Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle October 2017, Vol. 58, No. 9, p. 14
Emission Control For Anaerobic Digesters
Figure 1. Selected buildings and stacks for an anaerobic digester

An emission control evaluation, air quality modeling, permit application preparation, and post permit compliance activities are significant components of the air quality permitting process. Part II
John Hinckley
BioCycle October 2017, Vol. 58, No. 9, p. 45
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle August 2017, Vol. 58, No. 7, p. 16
Merchant Biogas Plant Services Food Waste Generators
Facility layout: (1) Receiving building, reception pit and food waste preprocessing; (2) Retention/hydrolysis tank; (3) Acetogenesis tank; (4) Primary digester; (5) Digestate holding tank; (6) Biogas conditioning and CHP skid; Effluent polishing with (7) nitrogen removal and (8) aeration prior to discharge.

Connecticut anaerobic digester has capacity to process 40,000 tons/year of dry and liquid food waste. The host community is purchasing the renewable power.
Bob Spencer, Morgan Casella and Nora Goldstein
BioCycle July 2017, Vol. 58, No. 6, p. 33
What The AD Industry Can Learn From Solar Standardization
Figure 1. Example counterparty structure

Applying a proven project finance model to the anaerobic digestion industry is the best way to ensure projects get built and operate profitably over the long-term. John Dannan and Janice Tran BioCycle July 2017, Vol. 58, No. 6, p. 37 THE U.S. anaerobic digestion (AD) market represents an attractive, multibillion dollar investment opportunity. However, structural industry
EV Biofuel — Farm AD Power
BioCycle Energy

Using electricity produced with biogas as a fuel for electric vehicles was finalized by EPA under the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2014. To date, no pending applications have been approved.
Michael Lemon and Jim Lemon
BioCycle June 2017, Vol. 58, No. 5, p. 35
BioEnergy Outlook: The Biogas Pitch
Ted Niblock

Ted Niblock
BioCycle March/April 2017, Vol. 58, No. 3, p. 70
Anaerobic Digest
Bridgend, South Wales, UK anaerobic digestion facility

BioCycle February 2017, Vol. 58, No. 2, p. 16
RNG, Cellulosic Fuels And The Renewable Fuel Standard
Figure 1. Renewable fuel and RIN nesting in the RFS

Because of an all-time high waiver credit value paired with strong advanced RIN prices, renewable natural gas could fetch $35/MMBtu in 2017.
Susan Olson
BioCycle February 2017, Vol. 58, No. 2, p. 30
Microaeration Reduces Hydrogen Sulfide In Biogas
Six field-scale digesters at the BARC Dairy Unit were used to test how the oxidation rates for H2S changed as a function of oxygen levels and retention times.

USDA research shows dosing very small amounts of oxygen into an anaerobic digester significantly improves biogas quality.
Walter Mulbry, Stephanie Lansing and Craig Coker
BioCycle January 2017, Vol. 58, No. 1, p. 57
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle December 2016, Vol. 57, No. 11, p. 14
Tax Credit Tips For Biogas Projects
Tax Credit Tips For Biogas Projects

To tap into available federal tax credits, biogas projects in development should examine steps they might need to take before December 31, 2016.
Kathy Parker
BioCycle November 2016, Vol. 57, No. 10, p. 29
BioEnergy Outlook: Interconnection Pitfalls

Ted Niblock
BioCycle November 2016, Vol. 57, No. 10, p. 38
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle October 2016, Vol. 57, No. 9, p. 13
Evaluating Biogas Management Technologies
Figure 1. General biogas production and use pathway schematic

New report compares performance of seven biogas management technologies, focusing on economics and emissions.
C. Ely, R. Williams, T. Martynowicz and M. Kosusko
BioCycle October 2016, Vol. 57, No. 9, p. 38
Residential SSO To High Solids Anaerobic Digestion
Collection vehicle tips food waste and garden trimmings into receiving pit at the Winterthur anaerobic digestion and composting facility.

Source separated organics, including kitchen and garden waste, are processed in a dry AD plant. Resulting biomethane is injected into an adjacent natural gas pipeline.
Craig Coker
BioCycle October 2016, Vol. 57, No. 9, p. 43
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle September 2016, Vol. 57, No. 8, p. 20
Case For Codigestion At Water Resource Recovery Facilities
Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) in San Rafael, California receives commercial food waste collected and preprocessed by Marin Sanitary Service, then taken to CMSA for codigestion.

