What Happened?
Akron, Ohio, recently implemented a high solids anaerobic digestion system in its Water Reclamation Facility that generates biosolids that can be used as renewable sources of energy. The city can now process 100 percent of the city’s biosolids into renewable energy thanks to the $32 million facility.
The Goal
The green technology is able to transform biosolids from compost into biogas that produces renewable electricity. KB BioEnergy operates the technology to create environmentally-responsible sources of electricity from waste solids. The company has been in a public-private partnership with Akron for more than 20 years as the collaboration aims to keep the city at the forefront of green energy technology.
In 2007, KB BioEnergy launched the first face of the anaerobic digestion system able to process about 30 percent of the city’s biosolids, which has since evolved into an energy plant transforming 100 percent of the city’s waste products into useable energy.
How It Works
In an anaerobic digestion system process, the biosolids have microorganism that breakdown the waste materials as a source of food. Kept at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, the system’s digestion tanks house the microorganisms to eat away at the waste and release biogas which can fuel 600 kilowatts combined-heat-and-power units. The captured biogas is removed from the digester and either sent to a device to be used in its immediate state or driven into a gas treatment system for moisture or hydrogen sulfide removal.
Prior to upgrading the anaerobic digestion system, KB BioEnergy and Akron officials expected to generate 10,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy each year, or the equivalent of enough electricity to power 1,400 homes annually. Now that the next phase is nearly complete, excess electricity can be allocated toward the city’s Water Reclamation Facility. Furthermore, Akron officials expect the green technology to:
- Produce renewable energy all year long
- Manage biosolid creation for the next 30 to 50 years
- Significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Generate sustainable electricity sources and pelletized organics
Let’s Go Ohio
Akron is not the only city in Ohio looking to optimize the implementation of high solids anaerobic digestion systems. In conjunction with the Quasar Energy Group, several cities in Ohio and Massachusetts are adopting high solids anaerobic digestion technology to produce electricity and fuel from organic sources and generate more affordable renewable energy for the local community.
While Akron is leveraging anaerobic digestion technology to generate electricity from biosolids, other cities are also transforming agriculture biomass, food processing residuals, ethanol residuals and damaged or expired organics into renewable energy. The end products of anaerobic digestion system processes include:
- Natural gas
- Electricity
- Motor vehicle fuel
- Animal bedding
- Peat alternative
- Concentrated fertilizer separation
Not only are the cities able to make better use of their waste products, but also cut down on greenhouse gas emissions significantly while improving air, water and soil quality. According to the plan’s proposal, the anaerobic digestion systems throughout Ohio could produce a combined savings of $1.76 billion in natural gas, $1.44 billion in electricity or $3.33 billion in concentrated natural gas.
Fresh Perspectives
Gov1 has reported on several modern green initiatives such as Miami’s energy corridor that aim to generate energy for the local community.