Baxter & Woodman project earns national recognition

CRYSTAL LAKE - Baxter & Woodman Inc. has earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies' 50th annual Engineering Excellence Awards, for designing the Combined Heat and Power project for the Glenbard Wastewater Authority's Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility in Glen Ellyn.

ACEC is the Washington-D.C.-based business association of the engineering industry representing more than 5,000 independent engineering firms throughout the United States.

Biogas generated from the anaerobic digesters, which was mostly being wasted through flare-offs, is now being used to generate electricity and heat to power the wastewater treatment processes. The project included installation of two units totaling 760 kW of electrical and 2.88 million BTU/hour of heat generating capacity, as well as a biogas conditioning system and support facilities.

This project allows the Authority to produce electricity and thermal energy using digester gas generated during the plant's anaerobic treatment process, saving $200,000 in annual energy costs. Despite its technical complexity, the new system was brought from planning to full operation in less than 12 months.