Biosolids Advanced Facilities Plan (AFP)

Client: Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) (for Applied Technologies)

Project: Biosolids Advanced Facilities Plan (AFP)

Project Type: Biosolids, Residuals, and Hauled-In Waste Market Studies

Industry: Utilities

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The MMSD has produced a high-quality, thermally dried product for over 90 years; while the product appears to be a success story, aging infrastructure and regulatory pressures led the District to conduct a series of technology and facilities evaluations. Material Matters (MM) supported the Applied Technologies Team with the development of the Advanced Biosolids Facilities Plan for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD).

Our effort created an Operational Risk Register to identify the regulatory and market-focused risks most critical to maintaining the District’s nationally acclaimed and distributed dried biosolids product – Milorganite®.

The Operational Risk Register identified and evaluated over 60 risk events resulting from changes to the District’s biosolids processing or changes in the market or regulatory climate. Market research narrowed the risk event five key market-based risks critical to consider for the ongoing dominance of Milorganite in the natural fertilizer market space.

The risk register results will be used by the District to guide selection of process changes and technology choices for the remainder of the project. The outcome of the risk analysis concluded that technology decisions for wet-side treatment processes, digestion, thermal drying technology, and product diversification must considered in the next phase of the AFP should be considered carefully to avoid the highest rated operational risks.