anaerobic technologies and innovations

[email protected]://www.seahold.com

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Anaerobic Technologies and Innovations

Tom Hintz – Seahold LLCUNC Charlotte IDEAS Center

Bioenergy SymposiumApril 9, 2013

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Your PresenterThomas Hintz, is the senior/managing partner at SeaHold LLC. Tom is a seasoned business executive with a solid background of achievements in profit generation, product/project development. Tom graduated from Indiana University in 1983. Tom’s main focus is “Renewable Energy” in California, working with farmers, private industry, universities, innovative entrepreneurs, and government agencies. Tom’s greatest strengths are the conceptualization, visualization and implementation of “waste to energy” projects that yield significant revenue, while maximizing environmentally sound practices. Tom is recognized for his expertise in the field, and regularly advises local, regional and state regulatory agencies and commissions that govern “Renewable Energy” projects.

Tom specializes in making projects happen; from the “pie in the sky” conceptual design through specific, detailed engineering; to the commissioning and operations of alternative energy facilities and the eventual interconnection to natural gas and electrical distribution networks. Tom knows the value of buying and selling energy credits.


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The Basics

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Anaerobic Digestion is simply the controlled breakdown of organic matter without air, used to manage waste and/or to release energy. It is a biological process that produces an energy-rich biogas, principally composed of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), which can be used as a fuel.

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What is Anaerobic Digestion?


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Feedstock Makes Energy

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The Anaerobic Digestion Cycle


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Biogas Systems & Technology

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A Basic Biogas System


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Digester TechnologiesCovered Lagoon

Complete Mix

Plug Flow Fixed Film

Vessel Deep (>3m) Lagoon

Round/square in/above ground

tank

Rectangular, in-ground tank

Above-ground tank,

plastic fill

Tech Level Low Med Low Med

Heating No Yes Yes No

Solids <3% 3-10% 11-13% 3%

Solids Type Fine Coarse Coarse v. Fine

Collection Flush Flush / scrape Scrape Flush

HRT (days) 40-60 15+ 15+ 2-3

Climates Temperate & Warm All All Temperate & Warm


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A Typical Complete Mix Digester

Fiscalini FarmsModesto, CABiogas Energy, Inc.

Fiscalini FarmsModesto, CABiogas Energy, Inc.


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Lagoon Digester

Joseph Farms - Cottonwood DairyAtwater, CAWilliams Engineering Design


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Plug Flow Digester

Qualco EnergyTulalip, WAAndgar


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Fixed Film Digester

The basic fixed-film digester design consists of a tank filled with plastic media on which a consortia of bacteria attach and grow as a slime layer or biofilm hence the name fixed-film digester. The media is fully submerged and wastewater flow can be in either the up-flow or down-flow mode. As the wastewater passes through the media-filled reactor, the attached and suspended anaerobic biomass convert both soluble and particulate organic matter in the wastewater to biogas, a mixture of mostly methane and carbon dioxide

Dairy Research Unit (DRU) at the University of Florida


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Innovations In Anaerobic Digestion

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High Solids Digesters◦ Best used for mixed feedstock applications (food waste,

animal manure, ethanol production byproducts)◦ Smaller real-estate footprint and feedstock flexibility

CNG Gas Station/Pipeline

Solid SoilAmendment

Final Storage/Post Digester

Pump

Main Digester

Digestate Solids

Gas Upgrading

Separator Liquid SoilAmendment

CHP

Thermal Energy

Electric Energy

Special thanks to Kyle Goehring - Eisemann


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High Rate – Zero Waste◦ 90%+ conversion of feedstock to energy, low turn-around

time (4 days); produces organic fertilizer and CLEAN WATER as by-products

Special thanks to Joe Burke - Novus


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Financial incentives can help offset the cost of anaerobic digestion projects

Examples◦ State Of North Carolina - Renewable Energy Tax Credit◦ 35% up to $2.5 million per installation - no system sizing

requirement◦ Federal - Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit◦ Electricity produced from anaerobic digesters - .011 per kWH-

minimum sizing 150 kW

Extensive information can be found at http://www.dsireusa.org

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Financial Incentives


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Make your project successful !!

Small Footprint - only 4 day HRT

90%+ Conversion to energy

Ability to ‘Test Drive a Plant’

Creation of Organic Fertilizer

Produce Clean Water for reuse

Reason For Failure Strategy For Success

• Operators did not have the skills or the time required to keep a marginal system operating.

•Do your homework, get the training and skills needed for long term success

• Developer selected digester systems that were not compatible with facility operations.

•The biggest key to success of a project is to find and implement the technology solution that not only fits with the operational strategy of the facility, but that the technology solution doesn’t DISRUPT the operations of the facility

•Some designer/builders sold “cookie cutter” designs to operators •“One Size Fits All” does not work for biogas solutions.

• The systems became too expensive to maintain and repair because of poor system design.

•“Proprietary” and “One Of A Kind” technology solutions are not necessarily the best investments

• Operators did not receive adequate training and technical support for their systems.

•Do your homework, get the training and skills

• There were no financial returns of the system or returns diminished over time

•“Financial Success” isn’t necessarily measured on the amount of “income” a system generates; look to the long term returns (environmental, etc) that will assist


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Kyle Goehring - EISENMANN Corporation Joe Burke – Novus Energy Jeff Zierdt – Novus Energy Brian Gannon – Biogas Energy Incorporated

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SeaHold would like to thank:

anaerobic technologies and innovations

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