About 150 WRRFs in the U.S. accept food waste hauled to their anaerobic digesters for energy recovery. The potential exists to expand this to the 1,200 WRRFs with AD.
Lauren Fillmore and Allison Deines
BioCycle September 2016, Vol. 57, No. 8, p. 50
BioEnergy Outlook: Biogas Policy Platform

Ted Niblock
BioCycle September 2016, Vol. 57, No. 8, p. 70
Upgrading Biogas To Renewable Natural Gas

Feasibility analysis for California gas utility investigated current biogas upgrading technologies, focusing on availability, performance, cost and possible R&D needs.
Craig Coker
BioCycle August 2016, Vol. 57, No. 7, p. 48
Biogas To Fleet Fuel In South San Francisco
Biogas is cleaned with a BioCNG conditioning system.

A solid waste and organics collection company uses biogas from an anaerobic digestion facility built at its transfer station to fuel 27 of its 40 trucks.
Nora Goldstein
BioCycle July 2016, Vol. 57, No. 6, p. 35
BioEnergy Outlook: Brexit And Climate Policy

Ted Niblock
BioCycle July 2016, Vol. 57, No. 6, p. 38
Anaerobic Digest
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle June 2016, Vol. 57, No. 5, p. 13
Biogas Piping Design And Safety
Biogas piping

The natural gas industry’s end-user piping design and regulations serve as guidance for biogas conveyance because both use smaller diameter pipes and operate at lower pressures.
Sara Martin and Craig Coker
BioCycle June 2016, Vol. 57, No. 5, p. 44
Commentary: Implementing The Electric RFS
Jim Lemon & Michael Lemon

Jim Lemon and Michael Lemon
BioCycle March/April 2016, Vol. 57, No. 3, p. 52
BioEnergy Outlook: Biogas And Environmental Justice

Ted Niblock
BioCycle February 2016, Vol. 57, No. 2, p. 38
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle January 2016, Vol. 57, No. 1 p.18
Biogas And The Clean Power Plan
The contribution that anaerobic digesters can make to reduce CO2 emissions while generating electricity paves the way for inclusion of these systems in each state’s Clean Power implementation plans.

American Biogas Council explains a major opportunity for anaerobic digestion and biogas in all 50 states in 2016. But action is needed.
Maureen Walsh
BioCycle January 2016, Vol. 57, No. 1 p.57
Biomass-To-Electricity Tax Credits Extended
Biomass-to-electricity tax credits

The Omnibus Act passed by Congress and signed into law in December includes short extensions of production and investment tax credits for biogas-to-electricity projects.
Craig Coker
BioCycle January 2016, Vol. 57, No. 1 p.60
Anaerobic Digest
Freestanding pasteurization systems made by Landia, installed by Shropshire Energy in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, UK.

BioCycle December 2015, Vol. 56, No. 11, p. 17
The Renewable Energy Generation
Reinford-Frymoyer Farm installed a Guascor engine (inset) that can produce up to 225 kWh. Excess heat from the engine heats the farmhouse and is used to custom-dry corn in the farm’s 10,000 bushel drying bin (black heat pipe above).

Brett Reinford brought the idea of anaerobic digestion to his parents’ dairy farm. His brother, Chad, was then inspired to install a larger AD system on his own farming operation.
Molly Farrell Tucker
BioCycle December 2015, Vol. 56, No. 11, p. 46
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle November 2015, Vol. 56, No. 10, p. 14

ABC 2015 Award Winners
Many of the ABC 2015 Biogas Award winners accepted their plaques in person during a reception at BioCycle REFOR15, which is also the Official Conference of the American Biogas Council.

A total of 12 awards were presented by the American Biogas Council to agricultural, municipal, institutional and merchant anaerobic digestion facilities and innovative technology developers.
Patrick Serfass
BioCycle November 2015, Vol. 56, No. 10, p. 42

Moving Wisconsin’s Biogas Industry Forward
Forest County Potawatomi Community, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Photos courtesy of Wisconsin State Energy Office

A recent survey of Wisconsin’s biogas industry — which includes 172 anaerobic digesters —highlights challenges and solutions needed to advance biogas facility development.
Clinton Fandrich and Amanda Mott
BioCycle September 2015, Vol. 56, No. 8, p. 36

Anaerobic Digest
Longchamps biomethane plant

BioCycle September 2015, Vol. 56, No. 8, p. 22

American Biogas Council Policy Update
American Biogas Council members (including the group above) representing 11 different states attended 18 meetings on Capitol Hill in July.

