Biodryer & Biosolids
The installation of a Bioforcetech (BFT) biodryer and septage receiving station is the next step in a comprehensive plan to overhaul Yelm’s Water Reclamation Facility and this new technology will help us advance our commitment to sustainability. In the initial phases, the Public Services Department replaced the Reclaimed Water Pump Station and updated the SCADA computer system to enhance the system’s reliability. The biodryer will create the capacity for the city to manage its own septage, eliminating the need to transport waste-activated sludge to a facility in Shelton where it is turned into biochar at an annual cost of approximately $300,000. With the biodryer, we will process the waste activated sludge into a fertilizer to be used on all of our parks, Yelm Community Schools fields and eventually will become available to the public for use on their yards or gardens.
Biochar is defined as “a form of charcoal that is produced by exposing organic waste matter (such as wood chips, crop
residue, manure or biosolids) to heat in a low-oxygen environment...” . Due to its revolutionizing P-FIVE pyrolysis machine, Bioforcetech is the first company in the USA that is generating high quality biochar from biosolids at an industrial scale. This document shows the chemical analysis of this product and its possible applications.
Click here for some answers to FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about biosolids.
We are encouraging people to submit questions and comments through April 5, 2021 to beckyj@yelmwa.gov. For additional information, please contact Becky Jackson, (360) 458-8406.
