[Digestion] Oregon State University Biodigester
Matt Lorig
mattlorig at yahoo.com
Fri Oct 26 20:34:13 EDT 2007
Warren,
Do you have any specific information about the biodigester at Oregon State? I am interested especially in the moving lid. Are there any plans or schematics available anywhere? I looked at OSU's website and didn't have any luck.
thanks,
matt
Matt Lorig
mattlorig at yahoo.com
----- Original Message ----
From: "digestion-request at listserv.repp.org" <digestion-request at listserv.repp.org>
To: digestion at listserv.repp.org
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 8:00:05 AM
Subject: Digestion Digest, Vol 16, Issue 17
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Energy from Algae (was RE: the chicken coupe)
(Katahdin Energy Works)
2. Re: Energy from Algae (was RE: the chicken coupe)
(Katahdin Energy Works)
3. Re: Food-waste anaerobic digester at University of Colorado
(Warren Weisman)
4. Re: Food-waste anaerobic digester at University of Colorado
(Bj?rn Dahlroth)
5. energy from algae (Zietsman, Rex)
6. An accident waiting to happen (methane+diesel fumes)?
(Zietsman, Rex)
7. Re: AD of rabbit manure (Peter Allison)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:27:35 -0200
From: "Katahdin Energy Works" <KatahdinEnergyWorks at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Digestion] Energy from Algae (was RE: the chicken
coupe)
To: <paul.harris at adelaide.edu.au>, <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
Message-ID: <002101c81713$307e4c20$917ae460$@net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Algae...burning, NO! growing and expressing oil or collecting hydrogen, SI!
Here's what Burt Cutts, now in the University of S. Carolina's technology
incubator program has to say:
[img]http://incubator.research.sc.edu/images/company/synfratech.jpg[/img]
Frank,
I think you're on the right track with that idea. I would suggest that you
try to situate the compost so that the runoff enters the pond or lagoon at
the "top" (flow-wise). Then the algae will have access to the nutrients
right from the start. As the flow moves through the pond/lagoon, the
nutrients get used and start to deplete. Towards the end of the flow, where
your outlet or overflow is located, the nutrients will be at their lowest
level, which should correspond to more lipid accumulation in the algal
cells. This is all based on observations (in the DOE ASP) of algae
metabolism in nitrogen and silicon depleted conditions. While the available
nutrients at the start encourage rapid cell division, the depleted nutrients
near the end encourage lipid accumulation in those cells present (and a
reduction in cell division). The overall lipid productivity isn't higher
(because of the reduced cellular division near the outlet), but the lipid %
in individual cells is much higher, which should translate to an easier time
extracting the oils.
All of this is assuming that you want lipids and not cellulose or
carbohydrates. If you're going to try making biodiesel, of course you want
the lipids. If you're just going to burn the biomass, or try fermenting and
making ethanol, then you would probably approach it differently.
Do you have any notion of what species of algae are present?
..I have more if you want it...suggest you contact him directly at the
program.
Frank.
Frank J. Heller, MPA
KATAHDIN ENERGY WORKS
12 Belmont St.
Brunswick, ME 04011-3004
207.729.6090
http://mysite.verizon.net/fjheller/
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:32:35 -0200
From: "Katahdin Energy Works" <KatahdinEnergyWorks at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Digestion] Energy from Algae (was RE: the chicken
coupe)
To: <paul.harris at adelaide.edu.au>, <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
Message-ID: <002201c81713$e3c38c00$ab4aa400$@net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Forgot to add this on Bert Cutts operation:
On Wednesday, October 25, Columbia-based renewable energy startup company
Synfratech was welcomed as the newest addition to the USC Technology
Incubator. Synfratech is intitially focused on developing supply-chain
solutions for the nascent biofuels industry. Synfratech will be teaming up
with researchers from USC to develop new approaches to technology
integration in the renewable/alternative energy sector. Initial work will
center on the use of algae as a vegetable-oil feedstock for biodiesel and
other biofuels. "No other fuel crop has the level of yield obtainable with
algae, so it just makes sense to seriously apply ourselves to solving the
challenges of commercializing this feedstock in the biofuels industry" says
Synfratech founder and CEO, Bert Cutts. Research into the manufacture of
ethanol from algae-derived cellulose is also high on Synfratech's R&D
agenda.
Other research that will find applications in the automotive cluster is
being planned, including next-generation diesel-electric plug-in hybrid
drive trains. "South Carolina has an opportunity to take a leadership role
in the transportation and energy paradigm shift that is already starting to
occur." says Cutts. "If Synfratech continues to forge the right
partnerships, South Carolina will benefit from new jobs, cleaner air, more
renewable energy, and potentially an entirely new segment of agribusiness
worth many millions of dollars to the state."
Synfratech, which is derived from "Synergetic Infrastructure Technologies",
has been an EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program member since 2003, when
Cutts invented a hybrid solar-thermal/methane device for electricity
production at landfill sites. The device leverages investments in methane
collection and use by allowing solar thermal energy (abundant at most
landfills) to also be converted to electricity using much of the same
capital equipment (and without expensive solar panels).
Synfratech plans to construct it's first pilot algaculture operation in
early 2007 in cooperation with a 'large local power company' under an
anticipated R&D contract with the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI)
through the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA). The location has not
yet been determined, and Cutts says that there are still options to consider
before making a final determination of the location."
