Water 2050: The circular economy of carbon

Metro Vancouver is doing something novel.

It is the first utility in North America to turn sludge into biocrude oil.

“Every day, I walk on to site, and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, we are turning wastewater into fuel,’” said Zeno Farinelli, lead senior engineer at Metro Vancouver. “That’s science fiction right there.”

The process is called hydrothermal liquefaction, or HTL, and it mimics how fossil fuels are formed by using heat and pressure.

“Communities everywhere are struggling with what to do with biosolids; they’re facing tighter regulations, environmental concerns, lots of pressures,” said Lillian Zaremba, program manager at Metro Vancouver. “HTL offers a solution, where they can turn that burden into a valuable resource.”

When sewage comes into the Annacis Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, it is treated and eventually released into three products:

• Water (which is fed back into the treatment plant).
• Biocrude oil (which is sent to a refinery to be made into fuel for planes, trucks, and more).
• Solids (up to 90% fewer remain).

“The way we manage our wastewater, our current treatment processes are not enough,” said David Blair, assistant project engineer at Metro Vancouver. “There are solutions for the byproducts. They might not come from within our own sector; they’re coming from oil and gas, they’re coming from pharmaceuticals.”

The hydrothermal liquefaction process is the type of innovation envisioned under Water 2050, AWWA’s initiative for a secure future for water. A Strategic implementation Team focused on Innovation and Circular Economy is looking to identify and scale projects like these and others that:

• Employ digital solutions such as AI and machine learning to optimize efficiency, operations, and water quality.
• Strive for rapid adoption of technology that results in equitable and sustainable outcomes.
• Optimize efficiency through a circular water economy.

To learn more about Metro Vancouver’s project or Water 2050, visit this webpage.