ABC staff and members met with White House staff, legislators and federal agency officials during a recent fly-in to Washington, D.C.
Maureen Walsh and Dayanita Ramesh
BioCycle September 2015, Vol. 56, No. 8, p. 59
BioEnergy Outlook: Communicating Value

Ted Niblock
BioCycle September 2015, Vol. 56, No. 8, p. 70
Low Cost Switch To 100% Renewables
Georgetown pursued 100 percent renewable energy simply because it was the best investment for their customers.

Is Georgetown, Texas a model for other cities to follow to make a switch to 100 percent renewable energy?
John Farrell
BioCycle August 2015, Vol. 56, No. 7, p. 51
Anaerobic Digest
AgSTAR website redesign

BioCycle July 2015, Vol. 56, No. 6, p. 14
Entrepreneur Connects Generators To AD
Napoleon Biogas, LLC processes organic waste from a neighboring Campbell Soup Company plant in Napoleon, Ohio. Underground pipes transport the organics from the plant to the digester (shown in foreground; biogas storage unit on right).

A Northeast company brings anaerobic digestion and renewable energy to the feedstock sources in Ohio and New York State.
Dan Emerson
BioCycle July 2015, Vol. 56, No. 6, p. 34
Digester Biogas Heats Up Ethanol Plant
A DVO mixed plug flow digester (foreground) was installed at the Calgen Renewable Fuels ethanol plant (background) to process dairy manure from a nearby farm with about 10,000 gallons/day of food waste.

Pixley Biogas in Pixley, California is the state’s first anaerobic digester that is powering another renewable energy facility.
Dan Emerson
BioCycle June 2015, Vol. 56, No. 5, p. 46
Boosting Biogas And The Bottom Line At WRRFs
The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in Oakland, California, was an early pioneer in codigestion at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), utilizing its excess digester capacity to process food waste streams.

“Traditional” WWTPs with anaerobic digesters are adding high strength food waste and FOG to become Water Resource Recovery Facilities with significantly smaller carbon footprints. Part I
Marsha Johnston
BioCycle June 2015, Vol. 56, No. 5, p. 48
Insights Into Biogas Project Financing

Recent American Biogas Council webinar focused on tools and strategies to raise capital for anaerobic digestion facilities targeting food waste feedstocks.
Marsha Johnston
BioCycle May 2015, Vol. 56, No. 4, p. 46
Anaerobic Digest
The St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Disposal District installed a vehicle fueling system in 2012.

BioCycle March/April 2015, Vol. 56, No. 3, p. 22

BioEnergy Outlook: Sanity Of Carbon Pricing

Ted Niblock
BioCycle March/April 2015, Vol. 56, No. 3, p. 86
BioEnergy Outlook: Keystone Pipeline Fallout

Ted Niblock
BioCycle February 2015, Vol. 56, No. 2, p. 46

Anaerobic Digest
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle January 2015, Vol. 56, No. 1, p. 22
Quantifying Landfill Biogas Production Potential In The U.S.
Figure 2. Overall amount of methane collected versus emitted annually for the U.S.

New study estimates that volume of landfill-derived methane in U.S. is 466 billion cubic feet per year, of which 66 percent is collected and only 58 percent is utilized.
A.E. Schauer-Gimenez, A.J. Cal, M-C. Morse, A.J. Pieja, K.M. Holtman and W.J. Orts
BioCycle November 2014, Vol. 55, No. 10, p. 43
Anaerobic Digest
Microsoft’s Data Plant is powered by a fuel cell fueled by biogas from an anaerobic digester.

BioCycle November 2014, Vol. 55, No. 10, p. 16
BioCycle Live: Opening Plenary Session, BioCycle East Coast Conference 2014

Unedited video from opening plenary session of BioCycle East Coast Conference, October 28, 2014.
Commentary: Biogas And The November Election
Edward Niblock

Ted Niblock
BioCycle October 2014, Vol. 55, No. 9, p. 52

Anaerobic Digester Good Fit For Rendering Plant
A tanker truck delivers grease trap waste from restaurants in the area to the digester facility at North State Rendering.

