In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

MAKING A REALITY OF BIOGAS POTENTIAL

In Business, November-December, 2004, Vol. 26, No. 6, p. 15

Continuing breakthroughs in developing projects and new systems for utilizing organic residuals build high hopes for the stalwart innovators.

Jerome Goldstein

DIVERSITY is a prime characteristic of the growing optimism for turning biomass into renewable power sources. Just one year ago, a report focused on how the knowledge base, technology breakthroughs and supportive public policies were strengthening the infrastructure for biomass energy. During the past 12 months, investments from generators of organic residuals as well as venture capital firms are leading the way to more commercial projects. The Fourth Annual BioCycle Renewable Energy from Organics Recycling Conference in Des Moines last month confirmed the vitality as well as progress. In the closing plenary session, for example, Zhiqin Zhang of the California Energy Commission reported latest biogas recovery developments from the state's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) renewables program. Working with partners like the Western United Resource Dairymen, Milk Producers Council and Sustainable Conservation, the program has 14 projects in operation or final planning stages that involve dairies and the Inland Empire Utilities Agency. Individual project costs range from $75,000 for a covered lagoon system for 175 cows to $4,565,000 for a two-stage plug flow system serving 7,200 cows. Manure from a total of over 33,000 cows will be managed by these anaerobic digestion systems. Total cost of the 14 biogas projects is more than $13 million - further documentation of a growing industry in the biomass conversion sector.
In his analysis of “Latest Trends in Anaerobic Digestion in North America, Richard Mattocks of Environomics based in Salt Point, New York, cites the growing number of biogas systems designers in North America and Europe. “More than 60 firms claim manure and organic waste design capabilities in North America.” His estimates on the anaerobic digestion market in North America have these figures: The market is about $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion; there are as many as 4,000 production facilities appropriate for digestion; average cost of a digestion facility is between $500,000 and
$1 million.
Meanwhile states - as well as nations - push forward in passing legislation to accelerate the growth of alternative energy. In Pennsylvania, utilities by 2020 would be required to provide 18 percent of the electricity from such alternative sources as wind, solar, waste coal and biomass. If the bill becomes law, Pennsylvania would become the 18th state to require that a portion of its electricity comes from alternative sources.
On the international scene, last month the U.S. and 13 other countries signed an agreement to work together to capture emissions of methane - which make up 16 percent of the emissions linked to global warming. The U.S. is underwriting $53 million of the costs of the nonbinding methane agreement which calls on participating industrialized countries to use American expertise to develop methods of capturing gas from landfills. The goal is to capture nine million tons of methane by 2015. Other participating countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Britain and Ukraine.
Assessing the potential of prospective biogas resources in California., Zhang targets these areas: MSW generation - 1 ton/person/year, 35 million population; with an annual growth rate of 1.6 percent, population will reach 70 million by 2048; Sewage sludge and domestic wastewater - 100 gal/person/day at BOD5, 300-400 mg/l, amount of wastewater will double by 2048; Food processing residuals - over 3,000 food processing establishments, plus restaurant wastes; Dairy manure - cow manure (12 percent solids) generation, 16 wet tons/cow/yr, 1.7 million milking cows in 2003 with an annual growth rate of about 1.6 percent, number of milking cows will be doubled by 2048.
The BioCycle West Coast Conference in San Francisco, March 7-9, 2005 will feature special sessions on renewable energy breakthroughs and policies. Many project designers and developers, as well as site owners, will be reporting their experiences. Cosponsors of the Conference will include the California Integrated Waste Management Board, the California Energy Commission, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.