Piscataway Water Resource Recovery Facility BioEnergy Project

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) has a clear vision for the future of the Piscataway Bioenergy Facility, which Stantec is helping to implement as the lead designer for the design-build project. It will generate up to 4.5MW of power and significantly lower the amount and cost of sludge disposal—all while reducing phosphorus discharges into the Chesapeake Bay.

The Piscataway Bioenergy Facility will receive and process biosolids from five existing facilities and produce biogas that will be cleaned to pipeline quality and injected into Washington Gas pipelines. The Class A biosolids will be used as a soil additive for surrounding communities and the biogas will be incorporated into the plant’s combined heat and power (CHP) engines to help power the facility. The project will remove Environmental Protection Agency requirements to use lime, reduce the amount of resulting biosolids requiring transportation, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This is the largest and most technically advanced project WSSC has constructed in its 100-year history and, upon completion, the facility will be among the first in the United States to incorporate thermal hydrolysis process (THP) with CHP and the utilization of renewable natural gas (RNG).