California renderer installs digester system to process plant’s wastewater and grease trap waste, as well as additional food residuals streams. Conditioned biogas will fuel collection trucks.
Soren Rasmussen
BioCycle October 2014, Vol. 55, No. 9, p. 48
Advancing Organics Recycling On The East Coast
Demo plots have been installed on the Turf Valley Country Club grounds (adjacent to Conference hotel) to compare standard treatment for turf establishment to “suburban subsoiling” via decompaction and compost amendment. Inset image features core sample of soil prior to treatment.

Meeting demand for organics processing infrastructure, building climate-resilient communities and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay watershed are hot topics for discussion at BioCycle East Coast Conference 2014.
Nora Goldstein
BioCycle September 2014, Vol. 55, No. 8, p. 28
Federal Biogas Opportunities Roadmap
A lack of consolidated financial and technical data for the biogas industry made it difficult to tabulate the economic and environmental benefits from anaerobic digesters not located on farms or at wastewater treatment plants.

Roadmap identifies existing federal programs and funding that can increase use of biogas systems to reduce methane emissions and generate energy and fuels.
Patrick Serfass
BioCycle September 2014, Vol. 55, No. 8, p. 54
BioCycle World
Filtrexx's Student Design Competition at the 14th Annual Meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society.

BioCycle September 2014, Vol. 55, No. 8, p. 8

Central America Coffee Growers Generate Biogas To Fuel Facilities And Kitchen Stoves

The Energy from Coffee Wastewater project has been implemented in a range of differently sized farms in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Power Positive Resource Recovery
Figure 1. Power positive resource recovery at a BNEW resource recovery center

Using laws of thermodynamic analysis to evaluate the energy and power characteristics of wastewater and beneficial uses of biogas offers greater insight into best business practices and what is achievable.
David Parry
BioCycle August 2014, Vol. 55, No. 7, p. 45
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle August 2014, Vol. 55, No. 7, p. 20

Anaerobic Digest
Storms Hog Power (SHP) facility, Bladenboro, North Carolina

BioCycle July 2014, Vol. 55, No. 6, p. 16
Symphony Of The Microgrid At An Urban University
The 2.8 MW fuel cell covers an area the size of a tennis court. Combined with an absorption chiller, it will reach 68 percent efficiency.

The University of California San Diego’s microgrid produces 92 percent of its annual electricity load and 95 percent of its heating and cooling load. A fuel cell powered by directed biogas is a cornerstone of the operation.

Marsha W. Johnston
BioCycle July 2014, Vol. 55, No. 6, p. 51
Anaerobic Digest
This Grand Junction (Colorado) fueling station delivers biogas-based CNG generated at the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Facility

BioCycle June 2014, Vol. 55, No. 5, p. 18

Building A Biogas Highway In The U.S.
The liquid RNG produced annually at the Altamont Landfill is equivalent to 2.5 million gallons of diesel fuel. Waste Management uses the fuel in its trash collection trucks.

Studies “conservatively” estimate renewable natural gas could replace 16 percent of the 38 billion gallons of diesel fuel consumed annually by the 10 million fleet trucks and buses on American roads.
Peter Gorrie
BioCycle March/April 2014, Vol. 55, No. 3, p. 36

Feedstock Seasonality Impact On Biogas Production
May food waste (top, left) May yard trimmings (top, right) October yard trimmings (bottom, left) November food waste (bottom, right)

First graduate student to work on-site at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh dry fermentation digester describes feedstock variations and biogas production trends.
Brooke Koenig
BioCycle February 2014, Vol. 55, No. 2, p. 43
Anaerobic Digest
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle February 2014, Vol. 55, No. 2, p. 13
Biogas Potential In Canada
Figure 1. Biogas energy production potential by source

New study reports that about two-thirds of the potential national biogas contribution would come from
on-farm anaerobic digesters.
Peter Gorrie
BioCycle December 2013, Vol. 54, No. 12, p. 34
Biogas To Heat And Power

A variety of turbines and IC engines are designed to operate on biogas. Both types of cogeneration equipment have unique characteristics including their electrical and thermal efficiency.
Kim Murdock-Timmerman
BioCycle September 2013, Vol. 54, No. 9, p. 59
AD And Biogas Technology Developments In UK
Biogest “Power-Compact” MicroPlant

BioCycle editor highlights some exhibits at the UK’s Anaerobic Digestion & Biogas Association Conference and trade show held in July.
David Riggle
BioCycle August 2013, Vol. 54, No. 8, p. 42
Anaerobic Digest
SmartFerm digesters at Monterey Regional Waste Management District's ’s integrated waste management complex.

