>> Thompson: BETWEEN FLUSHING

THE TOILET, BATHING AND WASHING

DISHES, THE AVERAGE PERSON IN

THE UNITED STATES GENERATES

ALMOST 100 GALLONS OF WASTEWATER

EACH DAY.

AND DEALING WITH THAT WATER

REQUIRES A LOT OF RESOURCES.

IN FACT, TREATING WATER--

INCLUDING SEWAGE-- ACCOUNTS FOR

3-4% OF ALL THE ENERGY USED IN

THE UNITED STATES.

BUT IMAGINE IF THAT WATER-- EVEN

SEWAGE-- COULD ITSELF BE USED TO

HELP GENERATE ENERGY.

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE YOU INSIDE A

UTILITY PLANT IN SUBURBAN

CHICAGO THAT'S DOING JUST THAT.

IT'S GENERATING ALL THE POWER IT

NEEDS TO RUN JUST USING THE

WASTE THAT IT COLLECTS.

IT'S A MODEL THAT COULD

DRAMATICALLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT

OF ENERGY USED TO TREAT

WASTEWATER AROUND THE COUNTRY.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER HAS THE

STORY.

>> THIS IS THEIR GREASE TRAP

FROM ALL THE KITCHEN WASTE.

>> Reporter: OUTSIDE A SPORTS

BAR IN THE CHICAGO SUBURBS, JOE

QUINONES IS TAKING ME THROUGH

HIS ROUTINE.

>> EVERYTHING THAT COMES FROM

THE SINKS AND THE FLOOR DRAINS,

SOMETIMES DISHWASHERS, THEY ALL

COME IN HERE.

AND THEN IT SEPARATES THE GREASE

SO IT DOESN'T GO INTO THE CITY

SEWER.

>> Reporter: HE WORKS FOR A

COMPANY THAT SPECIALIZES IN

COLLECTING FATS, OILS, AND

GREASES, KNOWN COLLECTIVELY BY

THE ACRONYM "FOG."

ON THIS BRISK MORNING HE STARTS

BY BREAKING UP THE GREASE, WHICH

HARDENS AT THE SURFACE.

>> IT'S A DIRTY JOB, BUT IT

DOESN'’T MEAN THE RESTAURANT IS.

>> Reporter: HE THEN CONNECTS

THE HOSE TO THE TRUCK AND STARTS

TO SUCK UP THE FOG.

ON THIS VISIT, QUINONES COLLECTS

ABOUT 1,200 GALLONS OF IT.

FROM THE RESTAURANT, IT'S ABOUT

A 15 MILE DRIVE TO A WASTEWATER

TREATMENT FACILITY IN THE

WESTERN SUBURB OF DOWNERS GROVE.

HERE, QUINONES DEPOSITS THE

TRUCK'S CONTENTS INTO AN

UNDERGROUND TANK, MINUS SOME

SOLID WASTE THAT GETS CAUGHT BY

THE GRATES.

QUINONES'S COMPANY PAYS FIVE

CENTS A GALLON TO DUMP THIS

MATERIAL HERE.

BUT IT'S NOT JUST WASTE TO

DOWNERS GROVE.

IT'S A KEY INGREDIENT IN MAKING

THIS PLANT NET ZERO: MEANING IT

GENERATES ALL OF THE ENERGY IT

NEEDS TO RUN.

BUT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS

GREASE SUPERCHARGES THE ENERGY

PRODUCTION ON SITE, WE NEED TO

TAKE A STEP BACK TO SEE WHAT

THIS PLANT DOES AND HOW IT USES

POWER.

IT'S A PROCESS THAT STARTS 40

FEET BELOW THE GROUND.

OUR GUIDE IS NICK MENNINGA, THE

GENERAL MANAGER OF THE DOWNERS

GROVE SANITARY DISTRICT.

>> ALL THE SEWAGE IS FLOWING

FROM TOWN BY GRAVITY INTO A BIG

BOX ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS

WALL.

