Case Study: TASKMASTER® Helps Make Sludge into Forest Feed

The Birmingham Wastewater Treatment plant in Kansas City, Missouri is an activated sludge treatment facility that processes 12.4 million gallons of wastewater a day. The facility processes and receives 21,000 dry tons of sludge each year, which is pumped to sludge holding basins. For the last few years, the facility, in partnership with the city, has participated in an innovative recycling project and sludge has played a major role. Its use as fertilizer on land adjacent to the treatment plant has begun to convert the area into forest. It appears to be an environmentally sound, cost effective solution to sludge disposal.

There was a time, however, when processing the sludge was more of a nuisance than an asset. Plant operators were constantly dealing with maintenance problems caused by debris clogging the sludge pumps. Industrial and commercial operations near the plant were the main culprits, discharging large quantities of cellophane, plastic bags and other solid waste into the flow. To complicate matters, the facility’s existing grinders were not performing adequately and needed to be replaced. Franklin Miller was called in to provide a solution and conducted a thorough system review. Based on their recommendations, the plant installed six TASKMASTER® TM8500 series inline grinders in front of each primary and transfer sludge pump. According to the management, it was a very good decision.

TASKMASTER TM8500 series inline grinders quickly and effectively reduce the toughest sewage and sludge solids to fine particles directly in pipeline systems. Along with innovative CUTTER CARTRIDGE® technology, these grinders feature a convenient drop-in housing. This unique design allows for fast and easy removal of the entire cutter mechanism for periodic maintenance without sacrificing unit strength.

These powerful twin shaft grinders employ one-piece cutter cartridges that replace banks of weak individual cutters and spacers. The result is a high strength, durable grinder with a remarkable resistance to cutter and spacer cracking. This design dramatically increases unit strength, reduces maintenance time and totally eliminates the need for cutter stack re-tightening.

The TM8500 has two counter-rotating stacks that intermesh at close clearance to shear and shred solids into fine bits. One shaft feeds solids to the center of the unit while the other shreds them. The output achieved is easily processed by downstream equipment such as pumps, centrifuges, and belt filter presses.

The TASKMASTER can be successfully installed in sewage treatment plants, sludge lines, pumping stations, roadside or runway sanitary facilities, institutional waste, or small solid waste applications. It is supplied for open channel or in-line applications. The units are available for 4″ through 24″ pipe sizes.