Frank J. Heller, MPA
KATAHDIN ENERGY WORKS
12 Belmont St.
Brunswick, ME 04011-3004
207.729.6090
http://mysite.verizon.net/fjheller/
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:49:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Warren Weisman <weiswar at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Digestion] Food-waste anaerobic digester at University
of Colorado
To: Jason Woods <jdwoods21 at hotmail.com>, digestion at listserv.repp.org
Message-ID: <817525.45526.qm at web62407.mail.re1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Jason,
They have a small-scale food digester at Oregon State
University. They're not too proud of it and I don't
think there's anyone there who knows how to run it,
but it's a good design, with a lid that you would turn
in order to stir the contents.
Also, a couple of US cities----Oakland for
sure----have large scale food waste digester programs.
Warren Weisman
USA
--- Jason Woods <jdwoods21 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> 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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------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:31:43 +0200
From: Bj?rn Dahlroth <bjorn.dahlroth at telia.com>
Subject: Re: [Digestion] Food-waste anaerobic digester at University
of Colorado
To: "'Jason Woods'" <jdwoods21 at hotmail.com>,
<digestion at listserv.repp.org>
Message-ID: <000c01c81746$0e900c10$8502a8c0 at BJ00120051220>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hi
>From energy point of view composting can never beat digestion.
If you have a large waste incineration plant in the vicinity producing
district heating or using the energy for some sensible purpose composting
can't beat that either but it depends on the moisture content of the food
waste and on whether they extract heat from the moisture in the fluegas by
condensing.
Composting "burns up" huge amounts of bio-energy and even if you consider
the fertilizing effect of compost and the energy saved in the manufacturing
of commercial fertilizer, composting is still loosing in comparison. In a
future when bio-energy is scarce larger scale composting might be less
common. You also have much less fertilizer loss in a digestion plant.
However today composting can be cheaper depending on how you do it. Compost
can be a soil improver and may be the present nearby soil mixing market is
paying more. For composting pure food waste you also need to add structure
material like garden waste and similar and that adds to the soil improving
properties but entails an additional cost.
The digestion plant will of course also produce some sludge that can be
treated afterwards in a composting process.
Something that you might find interesting for small plants is to digest in
concrete cells with gas tight membranes. The process takes much longer time,
but is not so sensitive to impurities due to bad source separation. When the
gas production is going down you switch over to composting. Afterwards you
dig it out. This method is in use. Of course such a process has its fair
share of practical problems but I guess there are no digesting plants
anywhere of any kind where they don't have some problems. That is why you
employ people to run them.
Regards
Bjorn Dahlroth
-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Fr?n: digestion-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:digestion-bounces at listserv.repp.org] F?r Jason Woods
Skickat: den 24 oktober 2007 19:43
Till: digestion at listserv.repp.org
?mne: [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
_________________________________________________________________
Climb to the top of the charts!? Play Star Shuffle:? the word scramble
challenge with star power.
http://club.live.com/star_shuffle.aspx?icid=starshuffle_wlmailtextlink_oct
_______________________________________________
Digestion mailing list
Digestion at listserv.repp.org
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Beginner's Guide to Biogas
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/
http://info.bioenergylists.org
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 06:32:55 +0200
From: "Zietsman, Rex" <Rex at Process.co.za>
Subject: [Digestion] energy from algae
To: <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
Message-ID:
<15158807F724CB4593BF508C151108CC016CD8F0 at scalpel.imsgroup.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I agree wholeheartedly. My route is to hydrolyse and saccarify before
fermenting to ethanol. The ethanol only is then boiled off.
Rex
Paul wrote:
G'day all,
Energy from algae is a hot topic! If incinerating remember that algae
are
wet to start with, you convert all the organic carbon to CO2, you
basically
loose any nutrients to the ash and that you then have to deal with
particulates in the flue gas - I think oil extraction and AD are better
energy routes than straight incineration.
Happy digesting,
HOOROO
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 06:39:42 +0200
From: "Zietsman, Rex" <Rex at Process.co.za>
Subject: [Digestion] An accident waiting to happen (methane+diesel
fumes)?
To: <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
Message-ID:
<15158807F724CB4593BF508C151108CC016CD8F7 at scalpel.imsgroup.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
The fact that diesel fumes happened to be there does not change the
lethality of a methane explosion. Methane mixed with air in the
explosive range will "deflagrate" (shock wave proceeds at <speed of
sound which is still fast and the expansion of the hot gas is very
violent) and cause unbelievable damage. It is one of the reasons for
promoting good ventilation around digesters.
Rex
... It is interesting how our military "intelligence" knew immediately
that methane+diesel fumes can cause a HUGE blast to kill 11 and injure
100+ ...
Is this story below plausible? If it is then, it probably worth
discussing in this forum.
As the "accident" was witnessed by many, recorded by surveillance
cameras & broadcast on live TV almost immediately and was initially
suspected as a bomb (or an LPG tank exploding due to improper
connections?) -- no one spoke of seeing, hearing or smelling fire or
smoke that would be characteristic of diesel (or just methane+diesel
fumes) burning.
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:45:19 +1000 (AUS Eastern Standard Time)
From: "Peter Allison" <pmallison at optusnet.com.au>
Subject: Re: [Digestion] AD of rabbit manure
To: <digestion at listserv.repp.org>
Message-ID: <4721B72F.000003.03364 at pi-eb43bvi5gwjh>
Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hi All,
I'm at present digesting rabbit manure in a one ton pilot plant to assess
gas output and the quality of the spent supernatant. I introduced about
10kgs of calcium hydroxide Ag-lime to increase pH after acidification. The
plant is producing plenty of methane and biological activity but also plenty
of foam, similar to what they use for extinguishing liquid fuel fires. Does
anyone know of an organic based de-bubbling fluid I could use to collapse
the foam discharge? It's fouling my gas lines and creating havoc.
Stand back! I think she is ready to blow!
Help!
PA
------------------------------
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