City Council
MEETING DATE: 5/24/2017
TITLE:
Title
Trash to Energy Pilot Project (anaerobic digester)
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FROM:
Pat Milos, Community Development Director
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
This item is provided for information, discussion and direction only.
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BACKGROUND:
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biological process typically employed in many wastewater treatment facilities for sludge degradation and stabilization, and it is the principal biological process occurring in landfills. Many livestock farms in the U.S. are turning to the use of AD as a means of mitigating the environmental impacts of manure lagoons with some capture of methane for energy production.
Internationally, AD has been used for decades, primarily in rural areas, for the production of biogas for use as a cooking and lighting fuel. Many household-scale digesters are employed in rural China and India for waste treatment and gas production. More recently, Europe has developed large-scale centralized systems for municipal solid waste treatment with electricity generation as a co-product. Other industrialized countries have followed the European model.
Biodegradation of organic material occurs in nature principally through the action of aerobic microorganisms. Ultimately, complete oxidation of the carbonaceous organic materials results in the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). Anaerobic microorganisms degrade the organic matter in the absence of oxygen with ultimate products being CO2 and methane or "biogas". Anaerobic microorganisms occur naturally in low-oxygen niches such as marshes, sediments, wetlands, and in the digestive tract of ruminant animals and certain species of insects.
The "biogas" can be captured, processed into renewable natural gas (biomethane), and used. Cities and counties across California are developing facilities that will harness this natural process to produce renewable energy from waste, as well as compost for fertilizer.
Biogas is up...
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