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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Let the digestion begin!



Sacramento got itself a new anaerobic digester today, as Clean World Partners launched the nation’s first commercial high-solid organic waste conversion facility at American River Packaging’s (ARP) Sacramento headquarters.  A kick-off event was attended by more than 100 state and local dignitaries, business and community leaders, and investors.  

The Clean World Organic Waste Recycling Center is based on anaerobic digestion (AD) technology developed at UC Davis with funding from the California Energy Commission. It is intended to convert food waste, agricultural residue and other organic waste into renewable energy, fertilizer and soil enhancements.
There are plans to process 7.5 tons/day of food waste from Campbell Soup and other regional food producers along with .5 tons/day of unrecyclable corrugated material from ARP into natural gas. The natural gas will be used to generate approximately 1,300 kWh of renewable electricity per day, supplying about 37 percent of ARP’s electricity needs.

More than 2,900 tons of waste will be diverted annually from landfills, and 1,000 tons of organic soil amendments will be produced per year for regional agricultural and horticultural applications.

The Clean World system installed at ARP is the product of an innovative public-private partnership. Support for research and feasibility studies was provided by UC Davis, CalRecycle and the California Energy Commission, with private investment funding the facility’s construction and installation.  The City of Sacramento played a key role in the project’s implementation through its project-approval and permitting role.  SMUD staff also provided technical assistance and support for interconnection and net metering.  It takes a village.

With this AD project, another planned to come online later this year at Sacramento County's South Area Transfer Station, the SRCSD co-digestion project, two existing and two more planned dairy digesters, Sacramento is developing the infrastructure to support local biogas generation.  It will be interesting to see what happens to feedstock prices as recognition that food waste is a resource grows and competition for the waste heats up in the regional market.

- KA

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