Bio Cremation Alkaline Hydrolysis Rachel Wall Environmental - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Bio ‐ Cremation Alkaline Hydrolysis Rachel Wall Environmental Specialist Bureau of Environmental Services September 2018

Outline  Final Disposition Methods  Traditional Burial, Fire Cremation, Bio ‐ cremation  Process & Environmental Impacts  Alkaline Hydrolysis  Chemistry & History  Portland Bio ‐ Cremation Facility  Sampling, pretreatment and permitting  Questions? Environmental Services l Presentation Title 2

Burial  Highest Environmental Impact  High Resource Demand  1.6M tons concrete  90,000 tons steel  30,000 tons wood  50% of Funeral Rites  Slow Rate of Highest Consumer Decomposition Cost $7 ‐ 10,000 avg Environmental Services l Presentation Title 3

Embalming Fluid Formaldehyde + Glutaraldehyde + Methanol + Dye + Other Solvents  Preserves Tissue  Slows Decomposition  US 5.3M gallons annually  800,000 gallons leach annually Environmental Services l Presentation Title 4

Fire Cremation Process  Natural Gas Oven  1800 F for 2 ‐ 4 hrs  92 cubic meters  29 kW ‐ h electricity  700lbs of CO2 emissions  Vaporized Metals  Dioxins  Halogenated Hydrocarbons Cremulator Environmental Services l Presentation Title 5

Fire Cremation ‐ Remains  Dental Amalgam  50% Mercury  Silver, Tin, Copper Dental Metals  Most metals not re ‐ usable  Removal before processing could lessen amount released Environmental Services l Presentation Title 6

Bio ‐ Cremation – Alkaline Hydrolysis Alkali + Heat + H20 + Pressure  Breaks Bonds  Destroys Pathogens & Prions, Genetic Material, Toxic Chemicals  Originated in late 1800s  Dead Livestock Nitrogen Rich Fertilizer  Disposal of Research Animals  NRC Standard 10CFR20 (Disposal by Release to Sanitary Sewer) Environmental Services l Presentation Title 7

Alkaline Hydrolysis – History  Late 1800s – Dead Livestock Fertilizer  1900s – 10CFR20 Disposal of Research Animals  1990 – Findings on how to inactivate CJD  1993 – Hot Alkali Destroyed Prions  1995 – Mad Cow (BSE) Outbreak  2005 – Mayo Clinic  2011 – AH Commercially Available in FL Environmental Services l Presentation Title 8

Mad Cow (BSE) Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)  Fatal Neurological Disease  Sponge ‐ like legions on brain  Spread by infected meat in cattle feed  Incubation several years  Creutzfeldt ‐ Jakob Disease (vCJD) in Humans  Contracted by eating meat infected w/BSE  Prion Caused Disease – Folded protein Environmental Services l Presentation Title 9

Bio ‐ Cremation – Alkaline Hydrolysis  AKA Chemical Cremation, Water Cremation, Aquamation  Water: 95% @90 ‐ 100 gallons  Alkali: 5%  Heat: @300 F  Time: 3 ‐ 5 hrs Environmental Services l Presentation Title 10

Bio ‐ Cremation ‐ Process Steel Basket Inside Chamber Environmental Services l Presentation Title 11

Bio ‐ Cremation ‐ Remains Medical Implants Environmental Services l Presentation Title 12

Bio ‐ Cremation Remains Flame Cremation Bio-Cremation Environmental Services l Presentation Title 13

Bio ‐ Cremation ‐ Effluent  Humans mostly H20  Sugars & Fats  Nucleic Acids  Amino Acids  Build Proteins  <300 gals/cycle  Simple Organic Compounds  Calcium Phosphate Environmental Services l Presentation Title 14

Initial Sample & Pretreatment Concerns (NaOH + KOH) + H20  BOD: 56,800mg/L  TSS 180mg/L  pH 12.2  High Zinc & Copper  Frequency of Discharge  FOG/Saponification  Active Process Areas Environmental Services l Presentation Title 15

Saponification Triglyceride + (NaOH and KOH) Glycerol + Crude Soap  Ester Hydrolysis Reaction  NaOH = Hard Soap  Lower cost  KOH = Soft Liquid Soap  Lubricant and detergent in sewer Environmental Services l Presentation Title 16

Course of Action  Stop Discharging  Clean Tank & Equipment  Replace Brass Spigot w/Stainless Steel pH Adjust  Prohibit NaOH (KOH only) Discharge Sample Port  Increase co ‐ flush H20  pH Neutralization of 7  Resample Environmental Services l Presentation Title 17

Facility Resample & Findings Resample  BOD: 12,200 mg/L  TSS: 8,240 mg/L  pH: 6.7  Zinc & Copper below limits  No O/G method works for soap (fat) Effluent Resample  No solids separator Environmental Services l Presentation Title 18

Bio ‐ Cremation ‐ Permitting Best Management Practices (BMP) based permit  Detailed O&M Plan  NaOH restriction  pH adjustment w/mixing for distribution  5.0 – 11.5  Annual Reporting  Batch and pH logs  Waste hauling logs  Outdoor Monitoring Access Structure Environmental Services l Presentation Title 19

Additional Considerations Variations in Machines and Methods  Less caustic & Longer Exposure Time  More Caustic & Less Time  Less Caustic with Agitation Effluent Resample Environmental Services l Presentation Title 20

Cremation Type Comparison Bio ‐ Cremation Flame Cremation  $300,000 ‐ $500,000  Start at $150,000  No air permit  Air permit required  Consumes 1/8 th the  Vaporized Metals  700lbs CO2 per energy of flame deceased person  Medical implants  Toxic waste residue are recyclable  Effluent can be used as fertilizer Environmental Services l Presentation Title 21

Questions? Rachel Wall Rachel.Wall@PortlandOregon.gov City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services Environmental Services l Presentation Title 22