BioCycle March 2013, Vol. 54, No. 3, p. 19
Biogas Production And Potential From U.S. Wastewater Treatment
Figure 2. Percentages of biogas utilization technologies in use at WWTPs producing biogas

An extensive data collection undertaking has yielded an improved picture of wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. with operating anaerobic digesters and if and how the biogas generated is utilized.
Maile Lono-Batura, Yinan Qi and Ned Beecher
BioCycle December 2012, Vol. 53, No. 12, p. 46
Anaerobic Digest
Microsoft moves ahead on environmentally-friendly on-site power generation with biogas powered data center.

BioCycle December 2012, Vol. 53, No. 12, p. 19

Anaerobic Digest
New digester for Port of Tillamook Bay industrial park

BioCycle November 2012, Vol. 53, No. 11, p. 17 Diamond Bar, California: RFP For Emission Control Technologies For Biogas Engines The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) has released an RFP to solicit proposals for the deployment of selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR) emission control technologies for internal combustion engines operating on landfill and/or digester
Innovation Key To Biosolids Digestion
Construction of the thermal hydrolysis pretreatment system and digesters at the Blue Plains Advanced WWTP is expected to be completed in 2014.

Facility scheduled for completion in 2014 at Washington, D.C. treatment plant will utilize thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion — and produce 11.8 MW of power.
Diane Greer
BioCycle October 2012, Vol. 53, No. 10, p. 42

Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle September 2012, Vol. 53, No. 9, p. 19 Washington, DC: USDA Announces AD Funding The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service recently announced $14 million in funding for its Value Added Producer Grant competitive grants program. The program is designed to help agricultural producers enter into value-added activities and may be
Anaerobic Digest
Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle August 2012, Vol. 53, No. 8, p. 18
Microturbines Fill Biogas Utilization Niche
The Sheboygan, Wisconsin treatment facility was an early adopter of biogas-fired microturbine technology, installing ten 30 kW Capstone microturbines in 2006 that produce about 4,500 kW/day. (Photo courtesy of Sheboygan WWTP)

Ability to meet stringent air quality emissions rules, “plug and play” interconnection and ease of maintenance
are among features attractive to digester operators at WWTPs.
Diane Greer
BioCycle August 2012, Vol. 53, No. 8, p. 54
Energy Efficiency And Biogas Generation At Wastewater Plants

Anaerobic digestion systems are being upgraded to accept food waste and FOG to boost energy generation.
Diane Greer
BioCycle July 2012, Vol. 53, No. 7, p. 37

Anaerobic Digest

BioCycle July 2012, Vol. 53, No. 7, p. 14

How To Speak “Natural Gas”
Conditioning equipment for biogas quality

Achieving optimal communications with local natural gas distribution and transmission pipeline companies can help bring renewable natural gas projects to successful fruition.

Diane L. Saber
BioCycle May 2012, Vol. 53, No. 5, p. 41
Indian Village Adopts Household Biogas
Water and bovine dung is put in the mixing chamber of biogas digester

BioCycle April 2012, Vol. 53, No. 4, p. 46
A model program improves community’s self-reliance, generates fuel and provides digested dung for soil fertility.
Anaerobic Digestion

BioCycle April 2012, Vol. 53, No. 4, p. 18
Ontario, Canada: Favorable News On Biogas Feed-In Tariff; Portland, Oregon: Biogas Project Eschews Public Funding; Sacramento, California: High Solids Anaerobic Digester; London, England: Famous Ad Investors In Britain; St. Paul, Minnesota: State Funding For Ad Projects; Rosemont, Illinois: Sustainable Dairy Farmers Honored; Washington, DC: DC Waters Invests $4.1 Billion In Renewables