>> Reporter: GRAVITY PROVIDES

ALL THE POWER NECESSARY TO GET

THE SEWAGE HERE, BUT TO TREAT

IT, YOU NEED TO GET IT BACK TO

THE SURFACE.

>> THIS IS ONE OF THE BIG ENERGY

USES IN THE PLANT.

AND THERE'S REALLY NO GETTING

AROUND HAVING TO PUMP THIS

WATER.

>> Reporter: ALMOST 50-YEAR OLD

PUMPS SEND AN AVERAGE OF 11

MILLION GALLONS OF SEWAGE EACH

DAY BACK UP TO THE GROUND LEVEL.

SO THIS IS WHERE THE WATER IS

ACTUALLY COMING UP?

>> YEAH, IT COMES UP HERE.

>> Reporter: FROM HERE, THE

PLANT CONTINUES THE PROCESS,

SEPARATING THE WATER FROM THE

SEMISOLID WASTE, KNOWN AS

SLUDGE.

>> THE SEWAGE SIMPLY FLOWS IN

THESE TANKS AND ANYTHING THAT

SETTLES TO THE BOTTOM WE ARE

ABLE TO REMOVE IS SLUDGE.

>> Reporter: BUT TO FULLY REMOVE

THE SLUDGE FROM THIS WATER TAKES

SOME MORE ENERGY.

>> IT GETS LESS SMELLY THE

FARTHER WE GO.

(LAUGHS)

>> Reporter: THIS IS THE

AERATION TANK, WHERE AIR IS

INJECTED TO HELP FURTHER CLEAN

THE WASTEWATER.

>> WE'RE NOT MAKING A DRINKING

WATER.

WE'’RE MAKING A RIVER WATER.

BUT THE WATER THAT WE MAKE, IT

SUPPORTS THE AQUATIC COMMUNITY

THAT WE HAVE IN THE LOCAL

STREAMS.

>> Reporter: OVER THE LAST

DECADE, THE PLANT HAS REDUCED

ITS ENERGY USE BY ABOUT 30%.

IT'S DONE THIS PARTLY BY

INVESTING IN MORE EFFICIENT

EQUIPMENT.

>> THESE BRAND-NEW TECHNOLOGY,

HIGH SPEED TURBO BLOWERS ARE

SAVING US QUITE A BIT OF ENERGY

COMPARED TO THE OLD TECHNOLOGY.

BUT THEY STILL REMAIN THE

LARGEST ENERGY USER IN THE

FACILITY.

>> Reporter: YOU KEEP THE OLD

BLOWERS AS A REDUNDANCY?

>> THAT'’S CORRECT.

WE USE THESE AS BACKUP.

OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO HAVE

REDUNDANCY EVERYWHERE BECAUSE

PEOPLE FLUSH THEIR TOILETS

WHETHER WE'’RE READY OR NOT.

WE HAVE TO ALWAYS BE READY.

>> Reporter: THIS PLANT IS ONE

OF JUST A FEW IN THE COUNTRY

WHERE ALL OF THE ENERGY IT USES

IS GENERATED BY THE WASTE

COLLECTED ONSITE.

THAT STARTS WITH THE SLUDGE, THE

SOLID WASTE COLLECTED THROUGHOUT

THE PROCESS.

IT'S DEPOSITED IN AN OXYGEN

FREE, OR ANAEROBIC, CHAMBER

CALLED A DIGESTER.

IN THIS ENVIRONMENT,

MICROORGANISMS EAT AT THE SLUDGE

AND NATURALLY EMIT BIOGAS.

IT'S A FUEL THAT MANY WASTEWATER

PLANTS CAPTURE FOR HEATING,

USUALLY BURNING OFF ANY EXCESS.

BUT HERE AT DOWNERS GROVE, THE

DIGESTERS ARE ALSO FED A SPECIAL

INGREDIENT.

