Press Release

Peachtree City on track to reduce carbon footprint
Fayette Neighbor / August 24, 2011

From left, Stephen Hogan, of the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority, Mike Ellis, of AGL Energy Services, and Bryan Batson, of AGL Resources, dedicate the new Biosolids Treatment Facility in Peachtree City with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Peachtree City Biosolids Treatment Facility relies on a natural gas-fired machine with an exhaust heat recovery system to transform sludge from the municipality’s wastewater treatment plant into pathogen-free material that can be used as fertilizer and soil amendment. The heat treatment also significantly reduces the volume of the sludge.

“At AGL Resources, we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to reduce the carbon footprint in the communities we serve,” said Hank Linginfelter, executive vice president, Utility Operations, AGL Resources. “With this facility, we are proud to use clean-burning natural gas to provide Peachtree City Water and Sewerage with an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for transforming its sludge into a useful agricultural product.”

Until recently, landfill disposal was the preferred method for dealing with sludge, which is the byproduct of domestic and commercial sewage and wastewater treatment. However, environmental and health concerns associated with contaminated stormwater runoff, air pollution and contaminants have prompted many landfills to close their doors to sludge; thus, the rising disposal fees and transportation costs have prompted many municipalities to seek more efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives.

“The new biosolids facility not only minimizes our everyday operational costs, but more importantly, allows us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint by taking trucks off the road and converting waste into a reusable byproduct,” said Stephen Hogan, general manager, Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority.

All gases from the sludge treatment are routed through an air-filtration system and thermal oxidizer to ensure particulate removal and volatile organic compound destruction, thereby allowing only cleaner exhaust gas to be released into the atmosphere. The transformation from waste to “exceptional quality” material occurs within 20 minutes of process initiation, and 100 percent of material processed can be sold as a soil amendment or fertilizer.

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