[Digestion] Food-waste anaerobic digester at University of Colorado

[Katahdin Energy Works]

Jason:

I am proposing to use the AURI(Agiculture Utilization Research
Institute)Self Screening Assessment on the Appropriateness of a Community
Manure/food waste digester system, in conjunction with a cellulosic
feedstock audit to determine the amount and types of material we can process
in an Anaerobic Digester.

I Suggest you start with the audit and survey; and then we can decide how
big a system you can install, an approximate cost; and the potential yield
in gas, electricity and other by products.

Start with green waste---where does the university take tree trimmings,
chips, grass clippings and is there a cost to dispose of them?   Then move
into food waste. If your campus is like BOWDOIN COLLEGE's, you'll find tons
of chips are made every year.

Yes you will need to add water and up to 23% solids; but you can recycle the
liquid from the spent slurry in the digester. 

Do you have a market for the bio-gas?....heat..electricity?

Have you looked at GREENFINCH's 'ludlow' project...
http://www.greenfinch.co.uk/ludlow.html for a prototype design that's been
running for a while, esp. the collection and sorting problems. Remember,
you're feeding two types of microbes and they aren't happy with some foods.

Every A.D. begins with an analysis of your feedstock...the amount, the type,
and the cost of acquiring and processing are critical to calculating out
yields and A.D. designs.

CHEERS!


Frank J. Heller, MPA
KATAHDIN ENERGY WORKS
12 Belmont St.
Brunswick, ME 04011-3004
207.729.6090
http://mysite.verizon.net/fjheller/

-----Original Message-----
From: digestion-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:digestion-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Jason Woods
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 3:43 PM
To: digestion at listserv.repp.org
Subject: [Digestion] Food-waste anaerobic digester at University of Colorado


Hello,
 
I'm a mechanical engineering student at the University of Colorado in
Boulder and I'm currently working with a professor and four undergraduate
students on a feasibility study about using anaerobic digestion on campus.
The university produces around 1500 tonnes of food waste per year.  There
will also be some yard waste, but from what I've seen, it still seems the
waste stream is still too small to make the project viable.  Would
composting make more sense in this instance?
 
I was also trying to figure out how much waste water will be generated, and
it seemed pretty high.  If the waste stream is ~70% moisture content and the
process is run as a "high-solids" digester, and the digestate/compost is
dried to 50% moisture content, my mass balance showed lots and lots of waste
water.  Am I forgetting something?  Is there very much water lost to
evaporation?
 
Any other advice, suggestions, or comments are welcome.
 
Thanks much,
jason woods
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