The Township and City of Ypsilanti, Michigan, sits outside the Detroit metropolitan area. In 2000, The Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) needed to replace its two-decade-old multiple hearth biosolids incinerator. Tetra Tech’s solution: a fluidized bed biosolids incinerator system with an activated carbon filter, the first of its kind in the nation. The result is the cleanest burning, most advanced municipal biosolids incinerator system in the United States.

Tetra Tech addressed several unique issues during the study and design phases, including expanding the service area and increasing capacity; the directive of the Board that the new facility should exemplify the community’s environmental leadership; and that air quality requirements of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality are more stringent than those of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Because of Tetra Tech’s commitment to sustainability and our experience with regulatory consulting, we addressed these challenges through an innovative design using the newest technologies and processes.

Performance testing in July 2006 revealed that system emissions were cleaner than the air permit requirements dictated. Despite handling 60 percent more biosolids daily than the previous incinerator, this state-of-the-art system designed by Tetra Tech resulted in a net reduction of emissions, contributing to improved air quality in the community and setting a new nationwide standard.

Highlight:

The YCUA Biosolids Incinerator Project won an American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) National Honor award in 2007