Newterra Helps Power Sustainable Energy

CHALLENGE

To strengthen its environmental compliance, a California biomass power plant sought a reliable stormwater treatment system to manage runoff from two main outfalls at its 25-megawatt, 50-acre facility in central California.

Biomass power plants, such as this facility, generate electricity by combusting organic materials like wood, crop residues, and other plant-based waste. Unlike traditional coal-fired power plants, biomass facilities rely on renewable, carbon-neutral sources, providing a cleaner and more sustainable energy alternative.

SOLUTION

Efficient, Compliant Stormwater Management for Biomass Plants

After qualifying other technologies and systems on the basis of performance, cost, and installation base, the plant was retrofit with a Newterra Clara® 90CP plug flow separator system and an Aquip® 210SBI stormwater filtration system to reduce stormwater pollutants from the main plant outfall. The systems were retrofit to an existing outfall in a treatment train configuration with Clara followed by Aquip.

A second outfall draining runoff from the biomass feedstock stockpile area has been retrofit with a low profile Aquip 200CIL stormwater filtration system. The Clara plug flow separator and Aquip filtration systems work in tandem to remove pollutants by gravity separation and filtration, respectively. The Aquip SBI filtration system includes an internal passive mineral buffering process to condition the stormwater and promote more effective removal of oil, organics and metals through the inert filtration media bed. The Aquip CIL filtration system promotes infiltration of runoff before filtration of excess runoff prior to discharge.

North America’s Leader in Industrial Stormwater BMPs

In conjunction with other source control BMPs, the Newterra treatment system reduces discharges of stormwater pollutants including total suspended solids (TSS), specific conductance, oil and grease or total organic carbon (TOC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), copper, iron, lead, zinc, aluminum, arsenic, and chromium. The combination of Clara and Aquip plus other site BMPs qualify as Best Available Technology and Best Conventional Pollution Control Technology (BAT/ BCT) for this industry sector.

RESULTS

In conjunction with other source control BMPs, the Newterra treatment system reduces discharges of stormwater pollutants including total suspended solids (TSS), specific conductance, oil and grease or total organic carbon (TOC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), copper, iron, lead, zinc, aluminum, arsenic, and chromium. The combination of Clara and Aquip plus other site BMPs qualify as Best Available Technology and Best Conventional Pollution Control Technology (BAT/ BCT) for this industry sector.

North America’s Leader in Industrial Stormwater BMPs

Newterra designs and manufactures advanced industrial stormwater treatment Best Management Practices (BMPs) for customers across North America. Its product portfolio includes the Clara settling system, Aquip stormwater filtration system, and Purus stormwater polishing system, delivering reliable, high-performance solutions for managing stormwater pollutants.