REMEMBER THAT FOG, THE FAT, OIL

AND GREASE THAT IS DEPOSITED AT

THE PLANT?

IT'S INSTRUMENTAL IN THIS PLANT

GENERATING ENOUGH ENERGY TO

POWER ITSELF.

WHEN IT'S ADDED TO THE DIGESTER

MIX, THE CHEMICAL REACTION

TURBOCHARGES THE BIOGAS

PRODUCTION.

HOW DID THE DECISION TO TAKE IN

THIS GREASE IMPACT THE AMOUNT OF

ENERGY YOU'RE ABLE TO PRODUCE

HERE?

>> WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO

DOUBLE OUR GAS PRODUCTION.

AND AS A RESULT DOUBLE OUR

ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION AS WELL

BY TAKING FOG AND ADDING IT--

CO-DIGESTING IT WITH OUR SLUDGE.

>> Reporter: SO BY TAKING THAT

GREASE FROM THESE RESTAURANTS

YOU'RE ABLE TO DOUBLE YOUR

OUTPUT?

>> THAT'’S CORRECT.

DOUBLE THE OUTPUT.

>> Reporter: TRANSFORMING THAT

BIOGAS INTO USABLE POWER

REQUIRED A SIGNIFICANT

INVESTMENT: THE UTILITY

PURCHASED EQUIPMENT TO CLEAN AND

PURIFY THE BIOGAS.

AND IT BOUGHT TWO GENERATORS,

ABOUT $600,000 IN TOTAL, WHICH

TURN THE GAS INTO ELECTRICITY

THAT THE PLANT CAN USE.

>> THE ELECTRICITY IS MONITORED

CONTINUOUSLY.

>> Reporter: AT THE PLANT'S

CONTROL CENTER, MENNINGA SHOWED

US HOW ENERGY USAGE FLUCTUATES

THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

HE SAYS THE INVESTMENTS TO

BECOME NET ZERO HAVE

DRAMATICALLY REDUCED COSTS.

>> THE ENERGY COST USED TO BE

OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A

YEAR.

BUT NOW WE'RE DOWN TO ABOUT

$50,000 A YEAR JUST TO MAINTAIN

THAT CONNECTIVITY WITH THE

UTILITY.

AND THEN BY TAKING THE HIGH

STRENGTH WASTE FROM THE HAULERS

WE'RE ABLE TO GENERATE ABOUT

$300,000 A YEAR IN REVENUE.

SO THIS SWING IS PRETTY DRAMATIC

FOR US.

IT'S OVER 10% OF OUR OPERATING

COSTS.

>> Reporter: MENNINGA SAYS THOSE

SAVINGS HAVEN'T REDUCED THE

OVERALL AMOUNT THAT CUSTOMERS

PAY, BUT THAT BILLS HAVEN'T GONE

UP AS MUCH AS THEY WOULD HAVE.

WHILE THERE HAVE BEEN MONTHS

WHEN EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE OR

HEAVY USAGE REQUIRED MORE GRID

POWER, THE PLANT HAS MET OR

EXCEEDED ITS GOAL OF BEING

ENERGY NEUTRAL NINE OF THE LAST

16 MONTHS.

>> SO THIS IS THE DIGESTER

CONTROL ROOM.

>> Reporter: MENNINGA SAYS THIS

MODEL COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE

THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY USED BY

WATER UTILITIES AROUND THE

COUNTRY.

>> THE WATER ENERGY NEXUS IS A

PRETTY IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE

ENERGY PUZZLE.

THERE'S JUST NO REASON FOR, FOR

A COMMUNITY TO, TO USE A BUNCH

OF ENERGY TO TREAT THEIR WASTE

WATER WHEN THEY CAN BE ACTUALLY

CONVERTING THEIR WASTEWATER

TREATMENT FACILITY INTO A POWER

GENERATING STATION.