© 2013 Tom Hintz – Seahold LLC UNC Charlotte IDEAS Center Bioenergy Symposium April 9,
© 2013 April 9, Thomas Hintz, is the senior/managing partner at SeaHold LLC. Tom is a seasoned business executive with a solid background of achievements in profit generation, product/project development. Tom graduated from Indiana University in Tom’s main focus is “Renewable Energy” in California, working with farmers, private industry, universities, innovative entrepreneurs, and government agencies. Tom’s greatest strengths are the conceptualization, visualization and implementation of “waste to energy” projects that yield significant revenue, while maximizing environmentally sound practices. Tom is recognized for his expertise in the field, and regularly advises local, regional and state regulatory agencies and commissions that govern “Renewable Energy” projects. Tom specializes in making projects happen; from the “pie in the sky” conceptual design through specific, detailed engineering; to the commissioning and operations of alternative energy facilities and the eventual interconnection to natural gas and electrical distribution networks. Tom knows the value of buying and selling energy credits.
© 2013 April 9,
© 2013 Anaerobic Digestion is simply the controlled breakdown of organic matter without air, used to manage waste and/or to release energy. It is a biological process that produces an energy-rich biogas, principally composed of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), which can be used as a fuel. April 9,
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© 2013 April 9, Covered Lagoon Complete MixPlug FlowFixed Film VesselDeep (>3m) Lagoon Round/square in/above ground tank Rectangular, in-ground tank Above-ground tank, plastic fill Tech LevelLowMedLowMed HeatingNoYes No Solids<3%3-10%11-13%3% Solids TypeFineCoarse v. Fine CollectionFlushFlush / scrapeScrapeFlush HRT (days) ClimatesTemperate & WarmAll Temperate & Warm
© 2013 April 9, Fiscalini Farms Modesto, CA Biogas Energy, Inc. Fiscalini Farms Modesto, CA Biogas Energy, Inc.
© 2013 April 9, Joseph Farms - Cottonwood Dairy Atwater, CA Williams Engineering Design
© 2013 April 9, Qualco Energy Tulalip, WA Andgar
© 2013 April 9, The basic fixed-film digester design consists of a tank filled with plastic media on which a consortia of bacteria attach and grow as a slime layer or biofilm hence the name fixed-film digester. The media is fully submerged and wastewater flow can be in either the up-flow or down-flow mode. As the wastewater passes through the media-filled reactor, the attached and suspended anaerobic biomass convert both soluble and particulate organic matter in the wastewater to biogas, a mixture of mostly methane and carbon dioxide Dairy Research Unit (DRU) at the University of Florida
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© 2013 April 9, High Solids Digesters ◦ Best used for mixed feedstock applications (food waste, animal manure, ethanol production byproducts) ◦ Smaller real-estate footprint and feedstock flexibility Special thanks to Kyle Goehring - Eisemann
© 2013 April 9, High Rate – Zero Waste ◦ 90%+ conversion of feedstock to energy, low turn-around time (4 days); produces organic fertilizer and CLEAN WATER as by-products Special thanks to Joe Burke - Novus
© 2013 April 9,
© 2013 Financial incentives can help offset the cost of anaerobic digestion projects Examples ◦ State Of North Carolina - Renewable Energy Tax Credit ◦ 35% up to $2.5 million per installation - no system sizing requirement ◦ Federal - Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit ◦ Electricity produced from anaerobic digesters per kWH- minimum sizing 150 kW Extensive information can be found at April 9,
© 2013 April 9, Small Footprint - only 4 day HRT 90%+ Conversion to energy Ability to ‘Test Drive a Plant’ Creation of Organic Fertilizer Produce Clean Water for reuse Reason For FailureStrategy For Success Operators did not have the skills or the time required to keep a marginal system operating. Do your homework, get the training and skills needed for long term success Developer selected digester systems that were not compatible with facility operations. The biggest key to success of a project is to find and implement the technology solution that not only fits with the operational strategy of the facility, but that the technology solution doesn’t DISRUPT the operations of the facility Some designer/builders sold “cookie cutter” designs to operators“One Size Fits All” does not work for biogas solutions. The systems became too expensive to maintain and repair because of poor system design. “Proprietary” and “One Of A Kind” technology solutions are not necessarily the best investments Operators did not receive adequate training and technical support for their systems. Do your homework, get the training and skills There were no financial returns of the system or returns diminished over time “Financial Success” isn’t necessarily measured on the amount of “income” a system generates; look to the long term returns (environmental, etc) that will assist
© 2013 Kyle Goehring - EISENMANN Corporation Joe Burke – Novus Energy Jeff Zierdt – Novus Energy Brian Gannon – Biogas Energy Incorporated April 9,
© 2013 April 9, Rose Quartz Drive Perris, CA