Waste-to-Energy plant opens

Operations are just getting underway at a $2.7 million manure-to-electricity plant at the den Dulk dairy farm in Ravenna, built in partnership with Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center in Muskegon.

The project is paving the way for increased energy independence and a greener future. The energy plant has been such a success that a major water and energy contractor is launching a new division to help spread the technology and potentially bring jobs to the Muskegon area.

The general contractor on the Ravenna project, Reynolds Inc., is partnering with the Austrian firm Entec Biogas GmbH, which developed the technology for the biodigester plant. The companies launched a new division this month that hopes to build more of these plants in the U.S. That division is based out of an office in MAREC. Sarah Lineberry, MAREC’s biomass project manager, has joined Reynolds to head up this new division.

“Farm-to-energy projects are now an area of expertise for MAREC, given the success so far of this demonstration project,” said MAREC executive director Imad Mahawili. “So it’s only natural for this new venture to be housed within MAREC.”

The biodigester project holds many benefits. It provides economical electric energy for the farm and displaces grid energy for everyone else, which is a great conservation technique. It improves manure management options, which is environmentally friendly. And it creates a safe, clean compost product for farmers, once the methane and pathogens have been extracted from the manure by the biodigester.

Lineberry said the division will work on bringing the biogas technology developed by Entec Biogas to more locations in the U.S. market.

“Each of these companies has a vested interest in the U.S. market,” Lineberry said. “Entec has had great success with this technology around the world, and there’s great potential for it here. And based on Reynolds’ primary business of wastewater treatment plants and piping, they naturally have the skill set needed to build these plants. Both companies recognize this as a business they can expand upon.”

Based in Orleans, Ind., Reynolds Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Layne Christensen Company. Reynolds is a $700 million corporation that provides products and services to the water and wastewater industries, including designing and building water and wastewater treatment plants, supply and collector wells, water intakes and transmission lines. Entec Biogas GmbH is a private company located in Fussach, Austria. It offers design, construction, and assistance in operation of biogas plants worldwide and has plants operating in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, India, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Les Archer, vice president of Reynolds, Inc., said: “We are extremely excited about this new partnership and the potential opportunities we believe exist in the U.S. renewable energy sector. Entec is a recognized leader in biogas digester technology. We believe their expertise combined with the proven construction capabilities of our company will result in a product that does not exist today in the U.S. And without the support of both MAREC and GVSU, this project would not have been able to go forward.”

The Ravenna project serves as a commercial demonstration of an advanced biodigester technology that converts renewable dairy biomass waste into valuable methane gas and subsequently to electricity. This biomass plant also produces reduced-pathogen fertilizer byproducts and an additional critical benefit to the state's environmental protection by the removal of sulfur and odor compounds and methane emissions from such naturally decaying biomass materials.

“The Ravenna digester plant will serve as a showcase for potential clients,” Lineberry said, noting that it will be useful to be able to show potential clients a fully operational plant.

ABOUT THE BIODIGESTER
The Ravenna plant is 48 feet in diameter and 47 feet tall. Manure from cows is kept in the digester tank at around 98.6 degrees for an average of 21 days. While in the tank, the waste is mixed by a giant mixer and broken down by microbes. The main product of the process is biogas, which is comprised of 60 percent methane. That gas will have the hydrogen sulfide removed to reduce its corrosivity before it is transferred to a holding tank. Then it will be available to be used in microturbines or boilers to create electricity and heat.

Not only will the project create energy using a plentiful and locally produced fuel, but it will cut down on pollution. The other product of the process is a material called "digestate," which is nutrient-rich and can be used as a fertilizer. That product has a 95 percent reduction of odor and a 99 percent reduction of pathogens compared to unprocessed manure. The farm is also separating the liquids from the solids. The solid material can be used as bedding in the barns.