Renewable Energy from Waste

A Review of Case Studies

2009 AIEC Waste To Energy Workshop

Springfield, Illinois
October 20, 2009

Michael P. O’Neil
Applied Technologies, Inc.
 Two Case Studies

• Case 1: AD/CHP application in La Crosse, Wisconsin

– Substrate: brewery wastewater
– AD system: two UASBs
– CHP: Jenbacher engine generator, 633 kW

• Case 2: AD/CHP application in Waterloo, Wisconsin

– Substrate: dairy farm manure/whey
– AD system: two CSTRs
– CHP: Jenbacher engine generator, 633 kW
 Case Study 1: A Partnership
Between a Brewery and a Hospital

LaCrosse, Wisconsin
 City Brewing Company

• State-of-the-art contract brewing facility

– Produces and packages various beers and beverages
– Brewing capacity: 7 million barrels annually
– Packaging capacity: 50 million cases annually
• Wastewater treatment
– Up-flow anaerobic
sludge blanket reactors
– Effluent to local POTW
– Biogas to flares
 Gundersen Lutheran

• Serves 19 counties in western Wisconsin,

northeastern Iowa, and southeastern Minnesota
• Offers broad range of medical
care with over 50 facilities
• Renewable energy goal
– “…offset 100% of its energy needs by creating
renewable energy and by
improving energy efficiency
by the year 2014.”
 The Partnership

• Gundersen Lutheran has a goal to offset 100% of

its energy use with renewable energy by 2014
• City Brewing Company was generating and
flaring 100% of its biogas
 Wastewater and Biogas
Characteristics
Substrate: Brewery wastewater
Average daily volume 868,000 gal/day
Wastewater
COD concentration 4,900 mg/L
Characteristics
TSS concentration 590 mg/L
Seasonal variation (peak) May-September
Estimated biogas flow rate (avg) 0 - 600 scfm
Predicted annual volume 89 million ft3

Biogas Methane content 60 - 82%

Characteristics Estimated H2S concentration 0.5 – 2.5 %
Estimated siloxane concentration 0 - 3.0 ppmv
Estimated energy value 600 – 650 BTU/scf
 Major Challenges
High H2S
Results of Initial Biogas Testing Results
(Test Samples: grab; Biogas: RH: 100%, Temp: 35oC, Flow: 0 - 600 scfm)

Test - 1 Test - 2 Test - 3 Test - 4 Test - 5

Parameter
(11/6/07) (4/21/08) (4/29/08) (5/6/08) (5/14/08)
Methane (%) N/A 81 72 75.5 71.6
Carbon Dioxide (%) N/A 17.1 25.1 21.1 26.3
Sulfur Species (ppmv) 2,622 3,660 18,706 13,595 9,984
Silicon (ppmv) 1.04 0.44 2.41 N/A N/A
 Sulfur Species - WW (mg/L)

0
200
400
600
800
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
6/16 18:59

1,000 H2S
6/17 0:59

6/17 6:59

6/17 12:59

6/17 18:59

6/18 0:59

6/18 6:59

6/18 12:59

6/18 18:59

6/19 0:59

6/19 6:59

WW Inf - Sulfate
6/19 12:59

6/19 18:59

6/20 0:59

6/20 6:59

Time
6/20 12:59

WW Inf - Sulfide
6/20 18:59

6/21 0:59

6/21 6:59

6/21 12:59

WW Inf - Sulfite
6/21 18:59

6/22 0:59

H2S 6/22 6:59

6/22 12:59

6/22 18:59

6/23 0:59

6/23 6:59
Sulfur Species in Wastewater

6/23 12:59

6/23 18:59
Correlation Between H2S in Biogas and

0.0
0.3
0.6
0.9
1.2
1.5
1.8
2.1
2.4
2.7
3.0

Hydrogen Sulfide - Gas (%)

 City
Brewing Solid Waste Solid Waste
Company Fertilizer Landfill
Processing Supplement Disposal
Plant

Wastewater

Equali- Solids
zation
Tank
Screens

Filter Press
Rapid Mix Chemical
Solids
Tank Treatment Conditioning
Removal
Solution

Transformer
Heat
Exchanger

West East Gas Gas

Processing Biogas Processing
Anaerobic Anaerobic
H2S H2S
UASB UASB Removal Polishing

Power Heat
Flares
Wastewater Gas Combined
Processing Heat and
City of Moisture Power
La Crosse Removal Generator
Wastewater
Treatment
Plant
Site
Plan
Pre-Construction Site Location
 Case Study 2:
Dairy Farm and Cheese Plant Go Green

Waterloo, Wisconsin

Crave Brothers Dairy

Crave Brothers Cheese Plant

 Crave Brothers Dairy Farm

• Started by two of the four Crave brothers with 70

cows in 1978; the other two brothers joined later
• Today
– 1,100 Holstein milking cows
– 900 young stock
– 1,800 acres of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa used to
feed the cows
• Each cow produces approximately 28,000 pounds
of milk annually (3,300 gallons)
 Farmstead Cheese Factory

• Originally built in 2001(6,000 square feet),

and later expanded to 20,000 square feet
• Milk from the dairy is piped directly across
the road to the cheese factory
• Cheese factory produces a variety of craft and
specialty cheeses
 Wastewater and Biogas
Characteristics
Substrate: Manure 50,000 gpd

Substrate: Whey 5,000 gpd

Substrate: Off-site wastes 5,000 gpd (varies)
Wastewater
(3-4 substrates: generally FOG) (10% by volume)
Characteristics
Average Total Volume to Digesters 55,000 - 60,000 gpd
TS 14,000 mg/L
VS 50% of TS
Estimated biogas flow rate (avg) 0 - 600 scfm
Predicted annual volume 75 million ft3

Biogas Methane content 56 - 62%

Characteristics Estimated H2S concentration 0.45 – 0.53 %
Estimated siloxane concentration 0 ppmv
Estimated energy value 560 – 620 BTU/scf
 Cheese Whey
To Cheese Plant Tank
Market

Milking Parlor

Crop Fields

Milking Bedding Young

Cow Solids Cow
Barn Barn

FOG

Effluent
Holding
Manure / whey Pond
Manure Pit
Pit Process and Control Unit

Biogas Cogeneration
AD Conditioning System
System System
(2)
Transformer Grid
 Major Challenges

• Foaming
– Solved problem by better operational control
of substrate loading
• Plugged pipes
– Solved problem by installing gradual turning
radius on elbows and optimizing the pipe size
Pre-Construction Site Location
 Summary Comparison
City Brewing Company Crave Brothers Dairy Farm
Utility: Alliant Energy Utility: We Energies, Inc.
AD System AD System
Brewery Manure, whey, and
Substrates Substrates
wastewater off-site FOG
Digester type (2) UASBs Digester type (2) CSTRs
Cogeneration Engine Cogeneration Engine
Manufacturer Jenbacher Manufacturer Jenbacher
Size 880 HP Size 880 HP
Rated output 633 kW Rated output 633 kW
Heat output* 2.6 MMBTUH Heat output 2.5 MMBTUH
Fuel consumption* 8,719 scfhr Fuel consumption 12,402 scfhr
Turndown* 4,829 scfhr Turndown 6,869 scfhr
 Some Lessons Learned

• Select one organization and one person to be

“in charge” throughout the project
• You as owners and/or stakeholders have a
responsibility to be a part of project planning
and execution
• Plan for the possibility of the unforeseen
• Always do a feasibility study first
 Thanks!

Any questions?
 Contact

Mike O’Neil
Applied Technologies, Inc.
16815 West Wisconsin Avenue
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-784-7690
mponeil@ati-ae.com