Wickett, Keith Stewart (2024) Conceptual design of solar-powered dryer for use in municipal wastewater treatment facilities. [USQ Project]
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Abstract
This project has proposed a solar assisted dryer to remove residual water content from mechanically dewatered, solid, non-organic screening waste from the inlet filtration stage at municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). By harnessing renewable solar energy, the waste dryer aims to reduce the residual waste moisture (post mechanically dewatered), lowering its weight, costs and environmental impacts during disposal. This work is significant as it offers a sustainable solution aligned with increasing global efforts to mitigate environmental harm using renewable energy and provides the initial step to an alternative waste pathway to valorisation.
The project presented a comprehensive design framework encompassing problem identification, problem definition, idea generation and evaluation of a conceptual dryer design tailored for a local WWTP in southeast Queensland. The proposed multi-levelled hybrid system uses forced heated air in a rotary drum dryer to dry and process the waste mixture. Solar energy provides heat through a Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) array and supplementary electrical power via fixed Photo Voltaic (PV) panel array. Heat transfer occurs via synthetic thermal oil in a liquid-to-air crossflow heat exchanger, while a subterranean, packed granite rock bed Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system provides short-term heat to the chamber during solar unavailability.
Modelling indicates screening waste with an initial 30% residual moisture content of 18.5 kg could be completely dried within 15 minutes based on average air temperature of 67°C and air velocity of 2 m/s saving an estimated $6000 in annual disposal costs alone. Additionally, the TES system could supply 60°C heat for 60 minutes after a 90-minute charging period. These results imply that the proposed dryer design offers a viable and sustainable solution to reduce residual screening waste moisture using renewable solar energy in southeast Queensland.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Engineering (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Goh, Steven |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Mar 2026 23:23 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Mar 2026 23:23 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | renewable solar energy; residual waste moisture |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53176 |
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