Minworth sewage treatment site services more than 1.7 million people in the Birmingham and Black Country area.

Powered entirely by Biogas produced through Anaerobic Digestion at the site itself. A modern solution was required to future-proof the plant for expansion and development. This unique wastewater engineering solution was completed for the sanitation company Stantec.

As part of the £60 million Thermal Hydrolysis Plant (THP) development, the BIODOME® gas holder units provide the site with 9000m³ of biogas storage. The biogas from the site has been utilised as various outputs; providing electrical power to 11,000 homes and gas to heat over 4,000 households. The THP process works by treating sewage sludge, using heat and pressure in a similar way to a pressure cooker. The treated sludge is then fed into huge digesters which, over time, produce methane-rich biogas. This gas is then cleaned and can be injected into the national grid for use by local homes and businesses.

The supply contract contained very specific process requirements and operational demands for the gas holders. Not only did the client require 9000m³ of gas storage, linked in a common twin gas holder system but the biogas flow rate required to service the plant also provided a challenge to the system.

Further technical challenges were overcome including the automation of the systems operations ensuring that operations of the plant were not affected during periods of maintenance and service. With all the challenges that the project faced we are pleased to be part of a successful, prestigious scheme that offered a bespoke solution installed efficiently and effectively.

Dan Jones, Sales Director at STORTEC
“Being involved from an early design stage helped ensure that the client and end user had a solution tailored to meet the demands of the site. We adapted the system to accommodate the process requirements enabling the plant to have a flexible approach to their operations.

With the Biodome® product, we see nothing as standard. Partnering with our clients at an early stage enables us to fully understand the requirements and offer bespoke solutions; the units at Minworth are a key example to the success this achieves.”

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