly newspaper company in rural Illinois outside St. Louis for four years as a reporter and regional editor. Crossen can be reached at [email protected].